The street is a space of sporadic activity and many incredible adventures. If you’re someone who enjoys being on the street and experiencing it, along with having an inkling towards photography, then you should definitely dive into street photography. And what better camera to photograph the street with than the powerhouse Canon 6D itself. This camera has some amazing features that can help you get the best street pictures that you have ever seen.
With the 6D, you get a very powerful CMOS sensor that captures images at up to 20.2 megapixels resolution. With such fine detail, you won’t be missing any event or happening that takes place on the street. Even if you take a spontaneous shot, you will most likely be able to capture it in great amounts of detail. With an incredibly fast focus system, this camera also has the ability to take images that will never come out blurred.
Since street photography has become a large scale trend, there is a need for cameras like the 6D to give the photographers what they want. This camera not only gives you a good resolution, shutter speed, ISO range, and focus system, but it is also light and can shoot at a silent shutter mode. In fact, there are more than 60 metering zones and 11 AF point zones, which means you can take great pictures with full focus on any subject you desire. All these features and more will be discussed in great detail below.
Here are 5 tips on using the Canon 6D for street photography.
Be Spontaneous
Spontaneity is a key element when doing street photography. Since everything on the street is a spontaneous moment, your photography should also reflect that in its practice and final product. Being spontaneous can open up lots of room for you to expand your creative sense. You can take images that are blurry, images that leave a trail, or even photographs that may seem absolutely bizarre. You should also know that not all spontaneous photographs will read well, but you should go ahead and do it regardless because it’s fun.
There’s a whole array of advantages to being spontaneous on the street. The first step of the way is to keep your camera close to you and shoot at anything that moves. Don’t worry too much about the framing, structure, and other technical details about the image. Just take the picture and see what it looks like later. There come moments on the street that you may never get to see again, or may disappear in an instance, like the spilling of a drink, or someone slipping or two people arguing. Such comedic and ironic moments can only be captured if you’re spontaneous with your photography.
With the Canon 6D, you get an amazing shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, so you can never miss a moment. You will be able to capture everything, from the falling drink to the flipping of hair. All details will be captured using the amazing 4.5 fps shooting mode. So, you never have to worry about the framing or the speed of the camera because that is all taken care of by its automated functionality.
Work With The Light
The street is a wondrous space where you can spread your wings in all creative dimensions. Perhaps the most special thing about the street is that you get to work with lots of different kinds of lights. In the day, you have all kinds of different daylights that gleam through the towering buildings and structures. Some create shadows, some reflections, and some give you interesting patterns to work with. All of these lights create super-interesting photographs, full of depth and curious imagination.
The night time has a whole set of other kinds of lights that you can play around with. If you’re on the street, you are likely to pass by many restaurants, clubs, and bars, all of which have distinct lighting arrangements. You will find fairy lights hung outside a small indie pop-bar or blue fluorescent light outside a club, or you may even encounter neon lights emanating from the advertising billboards on top of a building. Each of these lights changes the way you would perceive a street and, thus, the subject you’re photographing.
The Canon 6D has amazing light sensors. With its extensive ISO range of 100-25600 (which is also able to expand to 102800), you can effectively capture images in the brightest of days and the darkest of nights. In fact, this camera comes with special low light sensors that automatically detect low light and configure its settings in a way that you get the clearest and brightest images out. It also comes with various light modes like fluorescent, sunset, and dusk, which will enable you to take great outdoor images on the street.
Taking Bad Photographs Is Okay
Taking bad pictures is completely okay. In fact, look at it as an artistic failure, and ironically there is no failure in art. So, essentially taking bad pictures is in itself a kind of artistic angle to look at the street from. Generally speaking, bad photographs are only those images that don’t fit into the limits and confines of the stereotypical image of a photograph. So, just think of it as an alternative form of photography. Remember that in the art world (that includes photography), there is no such thing as ‘bad.’
In fact, another advantage of taking bad pictures is that you’re getting to practice more. This way, you will be able to better strengthen your grip on photography and all its workings. Moreover, as you take bad pictures, you’re also learning to operate the camera in more interesting ways, which, in effect, makes you a much more competent photographer. So, there really is no downside to taking bad pictures. It’s just pictures that you have to capture consistently.
Bad photography is endorsed by a camera like the Canon 6D as it turns all your bad images into incredibly beautiful pieces of art through its image stabilization function. With a DIGIC 5 image processor, you will get the most detailed images with the clearest visuals you have ever seen. So, you should never be afraid of taking pictures that you may think might not translate well because the 6D will make them better.
Notice People From A Distance
Noticing people from a distance is essential to doing street photography. A good street is always busy and bustling with activity. People walk here and there, run, converse, and interact with all that is around them. So, you’ll get lots of content to capture as you inquire about the streets yourself. You must notice people from afar, because you will most likely witness the most interesting things happening. Even if you see mundane people walking monotonously about their business, there is still a story to be captured there.
Taking candid images is another element of noticing people from a distance. Candids, as you may well know, is considered the pinnacle of street photography. Once you have mastered the art of taking candid images, you will be held really high in esteem. Since candid images tell so much about the subject and the life that the subject has lived, viewers become all the more interested in admiring that image. So, perhaps you should focus on looking for good candid shots to show the real street life around you.
With the Canon 6D, you will get an astounding autofocus system that will allow you to take great candids of the people you see around the street. It comes with an AF-Lock, Subject tracking, and auto-lock system that gives you lots of room to use the autofocus to your liking. In fact, since the 6D is a DSLR, you can also get additional lenses like the 180-300 mm, that will better help you capture people from a distance.
Get Inspired From Photography Books
Purchase books that will inspire you. Take out the time and invest in some great photographer’s book to get out of your box and expand your imagination. Books are great at stirring up your way of thought and broadening your horizons as you may never know what you’ll find in them. Perhaps there are certain elements that you can focus on that may have never been explored, and that book might talk about them.
In addition, an unpopular suggestion is also to look over some photography theory books. For example, Susan Sontag compiled a great collection of essays into a book called “on photography,” which has become a very popular book on the philosophy of photography. Such books will give you a more nuanced understanding of how to take pictures and what to be mindful of when doing so.
With the Canon 6D, you get many books that guide you on how to take better pictures, and a full manual on the camera’s technical details is also available. However, perhaps the best part about photographing on the 6D is that you can apply any photographer’s advice onto this camera, and it will give you the perfect results.
