I Did My Best Ever Street Photography In Manchester (Easy Tips and Tricks with Black and White)
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- In this week's photography tutorial, I try my hand again at street photography while on a walk around the city of Manchester. I show how I shot in black and white, underexposing my images to create a high contrast, low key look that really lets my subjects pop out of the image.
I give my top tips for finding and taking better street images, including how I use a relatively ancient Sony compact camera to let me travel light and remain inconspicuous.
This video might not appeal to those of you who come to my channel for macro and nature videos, but street photography is a genre I really love and have always wanted to get better at. And I've found that the more I shoot, the better shots I do seem to come away with, so I'm hoping my musings around practice and dedication will resonate with you, regardless of your chosen genre.
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#streetphotography #tutorial #blackandwhite
Nice work Andrew , great to see your street works.
Thanks 👍
I'm looking at a decent compact fixed lens camera just for every day carrying around. This camera sounds perfect.
Thankyou for this,you got some stunning shots there and scouted some great locations! I’m just starting to dabble in SF myself but some styles leave me cold,like ‘what’s the point of that photo’ and it will be just some random person walking looking at their phone?. There has to be a purpose,a story or striking lighting-there has to be something that draws you into the image 🙂
glad you mention street has become your is becoming your favorite genre of photography. It has captured me as well
I'm glad I'm not alone! How are you finding it? I've really enjoyed the fresh challenge!
Absolutely fantastic pictures! Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait for the next time I go to Manchester.
Thanks!
Very enjoyable Andrew, always nice to have a change and give other genres of photography a go, loved the B&W.
Thanks so much Ross, I really enjoyed flexing my arm with something a bit different.
Me han encantado todas y cada una de las imágenes que has mostrado. ¡Buen trabajo!
Excellent photos. Every single one of them. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much for watching!
Loved your street photography! My favourite was of the older gent with his shadow on the wall! ❤️
Thanks so much! That's one of my favs too. I was really pleased I caught that shot.
Andrew, I’ve watched (and learned from) many of your nature and macro videos. I was a bit surprised to I find this one on street photography. I have become interested in the genre in this last year. Perhaps this is partly due to reaching my 85th birthday. Street gear is a lot easier to carry about than long tele and macro lenses and tripods. Will be watching for more of your street work.
Enjoyed the video. Just travelled to Manchester about a month ago from US. Was very taken with the juxtaposition of old and new architecture. I follow your channel mainly for the macro but enjoy seeing you enjoy and expand your craft. Always inspirational and helps keep me motivated. Thanks
Thanks Bill, I'm glad you enjoyed Manchester. It's certainly got a lot to offer both for tourists and for photographers. Like you, I love the old, industrial side and how it merges with the modern architecture. It makes for some really interesting scenes. Have you sen much of the rest of the UK?
Spent a day on same trip in Peak District. Then we went on to Edinburgh where we spent 2 days sightseeing and managed an early morning shoot from Calton Hill and the next five days with Covid in a small hotel room. But otherwise thoroughly enjoyed the visit.@@AndrewLanxonPhotography
well done! I have really enjoyed street photography the past few years and have tried to get out and do some myself. one thing I have found myself getting better is by watching and following others doing the same thing... the more you hang out with like minded people, you start to see the world in a similar fashion. I do think if you look at the world by how the light is hitting it, it really helps in other areas in photography. great vid, I enjoyed every photo you posted, stellar work mate!
Thanks Christopher! I totally agree, and I've tried to hang out with some friends who are more into street shooting and go on photo walks and whatnot. I've also found that simply spending more time looking at works of other photographers (Alan Schaller a particular inspiration for me) really helps my creativity too. Any favourite street photographers that have helped inspire you?
You are doing amazingly correct; just getting out there. Won't bore you, but good seeing my friend!
Andrew, I really enjoyed this short video; let's have more of you shooting the streets. I am also on a street photography journey and would love to be proficient at it, so your improvements do encourage me.
I used to live in Manchester. Typically weather; it‘s a rainy city. 😂🫶
It really is!
I love black and white street photos. Congratulations on your excellent work 👌👌📸
Thanks so much, that's really kind!
I'm just starting my "Street" career.......love your shots...please do more !
Thank you!
wonderfull photo's I love black and white
Thank you!
Andrew, I worked in Manchester for 25 years and taken a "few" photos there but I've gotta say, I have NEVER seen or made any better than those you have shown us here. They are simply world class wonderful and truly inspiring..... Valerie Jardin had better watch out! ( you're not a descendent of Vivian Mayer are you? ) Respect, Chris N, soggyrockphoto
Thank you so much, that's really kind to say! Wasn't familiar with Valerie Jardin but love that work. Alan Schaller is where I get a lot of my inspo from!
