Image of a 40mm equivalent focal length lens next to a 50mm lens.
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40mm Vs. 50mm Street Photography: Is There A Winner?

If you’re a street photographer, you know the importance of choosing the right lens for capturing the perfect shot. But when it comes to 40mm vs. 50mm lenses, how do you decide which one is right for you? While the two focal lengths are certainly similar for street photography, there are subtle differences that can…

A side by side comparison of a 28mm equivalent lens and a 40mm equivalent lens.
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28mm Vs. 40mm Lens Comparison for Street Photography

28mm and 40mm lenses are both very viable focal lengths for street photography. I’ve used both enough to know their strengths and weaknesses. Each lens brings a unique perspective to the table. The 28mm immerses viewers in the scene, but requires getting close, making candid shots trickier. The 40mm provides a bit more distance, allowing…

Man walking across street past an orange fire hydrant. In the foreground, there's a dark gray car.
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40mm Street Photography: There’s a Lot to Like

When I first swapped my usual 35mm lens for a 40mm focal length lens, I was certainly intrigued. It’s compact and lightweight, making it great for the long walks I take doing street photography. The image quality is impressively sharp with minimal distortion. Despite being a bit tighter in small spaces compared to a 35mm,…

Black cameras on a gray background.
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Best Street Photography Cameras: My 8 Top Picks

These days, there are a ton of cameras capable of producing great street photographs. I’ve compiled the best cameras for street photography here without regard to price, but I’ve included some budget options as well. There really is no best street photography camera because everyone has there own preferences and style, but I’ve done my…

Collection of the best lenses for street photography, with lenses from Leica, Fujifilm, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic, and Hasselblad.
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Best Lenses for Street Photography: My 9 Top Picks

The best street photography lenses allow you to move quickly, remain unnoticed, and get images with good image quality. A lens won’t make you a better photographer, but it will have an effect on the quality of your experience and the look of your photos. So I don’t think it’s good to obsess over street…

A woman looking down in front of a market. There's a man holding a phone and two women exiting, one in a wheelchair.
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Underexposed Street Photography: Here’s How & Why I Do It

If you’re a fan of street photography, you may have noticed that underexposed street photography can be really compelling. It’s a spin on reality that doesn’t look overdone or cliché, like with HDR or overly-Photoshopped photography. In other types of photography, it’s more common to raise exposure and shadows in post. But in street photography,…

A man on a loudspeaker out of focus.
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Street Photography Shutter Speed: Freeze the Action or Create Motion Blur

Street photography shutter speed is highly dependent on what you want to achieve with your street photography. For example, do you want to freeze the action so that it’s like a preserved moment in time, or do you want to create a sense of movement by creatively using motion blur? The response to those questions…

A small black lens and camera combo.
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Best Focal Length for Street Photography: 6 Focal Lengths for Every Situation

While I wish there was a single best focal length for street photography that would fit every situation, it’s not exactly a possibility. There are wide-angle prime lenses that do the majority of what you need while being small and discreet. There are ‘normal’ focal length lenses like 50mm that can be great but are…

Photo of a simple street photography gear setup with a camera, lens, strap, and camera bags.
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Street Photography Gear: Pack Light to Focus on What’s Important

Street photography gear is often over-thought. Gear, to some extent, is an essential part of making street photos though. My philosophy on street photography gear is to keep things as simple as possible and travel light. Street photography gear is great, but having too much of it can weigh you down, and it can feel…

A closeup of a camera lens with the aperture blades stopped down.
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What’s the Best Aperture for Street Photography?

Your choice of aperture for street photography is one of the main elements that will determine the look and feel of your images. That’s because it affects your depth of field or how much of your photo is in focus. Having creative control over my field is important as a street photographer, so choosing the…

Image of a gray aperture opening on a camera lens.
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Street Photography Aperture Priority: When and How to Use It

Street photography is an amazing outlet for photographic creativity. But one thing that can get in the way sometimes is keeping up with your camera settings to get the correct exposures. In street photography, moments are fleeting and pass in the blink of an eye, so obviously, you want to have your camera settings ready…

A guy slacklining on a line tied to trees on a beach at night as people watch.
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Night Street Photography: Gear, Camera Settings, Techniques

Shooting street photography at night can make compelling images, but it’s also very challenging. Obviously, the biggest challenge is that you have less available light to work with. Low light can make it difficult to get proper exposures, and your camera’s autofocus may struggle. Regardless, there are ways to overcome these challenges through your gear…

People in front of a map mural; two women posing for a photo, a young girl looking at a man doing a hand stand.
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22 Reasons Why I Love Street Photography

The point of street photography is lost among many people, even by photographers who shoot other genres. Street photography is one of my great passions in life. But why? That’s what I’ll be talking about in this piece. These are the reasons why I love street photography. 1) It’s an Artistic Outlet Street photography is…

A mode dial on a point-and-shoot camera.
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Street Photography Camera Settings: Mastering Your Camera for Best Results

If you’re just getting into street photography, you may be wondering what settings to use for it. There are some differing opinions on this topic, but there’s a lot of common ground in the way that the masters of the craft approach their camera settings. In this article, I’ll be sharing the camera settings I…

Teenagers on a subway car laughing with text overlay saying 'street photography ethics'.
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Street Photography: Is it Ethical?

If you’re a street photographer or thinking about getting into, you’ve probably wondered to yourself about the ethics of street photography. It’s only natural to question something that can make you feel uncomfortable at times—and you may notice you’ve caused someone else to feel uncomfortable at some point or another. It begs the question: is…

A young woman on a beach wearing a pink shirt with her phone out.
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Some Thoughts on Street Photography Etiquette

Street photography etiquette is a tricky subject. It’s subjective. It also can be difficult to practice proper etiquette on the street when someone takes offense to you photographing them. While I certainly don’t have all the answers, I have done quite a bit of street photography and share my personal take on street photography etiquette…