I've been doing street photography for years and years, and in that time I've taken tens of thousands of photographs, improved my skills, and learned so much about what it takes to make great street images.

So in this video, I'm going to share my best bits of knowledge to help you improve your street photography fast.

But not only that, I'm also going to share what you need to avoid, and trust me, that's a game changer.

So let's start with what you should be doing. The number one thing I've learned that will skyrocket your street photography skills is using one camera, one lens.

What do I mean by that? Well, it's pretty simple: just stick with one camera body and one focal length for at least 6 months.

This stops you being indecisive on the street and forces you to be more creative with your framing as well.

When I stuck to one camera, one lens, it completely changed how I see the world, and my photography improved exponentially. And further to that, always try to have a camera on you, ideally something discreet and fun to use.

The amount of times I've missed a shot because my camera is in my bag or at home is staggering, so a daily carry is really important to never miss a moment.

We obviously can't control what happens out in the world on any given day, and we also might not have much choice of location that we find ourselves in to take photographs, which is what makes street photography so fun but also so challenging.

That's why I've found using the environment to your advantage is so important. If you're in a quiet place, you can use objects on the street for creative framing, you can incorporate reflections for abstraction, and you can even use other people to frame up your subjects as well if you think in layers and try to frame something interesting in the foreground, mid-ground, and background whilst also trying to keep space and balance in the image.

Then our photos become much more complex and much more interesting as well. It took me a long time to learn this, but trial and error goes a long way to making better work over time.

So get out there and experiment. There's a simple formula to making a great street photograph, and you can check out this video I made here to find out how you can master taking great street photos.

But there's one thing I've learned in the years I've been doing street photography is that moment is the most valuable thing.

Sure, you can take a pretty photo of some nice shapes and silhouettes and shade, and there's nothing wrong with that, but what is that kind of photograph really saying about the world?

Once I learned through loads of trial and error to look for great moments, things that spark your curiosity and wonder, my photos got so much better.

Try getting closer to people, into the action of a scene.

Try getting closer emotionally to your photography and the world around you too. You'll start to notice more moments and the funny, fun, sad, exciting things that can happen out on the street to capture with your camera.

I found this really hard to do at first, but I've learned that you really do see what you look for.

If you're looking for light, you'll notice light. If you're looking for abstraction, you'll notice more abstraction. And if you're looking for moments, you'll notice more moments.

So if you train your eye to find these great moments of life and then try your best to capture them in an exciting way with your camera, then you'll take excellent photographs in the long run.

A good street photographer is usually a confident street photographer, but it's also one of the hardest things to get good at.

Because at the heart of street photography, we're capturing people in public without their permission, and lack of confidence can often be a big stumbling block.

Some things that really help with building your confidence are knowing the law where you live, and also having a pre-prepared reason for being out and then work to show anyone if they ask you what you're doing.

Know that you're out there documenting life for future generations to look back on, and you're doing nothing wrong. You can learn to shoot from the hip if you really don't want to attract attention to yourself, but try not to hide what you're doing and be shady about it.

Instead, be bold, be brave, and practice.

Your confidence will grow. The more time you spend doing street photography, the more confidence you get, the less you hesitate, which is so important because things happen so fast on the street.

A little hesitation and you've lost a moment forever. I cannot stress enough the value of printing your work.

Does a photo even exist if it's not physically printed? I don't know, but seeing your work in print is so important. You can get a bunch of small photos printed out really cheaply online, and then looking through your work, seeing images in natural light gives you so much information as to what you like, what you don't like, and what you need to improve.

So yeah, print your work. So we've rapidly covered some of the best things I've learned over the years that you should be doing to be a better street photographer, but now here's the really important stuff: what you need to avoid.

It's really important to look at others' work for inspiration, in my opinion, and Instagram can be great for that.

But when you like a few images that are similar, Instagram's going to serve up to you more of that similar kind of work, which will narrow your photography knowledge.

Instead, buy photo books, or at least look at them in the library or online. One thing that I've found has helped me make much better work is to find photos that I love from photographers I admire, and over time, find their work online, screenshot it, and add it to a little inspiration folder on my phone to refer to.

I keep adding to it and make it as diverse as possible, which gives me infinite inspiration and ideas for when I want to go out and shoot.

Having lots of photographic ideas and influences to draw from is so powerful and will ultimately make you a much better street photographer than if you just get your inspiration from Instagram.

It can be so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a gear upgrade will improve your photography.

It won't. I've learned the hard way by buying expensive gear, seeing no improvement in my pictures, and then having to sell it.

If you need new gear, then of course, get new gear, but if you just want something shiny and new to improve your photography, then most likely it won't.

So forget about that and use the money to buy a photography trip instead, and I guarantee that will give you way more chances to get better at street photography.

One thing you have to do is not compare yourself to others, and in the digital world, that's really hard to do.

But once I stopped caring what others think of my photography, it freed me up to make the photos that I really want to make and stopped me from chasing likes on social media, which also really helps in my mental health.

too. Our street photographers can be lone wolves, but sharing your passion with other like-minded people is so valuable. Reach out to people online, reach out to people in real life, go on photo walks, attend workshops, and be part of the street photography community.

This will skyrocket your skills faster than any video on YouTube.

And not only does your photography get better, but you also become part of a really great community of street photographers out in the world as well.

And finally, don't take yourself too seriously. I used to get so uptight when I missed a shot or my work didn't improve.

But once I learned to lighten up a bit and just enjoy the process, something clicked, and now I never get bored doing street photography.

Just go out as often as you can with a positive mindset, take some photos, meet some people, and appreciate life out in the real world while documenting it with your camera.

What could be better than that? This video only really touches on a few of the most important things I've learned over the years of doing street photography, but of course there's so much more to it than that.

So check out this next video, which goes into more detail on how to improve your street photography fast.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.

6 Years of Street Photography Knowledge in 6 Minutes

Level up your street photography here…

Hi, I’m Tim and I’m a street photographer from England. 

This channel is all about sharing my passion for street, travel, and documentary photography, passing on the knowledge I’ve gained over years of hitting the streets with my camera.

I’m focused more on the how and the why of photography rather than the gear.

Coming up: POV videos, tips, techniques, tutorials and street photography philosophy & opinions.

🎬 New video (almost) every week

🔴 If you like the content don’t forget to subscribe!

📧 Get in touch: timjamiesonphotos@gmail.com

6 Years of Street Photography Knowledge in 6 Minutes

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