I have always been shy and afraid to get out there in the streets (even though I really want to), I suppose that's why I prefer the macro/wildlife world. But your words really inspire me to keep going at it! Thank you for your video! I also think having a spin away from the usual videos you make keeps the channel interesting!
You and me both! But I've found that it's certainly possible to be naturally shy and still get out there and get street shots. I'm never going to be one of those 'shove the camera in someone's face and ask for forgiveness later' types, but I also don't think that's a style of image I want to achieve anyway. I prefer a more subtle, candid style. How about you?
Really enjoyed your video. Thanks!
Great photos and very welcome to see the street stuff 👍🏼
Thanks Robbie!
Great photos I love street photography & B&W
Thanks, Jean, all the best!
Great photographs
Hi Andrew, this video is ticking me up, I too want to try B/W street photography. I really enjoyed the photos you shared. Great.
Thanks so much, I definitely encourage you to give it a go!
I like your style of street photography.
Great shots. I’ve been in Manchester the last two weekends trying street photography. I had earmarked the arches at the library but on both occasions there were people sleeping there so I had to walk away. I’m still learning so maybe one day I’ll get the kind of shots I want.
Thank you! I really enjoyed exploring the area. I think it offers a lot of opportunity even if the weather isn't great. I hope you can get back soon and get the shots you want!
Great video Andrew. I've been a bit stuck with my street photography and this was just what I needed. Thanks. :-D
Thanks so much, really glad it struck a chord!
Some brilliant images there.
Thank you!
Excellent, i love it
Thanks!
Would LOVE TO SEE more of Manchester through this framing! Or any UK/European city, obvs. Might just be the architecture nerd in me, but the people a secindary to the character of the city to me. That being said, the first "bird shot" with the wonderfully lovely lady is 100% my favorite. Has a narrative, tells that narrative, and truly captures the essence of the moment. But the vape shot is exquisite as well!!
Thanks John! It's on my list to go back soon. Same goes for London which I was shooting in recently and got some fun results. Next up will probably be Glasgow which should be great for the architecture too. Thanks for the input on the bird images, that one is my fav too, but the vape shot is my favourite overall. Cheers for watching!
@AndrewLanxonPhotography Cheers mate! I'm super hyped to see some moody Glasgow shots, it's #2 on my UK city list to visit (after London obvs). Think of all the sick "vape guy" shots you'll be able to hit, especially if your trip is soon!
i like your channel as a wildlife/nature photographer i love your nature and macro work, but my go to subject when i need a break from that is street/travel photography with my fuji x-t5 or x-t2 so this video appealed to me, enjoyed it very much thank you.
Thanks! I'm glad this hasn't put you off my channel then, I was worried that a lot of my nature followers would quickly unsubscribe! Those Fujis are great for travel and street. I have an old XT-20 that I sometimes use with Fuji's 35mm prime, which is a beautiful lens for this type of thing. Do you use Fuji's film simulation modes? I hear they're some of the best!
Hi, interesting video, amazing shots, great work 👍.
Thanks so much for watching!
Greats photos!! 👏👏👏
Thank you!!
You’re composition is very good 👍, my only objection is the distance between your people subject and you is apparent. It takes confidence to take pictures close of people.
I agree with you Mario . The ideas are good but most pictures suffer from the dreaded curse of the 35mm . Far too much negative space. A 75mm would improve things greatly. You don't have to shoot 35mm just because someone else did . Unfortunately this is a fixed lens camera that gives great image quality, maybe try 75mm until confidence increases then go back to the Sony , or keep it for architecture. Jus sayin . Jake E .
Please don't confuse personal taste for something wrong with the images. I prefer a more candid scene that captures more of the context of the area around the subject. Not all street photographers are trying to get as close as possible to their subjects and that certainly hasn't been my aim here. They're not how you'd shoot them and that's fine, we all have our styles, but to patronisingly suggest that I make choices simply because "someone else did" or from a lack of confidence is reductive and betrays a lack of understanding on your part.
Great stuff. I'm getting more into street myself. I've become bored with landscapes, which was my default photography and UA-cam channels to watch 📷👍
I'm glad this appeals,thanks!
Hi Andrew, just came across your channel and i must say I've enjoyed your journey into street photography very much. I've recently returned from Glasgow where i dabbled in street photographyand found that I'm not too shabby at it. Like yourself i shot in black and white and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Anyway, you have a new sub now and looking forward to more of your vids. Hang loose mate.
Thanks so much for joining and for taking the time to comment! Did you have much luck in Glasgow? I'm hoping to get there soon to see what I can get!
Greetings from Alabama USA . Great shots.
Greetings! Thanks for the watching all the way out in Alabama!
