I’ve been procrastinating for the longest time to learn how to use my D5000, but today I finally got the chance to learn about all the basic concepts and get a taste of street photography. Let’s just say I am totally in love again with what a DSLR can do compared to a compact and it’s great to be able to control what you want to achieve inside your head with your camera (although I am still a total noob.) Thank you Val and Jen Xi though for accompanying and being patient with me respectively for the whole day!

Check out this quick guide to understanding the key terms that are used in manual photography.

Credit to fotografiadelecuador. Thanks Val for sharing!

Street Photography is not as easy as it seems. At first I thought it’s just taking pictures of random people, but in reality that is the hardest thing to do. People tend to shun the camera, or change their expressions once they notice you snapping a picture of them. Sometimes I feel as if the stars must align and that the universe must really like you in order to be able to catch that one good moment. There are just too many things to could go wrong and Jen Xi told us  about his friend who was made to expose all the film on his camera once because the person was uncomfortable having their picture taken.

Luckily for me though, I met no such people today. Singaporeans and our tourists are generally a friendly bunch, but it’s obvious I’m still a coward when it comes to taking their picture in their face or ask for their permission (which is why you will see the backs of many heads, backsides and comfort taxis.)

I really like what Jen Xi shared about street photography – that if it’s done well, it will make you smile. The candid, spontaneous and raw emotion of the moment is what matters most!

Here are some of my favourite shots from today.

(IN COLOR)

First shot of the day, I like how the yellow stands out against the grey.

Cute guy spotted.

Love her expression and how the red ribbon goes with the red shirt!

Done by a political artist. I thought it was apt for showing how LKY would feel looking at what he’s created along the streets of Orchard.

This security uncle does his job with a big smile.

This guy is always in Orchard apparently. Looks dangerous.

These two girls were asked if they were local.

Through my Ray Bans.

The one who clears up your garbage in town.

Here are the ones in black and white (my first time also shooting in BW mode!) :

Chilling at the bar outside of Mariott.

Waiting for ice cream.

Dog spotted outside McD

This would have been my favourite picture of the day if I had shot it in color (facepalm).

Silhouette @ *SCAPE

Experimenting with shutter speed. I now have a lot of pictures of comfort taxis.

Girl on a Maclaren pram.

Orchard Road. About to rain.

Val in fish eye mode, black and white

Chef taking a break.

Feedback?

Other street photographers to check out (thanks Jen Xi for sharing):

Vivian Maier – died before she was discovered with rolls of awesome street photographs in her posession.

Danny Santos – does street photography in Singapore. Love his pictures in the rain!

Charlie Kirk (aka Two Cute Dogs) – love this guy! His pictures are amazing!