The 5 F's Street photography tips. John Free

[VersionBeta1]

Thanks for helpful tips but I must disagree with "Focusing". For street photography, it's almost always better to use auto focus, not manual! Unless your manual focus ability is super fast, your photos will more than like turn out to be out of focus if you use manual - especially for the beginners.

and why close up of your left eye?

[unamaxify]

well you could combine the focusing & firing into one motion

if you have a camera with a touchscreen where you tap once

to focus on the subject and fire within a fraction of a second.

-

of course you have to be open to "new" technology

[68yankeeman]

Move over Colin Powell, I've got a new Hero.

[vtorialyn]

Very helpful thank you!

[PanzarMetal]

Damn it, From tomorrow Im going on concrete discipline, gonna use the 1 roll rule, turn the auto focus, stop reviewing my shots and stick with 1 ISO (200-400).

Sounds suicidal with the new tech ? well there is actually fun in it!

[giotto4321]

This is a really well presented, 'stream-of-consciousness' type of instruction and I enjoyed it, thanks. No doubt, the years you've spent taking photos helps it to have become ingrained in your working technique, but it's great to listen to.

[AristoDosSantosTV]

Great video, thank you very much Sir.

[cyphre672]

Thanks very much for this info sir, if i would live in the US i would try to visit your workshops for sure ( if i could afford them, that is ;))

[PenAirPilot]

Montezumasrevenge has it best.....John..You're a Photographic Prophet! Thanks

[blackmagicnow]

i like this alot good info here. you should make a documentary id buy it to support you

[deenoessmuysuave]

I think you guys should check out his Facebook account, he has two upcoming workshops. One in Los Angeles CA from may 28-30, 2011 and another in New York City NY, in September 21-25, 2011

[kaylir14]

@deenoessmuysuave Hey, I can't find him anywhere on Facebook. Could you please send me a link?

[unamaxify]

get close... and be sure to be able to outrun the subject

get the framing right ... and don't get squished by a truck

manual focus... or use center auto-focus and reframe

hit the shutter release at the right moment ...or use a digital camera and shoot 20 pics and choose afterwords.

All the prolific photographers shoot in bulk an cherry pick later, but nobody wants to admit it.

Now digital gives everybody the chance to shoot lots of pictures : thats why "they" diss digital. (i love white-balance)

[RCK502]

This is very good advise. I would like to add a few things please.

You were right, fast firing of he shutter. Many of the old masters that used range finders had that quick, and SILENT shutter. I would say they use 35mm and 50 mm the most. Maybe a 28mm at certain times. Today with digital, the small cheap ones anyway, its very hard to get the kind of street photo that we once had. I did not same impossible, but hard. And know your gear! Bigger is NOT better in this photography.

[HogbergPhotography]

What do you say to all angry people?

[acesofgambit]

Hi Sir John,

I would like to ask something if you don't mind, about the 4th F, focusing it said to use manual focus. I got a dslr camera with 50mm f/1.8, a beginner and i love taking street shots.I think it's hard to use the manual focus since most of the time my shots are in my hip or below the chest. I can't adjust the focus without looking my viewfinder. what should I do?

Hope you can help me Sir John. I used P,Tv and Manual mode for most of the time but in Auto focus.

Thanks a lot Sir

Duke

[Valtyful]

@acesofgambit you should sell your camera :)

[acesofgambit]

@Valtyful so what camera do you recommend?

[damens]

@acesofgambit if the autofocus is working for you then use it. Otherwise zone focus. Leave your camera on Manual Focus set at, say, 3 metres and set your aperture to f8 or f11. Let depth-of-field do the work for you and you shouldn't need to adjust focus (or worry about the camera doing the right thing in autofocus) for most of your photos. Your mileage may vary and see your doctor if pain persists.

[ironkatia]

I really want to thank you John for the videos. I can't afford to go to your workshops because I'v been riding freight trains and hitch hiking the past 9 years photographing. It make really happy to see a video from a master photographer who has a deeper knowledge about photography. There is alot of bs videos on here that have much more views than yours. I'm glad to have finally stumbled apon a treasure. Thanks again John.

[writerman242]

Terrific I love the idea of it all becomeing like second nature. That's my goal. And it allbeing about heart? that's wondeful and suits my life philosophy/ thanks very much for this

[montezumasrevenge]

The 6th F.....Frequency....if you take as many photos as these legendary photographers...eventually you'll have enough to fill a book or to be taken as some kind of photographic prophet. 30 out of 30,000 aint bad!

[JohnFreePhtography]

@montezumasrevenge Hi. Thanks for your comment. I have been thinking about what you have suggested for 40 years. Do I shoot more? Or do I shoot less? I know that many famous photographers shot a lot of film to get maybe one effective shot. I however, am very afraid of "Guessing" about a shot. Carier-Bresson said that the machine gun approach to photography will result in disaster. I want each shot to come from my heart,eye and brain and not from just throwing the camera around and shooting.

[montezumasrevenge]

@JohnFreePhtography but all the well regarded photographers...took...a lot of shots....anyway...fair enough

[mplayer98]

@JohnFreePhtography "Winogrand exposed 700 rolls of film on the project. Papageorge selected the 69 pictures in the book from 6,500 11" x 14" proof prints. He sequenced the work, organized the corresponding exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, and wrote the introduction, which is not so much an introduction to this book as it is an introduction for a monograph on Winogrand's life and work as a whole. ."

[gaozhi2007]

@JohnFreePhtography not only that, but it's a pain in this ass to go through all your photos.

[martindesantii1]

this is very inspirational.

[DEVIMON111213]

thank you very much

[dimpapadimm]

great video.

[charleyhat]

Man this was great i would love to take a class with him.

[deenoessmuysuave]

@charleyhat I took his work shop in New York city. Definitely a life changing experience! I and other students will be taking his up coming workshop in Paris France, in April 2011. If anyone is in any way serious in producing photographs that because of their visual power and meaning, have the ability to emotionally affect, or move the viewer for having seen them. John Free is the man to talk to.

[Qambar07]

Awesome, very informative video.. Thanks so much :)