Absolutely awesome. I’ve done street photography since film SLR days and spent a whole year in Bradford doing similar. Love your style and it’s great to see your minds eye working that scene. Things have relaxed slightly since the turn of the century as I found people very touchy about photographers post Diana’s death. However, phones and imagery are available to everyone now and it’s become more acceptable to see people out there taking photos. I’ve just picked up a new Canon R6 yesterday and you’ve inspired me. Thank you
Thanks so much, Mark! I think people definitely expect to see more photographers out and about and as long as you're not shoving a lens right in someone's face to make them feel uncomfortable then I think it's an acceptable thing to keep doing. It's definitely important to not cross that line that makes people feel targeted or threatened though. Good luck with the R6, it's a great camera! What lenses did you get with it? The 1.8 nifty fifty, I assume?
@@AndrewLanxonPhotography thank you. I’ve got the 50 but I’ve got a host of L series lenses from my 1DX which I was never getting rid of. The 70-200 f2.8 is a favourite with me. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply
Nice. I love the 50. It's so small and light so it's great for travel and street photography. I always hear people saying that "it's not sharp enough and pros will never use it" -- I've shot multiple commercial jobs on that lens and not once has any client ever had any complaint. I have zero desire to spend the thousands to upgrade to the bigger, heavier RF 50 1.2. Great shout on using your older L-Series glass, especially that 70-200, it's a great lens!
@@AndrewLanxonPhotography thank you. The price of the 50 1.2 is more than a small second hand car and that’s absolutely ridiculous isn’t it. Not everything in this game is down to the camera and the glass. I look back at my early days and the billboard images I sold. Thinking now that the were printed so big from 35mm film is unreal. I’ve told students who have studied with me that it’s not all about equipment. The eye is the key here and the methodology behind how you want to portray what you see. Nothing is wrong if you are happy. Love having discussions like this Andrew, especially with like minded photographers. Please keep in touch
Absolutely agreed, it's crazy what some of the new glass costs. And most modern lenses, even the affordable ones, are way sharper than older 'pro' glass was -- and it's why so many photo and video shooters try to pick up vintage glass in order to reintroduce some of that softness or other artifacts. Same goes for using mist filters or applying the Orton Effect in landscape photography; it's all about knocking back some of that hyper sharpness that modern lenses and high resolution sensors achieve. At the end of the day, real working pros know that equipment only gets you so far and isn't what makes you an artist. I don't remember the roofers I currently have on my house telling me in advance what hammers or tools they use to secure my business and I certainly didn't ask.
Gorgeous b&w images, Andrew! I walk for hours, the streets of NYC, taking black & whites regularly and I not only enjoy it but love it as well. I use a Canon 90D with a EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, I use that camera exclusively for black and white and never switch it from monochrome.
Oh man I'd love to wander round NYC with my camera. Seems to be the absolute home of street photography! Though maybe I'd struggle to find shots that everyone hasn't seen before. How do you find it in terms of taking images that feel like 'yours'?
"Though maybe I'd struggle to find shots that everyone hasn't seen before." ...
This would never happen in NYC, bro!
NYC is constantly changing, not only in terms of humanity due to unstoppable migration and its cultural mixes, but also in its surface-level infrastructure because underground remains intact; But the constructions do not stop, in fact if you are gone for 6 months, or for a year, when you return you find buildings that you had not seen projecting shadows and rays of sun where you never imagined seeing, avenues and streets that were never commercial with ethnicities that They have become commercial cities with flows of people that seem to be in places in other countries. It's a never-ending motion and developments creating all types of scenarios.
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Very nice and interesting video.
You gave me and idea: to go around Venice, where I live, with my old Olympus Mark I setting the display on black&white !
Thanks
Woah, venice! That would be an incredible place to take black and white shots like that! I've only been once, but it was when I was very little and we only had a little disposable kodak camera. Maybe I need to go back!
well done good shit
Thanks!
Great photos 🎉 I wonder if they are as strong in color
Thank you! I did play around with colour on a couple and I definitely don't think they work anything like as well. The shots rely so much more on the light and shadow than the colours in the scene and I think that's enhanced much more in black and white. Maybe other people would disagree as these things are always down to personal preference, but I suspect most people would think B+W works best for these.
Really liked seeing your B&W photographs. Very good. Andrew, can you tell me if the Sony RX1R is a good buy today and does it have any issues that crop up? Thanks.
Now I know where to go to take photos next time....Another excuse to go to Manchester (I had already a strong one but apparently it wasn't enough)...
The shot with pigeons is amazing ( the second one is the best imho)
There's some great opportunies to be bad there. Take your camera, grab a coffee, wander about. It's great! Thanks for watching!
@@AndrewLanxonPhotography I like the coffee thing...
I forgot. I also like the sweatshirt...
