Street Photography that tells a story

Budapest Street Scene ©Sharon Popek

Street photography can be whatever you want it to be. It can be dark and moody, fun, celebratory, sexy, or exciting. It does not matter what the mood is, as long as it tells a story. A story that draws us in and makes us want to go there. Or maybe just know more about that place or the people in it. In the past when I’ve traveled, I have gotten annoyed that I couldn’t get a photo of that cool historic building without all the other tourists. Then I realized that part of what makes those places great are those people. Whether it’s people who come from all over the world to see, learn, and celebrate the history and culture of a person or place or just the locals trying to get from point a to point b, there’s a story there.

 

Wake up!

Get up early and hit the streets. Most of the tourists are sleeping in, so the streets are mostly empty except for locals. It’s a great time to meet some of the locals and see some landmarks without the masses.

Johnbull Pub ©Sharon Popek
A man gets tables ready at a local restaurant in Budapest. I love the simplicity of this. The tables lined up with him working to get the table clothes on in anticipation of a busy day.
Budapest Street Scene ©Sharon Popek
It’s early morning in Budapest and it’s mostly just locals making their way to work or the market before the tourists wake up and take over the streets.

Standing Out

How do you take an image that stands out from the ones in the tourism guide or the same one that 50,000 other people probably took that day? First, be patient. There will, at some point be a break in the crowd or wait for something that’s happening in that crowd that stands out. Maybe it’s a crowd full of dark, somber colors, but then someone with a red jacket or dress shows up. Use that to your advantage. Second, look around you. Everyone else is taking photos of the front of the building or whatever the tour guide is pointing out. Look up, look down, look behind you. Find something different.

Monumental Red ©Sharon Popek
Tourists walk by a monument in Vienna. There are only a few of them and none of them are actually looking at the statue, except the woman in red.
Arch Break ©Sharon Popek
A man takes a smoke break at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Fascinated in Krakow ©Sharon Popek
The rest of the crowd has turned to watch something. I was more fascinated by the old church.

Thank you for visiting the blog! Check out more of my work at https://1-sharon-popek.pixels.com/

3 Comments on “Street Photography that tells a story

  1. Many thanks for sharing your experiences with All Seasons. Love street photography, and wish I was better at it:) Great places to visit.

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