If you’re someone who is deeply interested in street life and how it operates, and if you want to start photographing it, then the Sony A6500 is the perfect camera for you. Many things happen on the street daily, and to capture snippets of those happenings, you need a powerhouse camera with good shutter speed, focus, and imaging sensor. Thus, the A6500 is probably one of the most professionally sound cameras you will ever find for such a task.
With its incredible APS-C CMOS sensor, you get a whopping 24 megapixels of definition to take images with as much detail as mechanically possible. The camera also comes with more than 400 phase-detection points, which means you can effectively focus on more than 400 events happening on the street. This gives you lots of room to look at what you want to focus on. Even if you can’t (in the case of spontaneous photography), you will still be able to capture something interesting since this camera has an effective auto-focus system.
Street photography is an enjoyable and fulfilling venture. It allows you to interact with the people and life on the street in a very distinct manner. Especially with such a camera, you will be able to take many incredible images that speak to your audiences in a wholesome way. There are many things to explore and learn about the Sony A6500. So, let’s look at some of the features this camera offers and tips on how you can use them.
Here are 5 tips on using the Sony A6500 for street photography.
Don’t Be Scared Of Bad Photographs
Don’t ever be scared of taking bad photographs. It is only through the bad photos that you cultivate the ability to appreciate and notice the good ones. Besides, you never know which one of your bad photographs takes up an exciting dimension later. In this way, there really is no such thing as bad photographs. All images can be made interesting. If you worry too much about ‘how now not to take bad photographs,’ you may miss out on ‘how to take good photographs.’
For example, if you’re photographing a street and a low angle shot, don’t look at it as a bad photograph. Instead, consider it practice. Photography is all about taking bad pictures and moving onto good ones once the act of taking pictures becomes instinctual. In fact, all your bad photos will eventually become a repository of how you have progressed as a photographer. And make sure to not let any ‘stereotypical’ imagination of a good photograph take over your mind since everyone has a distinctive style. There are many photography styles that most people just don’t understand. It doesn’t necessarily make the photography bad.
With the Sony A6500, you get a very compelling image stabilization function that works through a 5-axis in-body system. With this, you will never have to worry about unstable images or your images leaving a trail. In fact, you will also get a fantastic focus system with 425 phase-detection points, which means you will be able to focus on things with your eyes closed.
Consistency Is Key
Consistency is incredibly important if you want to become a professional street photographer. It is like learning a new language. You have to speak it even if you’re bad at it. Thus, you have to take time for photography even if you think you’re not doing too well. It is only through practice that you will learn to curate images that speak to your style of photography. Besides, it takes time to understand the camera, the street dynamics and landscapes, and how to deal with the subjects on the street.
So, you should start by making a habit out of street photography. Perhaps give yourself 30 minutes every day and go out for a photo walk. You could also dedicate a day or two in a week to street photography alone. This way, you can find a constant source of practice, and you will see your photography improve significantly. Consistency is vital to inhabit the act of taking pictures into your life and in making it a profession.
With the Sony A6500, you will never have to worry about being inconsistent. Since this camera makes you feel so comfortable, you never really look at photography as work. It is all fun. It comes with an AF point control system that operates through a touchpad and a tilting screen. Taking images from awkward sites and on weary days will all become super easy.
Be Spontaneous
A street is a place of hustle and bustle. It is where thousands of transactions and activities happen all the time. People walking, arguing, on the phone, interacting, and doing all kinds of things can be seen on the street. Many of these moments are short-lived since everything happens too fast. So, being spontaneous with your photography will help you out on the street. Take pictures without overthinking about the framing, the focus, or the shutter speed. Whatever image you get will be amazing since it will be a live shot of an event that happened at the moment in time, one that may never happen again.
You should always use your camera as your eyes. Being spontaneous means looking through your lens at all times to find the most elusive moments to capture. For example, if you see someone accidentally dropping a drink in the middle of the street, take that shot immediately. Don’t wait to focus because such things happen very quickly. In fact, change your camera settings to auto mode so that you don’t have to worry about reconfiguring the settings again and again.
Spontaneity is very welcome on the Sony A6500. It gives you access to a shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, and you can shoot at an incredible rate of 11 frames per second. This is all you need to be spontaneous. You also get 1200 exposure metering zones that can be automated at an instant. This means you really just have to point and shoot and worry about nothing else.
Notice People From A Distance
Notice people from a distance because many things are happening in your immediate vicinity, but many more exciting things could be happening far away from you. Candid shots are essential to good photography. In fact, candid photos are the most revered form of photographs taken on the street. Since candids show the unfiltered truth about the street, most people love looking at them and imagining themselves on that very street.
Taking candid shots is super easy. All you have to do is keep your eye out for a subject and take their picture without noticing. It is preferred if you do it on a busy street so that the subject is distracted anyway. This way, the image will be a snapshot of someone’s life and show a great deal of emotion. Candids are also very popular because they tell an authentic story of regular individuals. So, switch your camera to the auto-focus mode and start shooting candid images of the street life around you.
As previously mentioned, the Sony A6500 is a camera that welcomes spontaneity and speed. So, taking candid images will become all the more convenient. You can stay on the street all day long since it has an extensive battery life that can take more than 300 images in just one charge. So, get going and start taking candid photos of everyone on the street.
Capture Expressions And Gestures
As insinuated above, it is also essential for your photographs to tell some form of a story that exudes emotion. For this reason, you should combine taking candid images of people passing by with an expression. Notice people’s faces and how their expressions are, and you will find a host of different feelings that people carry with them on the street. So, you can simply take a picture of a passerby and freeze their emotion in time so that you can reflect back upon it and carefully examine the human condition.
Capturing expressions and gestures also builds for a photography style in itself. If you’re a street photographer, you can do many things; take pictures of buildings, roads, or people. However, suppose you want to specify your photography style even further. In that case, you can turn to make a photography series out of capturing expressions and gestures that different people perform on the street. This way, your focus will be entirely specific, and you will be able to explore this niche in much more detail.
With the Sony A6500, you will be able to capture the most well-defined images you have ever seen. It has one of the most powerful contrast builders and focuses mechanizers across all camera types. With an ISO range of 100-25,600 and a full-resolution viewfinder, you can take all kinds of images and become the best at them. In fact, through its editing features, you can edit the photos and upload them onto a computer live. So, get shooting on the street and make art with your A6500.
