Camilla Lauren Photography

It is better to shoot in auto and get something, than shoot in manual and get nothing.

Eric Kim

Eric Kim is an international street photographer, currently based in Berkeley, California. His interest in it came by chance when he was waiting at a bus stop and saw a man with unique glasses, he took a image just as the man looked directly at him and that was his first street photograph. He used his background knowledge of sociology and would get uncomfortably close to his subjects - luckily he has never had a confrontation for doing so.

Downtown LA in Colour © Eric Kim

Kim now travels the world and teaches others how to overcome their fear of shooting strangers. He does this through his blog and through workshops. Deep down teaching is his passion, so to be able to do both is great. So far he has hosted workshops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Berlin, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Sydney, Toranto and Singapore.

Suits © Eric Kim

Kim doesn't think there is a particularly 'right' way to take a street photograph, the same as there is no right way to paint or write a book. However he does find there are some guidelines to keep in mind. One thing he thinks is important is to use the viewfinder when shooting, rather than shooting from the hip so accurate framing can be achieved. I believe some of Kim's images contradict what he deems important however, for example the image above from the series Suits doesn't give the impression he was looking at the framing of the image.

He does believe some photographers have different ideals of what defines street photography, which I can agree on. There can be a lot of different approaches and sub genres within it. He sees street photography that is candid and more focused on geometry, lines, shapes and composition like Henri Cartier-Bresson. Then there is street photography that is more documentary in style, which are also mostly candid shots of people, and also street photography solely focused on portraits which is what Kim gravitates towards most.

Dark Skies over Tokyo © Eric Kim

He is currently working on a project named Suits. It is based on his experiences and feelings in the corporate world. He is bringing personal experiences to the project from his background when studying sociology. Upon graduating he opted to work a corporate job instead of teaching (which would of required more studying). Kim says the job made him materialistic and always left him wanting more so he started working later and on weekends. After the company he worked for went public however, the value decreased and he lost his job. That is when he started his blog and doing street photography full time. He now sees former friends in such jobs, miserable, just working long hours to afford the new gadgets and cars. Therefore the project is like a self portrait of himself.

Work in Progress - London

These images are my first day out shooting, the location is London. The first ones are around the Waterloo area and the later ones are Trafalgar Square.

I like the composition of this image, how the subjects are mostly in one half, but the path leads your eye and fills the space. I also like the interaction seen between the two mothers, while the young girl walks between them. It was shot with f/14 and 1/100th second. The focal length is 54 mm. The shutter could of been faster but in this case it didn't affect the image because there was little movement and I focused stood still.

Again, I like the composition of the image applying the rule of thirds. I like that there is replication in threes, with the three trees, and the three lines in the concrete. I also like that there is presence of a intimacy between the two subjects evidenced by the body language. The image was shot with f/14, 1/100th second and 55 mm.

This image could of been improved upon as I could have shot it from a lower angle. It also required a faster shutter speed as there is a bit of camera shake. I also would of liked it more so had someone been looking towards the camera at the time. It was shot with f/6.3, 1/125 second and 55mm.

As before I could have improved this image. I would of moved further back or zoomed out a little from 55mm so as to not cut off her feet out of frame. The shutter speed again needed to be faster as I was walking when I took this image. It was taken with f/5.6 and 1/125 second.

Had I took this image before I passed the builder, I probably could of got his face included and a better angle. The text on his jacket is quite distracting too as the eye sees that first. It was shot with f/5.6, 1/640 second and 48 mm.

I like this image, I find it works well in colour for the bright blue is repeated in the xylophone sticks. However, I would of liked to have a bit more head space, and also around the bottom of the subject. It was taken with f/6.3, 1/640 second and 55 mm.

I again, like this image but there are some things I wish I could have changed. It just about works as a whole, because the man running towards out of the frame doesnt look set as far over as he is as the background puts him in a 'place'. The downside is the focus is not actually on the foreground, its on the middle ground. This was taken with f/6.3, 1/640 second and 55 mm.

This image doesn't work as well, I feel it doesn't have a point of interest, but I am happy I was building confidence getting closer to subjects, so it works for my future work as practice. It was shot with f/6.3, 1/640th and 55 mm.

I liked this couple how they were both fascinated in something out of frame and this is one of my only shots of somebody smiling and front facing. I find it interesting how they are in the same position as the previous couple above too. This was taken with f/6.3, 1/640th second and 55mm focal length.

I like this image for its not got one main focus, it's looking at a variety of people, and no one is taking any notice of me. Each group of people are all doing the same, but can tell something different in their own way. I think the image looks quite flat however. It was taken with f/5.6, 1/640th and 55mm.

I like the focal point of this image, but the difference between the smurf and the woman is too great and doesnt work as one image. The woman is neutral and the smurf stands out too much. It would also be a better shot if more of the face could be seen. This was taken with f/5.6, 1/640th and 55mm

Do's and Dont's

Have your equipment ready. Have the lens which suits you best all ready and set up on the camera, with the camera switched on. This is so if anything happens quickly that isn't anticipated you are ready to shoot. Have either auto settings, including auto focus, or shutter priority to gain some control.

Turn off the cameras beep so it doesn't alert subjects that you took an image of them.

Get in the 'zone', right in the middle of the action can result in a better photograph.

If using a long lens, remember shots can look disjointed and won't get the same impact as actually being close.

Always anticipate the unexpected, but it can help to guess what the subject might do next. Sometimes if a subject has spotted you, wait for them to ignore you and go back to having natural behaviour.

Be patient, sometimes you may go home with nothing.

Don't

Always shoot from eye level, try shooting from the hip.

Dress to stand out, wear ordinary clothes so there isn't unnecessary attention drawn to yourself. You need to blend in - this can help subjects not take notice of you.

Creep up to anyone, act natural.

Lee Jeffries

Lee Jeffries is from Manchester, United Kingdom. He started his career photographing sporting events, however an encounter with a young homeless girl changed his approach to photography all together. He recalls that he had taken an image of her and even though his reaction was to leave, she had noticed him so he stayed and spoke with her.

Homeless people then became the subject of his images and have since portrayed his compassion to the world. During the time with his subjects he made an effort to get to know each of them personally, and then would ask permission to shoot their portrait.

Jeffries is actually a accountant by trade He finds it difficult to get commissioned as his work is very stylized. its not mainstream - which does make it stand out but it can also put a lot of people off. On occasions he can feel at risk when dealing with homeless, when someone is addicted to heroin for example they can be unpredictable with their behavior. He has also been followed to his car by someone who pulled a gun on him. Despite this he finds a lot of those are happy to be photographed if Jeffries has a conversation or offers a bit of money or food.

He hopes to achieve recognition through his images. He hopes that when someone sees his images, next time they will be reminded to help someone in need personally, or help by doing something for charity.