Great shots, Andrew, probably the best lot of street photos, how you managed to isolate the main subjects in most of your pics. I've seen numerous on u tube, just "record shots" which one could do with a mobile phone. BTW, Sony cameras have the best contrast in Black and white and white.
Thanks, that's really nice to say! Definitely agree on B+W with this Sony. I love the look of them, even as straight out of camera jpegs.
Absolutely LOVED this one.... Can you do more street photography vids please? (generally I am a macro shooter but also love the idea of street photography)
😍
Thank you! I'd definitely like to, I really love shooting these kinds of photos. Though it depends on whether anyone cares about watching this video tbh!
@@AndrewLanxonPhotography haha 1 day i could join you in manchester
Another great Video Andrew. No need to apologize for the varied and comparatively 'slap dash' content. It's all good! Better to produce than not. Thanks or sharing your experiences and insights. Cheers from Toronto.
Thanks very much, I appreciate that!
As a People photographer myself I can see a fellow human essence seeker here, needless to say much of your great results!
Thank you!
Great Video Andrew, I do the same sort of thing, use EOSR with a 50mm lens, again a small camera 📸 love BW as well...Colin Devon. Well done.
That's a great setup, the R is really nice and compact. Do you use it with the 50mm 1.8? I love that little lens, I shoot on it all the time.
Yes, that is the one I use Andrew, I will have to set the R up in BW mode, though do generally do colour and change in lightroom or using gradient map in photoshop. Love watch peoples videos always willing to learn at my age Andrew..Thank you. Colin...
Fantastic content Andrew. I do macro and wildlife with a passion but also love taking street photography with my Ricoh GR 1113x. Completely different skill set.
I also take in Street photography channels and have never heard any other creator advocate taking the high contrast jpeg with the raw file. But it is a great idea.
I also do that and have saved presets in lightroom where I have matched the look of the high contrast jpeg. So, if I like the look of the jpeg I apply the preset to the raw file for an almost identical look. I can then tweek the results.
Do you do the same?
Thanks so much! That Ricoh is great for street and travel photography, so I'm told. I'm surprised more people haven't suggested shooting this way, it makes so much sense. When I look at my raws, they're all in colour, so you lose that immediate inspiration of why you took the shot. By shooting the JPEG too you can still see that mono shot, but then you get the flexibility of deeper editing in the raw file. That said, on this camera I often prefer the JPEGs! I'll usually just rely on Lightroom's BW Profiles as a starting point, usually number 3 as it gives a really rich contrast that's generally closer to what I shot. I'll then adjust from there.
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I also shoot the raw in colour for more editing flexibility in Lightroom. I really like Ricoh's black-and-white jpeg profiles and I am also very happy with the jpegs it produces but if I have keepers I will always apply, at the click of a button, my saved mimic black-and-white preset to the colour raw file. I end up with an almost identical mono raw image to the jpeg I shot. It is fairly straightforward to put the mono jpeg in comparison view in Lightroom with the colour raw image and edit the colour raw to look like the mono jpeg. Then save that edit as a preset. Possibly a topic for a future UA-cam. It is not one I have seen on UA-cam.
With my Nikon Z7 all of its jpeg colour & mono profiles are available in Lightroom in the Profile Browser not so with the Ricoh.
Thanks for watching and for the very thoughtful comment! The Ricoh's BW profiles are great, I believe. Sounds like we have a very similar post-processing workflow. I have a base set of edits I apply as a starting point and then go from there. I tend not to do the side-by-side comparison as I usually want to do my edit without having a 'goal' (the JPEG) in mind, but instead just to go through my process until I'm happy with the result.
I seriously considered the sony rx1r but for the money I simply couldn't justify not having a viewfinder. I find in various lighting situations the rear screen simply doesn't let me really see properly. Does this not cause you any issues Andrew? If so how do you circumvent them?
Where was that shot taken with the white wall-underpass-person smoking?
I've lived in Manchester for years but can't visualise where it is!
hello. i would like to ask you about something. when i share the photos i ttake with my Fujifilm camera on instagram story, the image quality is poor. why this can happen and how can i fix it?
Are there any regulations in UK in terms of street photography? In Hungary if a person can be identified on the picture, you need to have preferably written approval from that person, which states he/she agrees to be on the picture. This regulation kinda killed street photography for me, because this makes it very circumstential.
Nope, nothing like that here.
What was the camera again?
It's the Sony RX1R and it's brilliant
@@AndrewLanxonPhotography I had an early Nikon coolpix which was great but no longer holds a charge.. and I'm looking for a handy smaller camera as an alternative my D7500. The camera you mention appears to be discontinued.
A used RX1 is stll about a grand or so in good condition. The MKii is about £2000. They are not cheap. I use an Olympus EM5 MKII with a 17mm F1.8 lens. It fits in a large pocket. Or when I feel brave I get the Leica M out.@@gphill3954