One thing I have learned is that being inconspicuous is way over-rated. These days I stand in the middle of the street and shoot, sometimes with a big old strobe, sometimes with a 4x5 press camera. People simply don’t react if they think you’re meant to be there. That is almost entirely a product of your own demeanor, though sometimes looking like a pro with a big bag and a vest can help in this respect.

I hope someone somewhere finds this helpful. Mail me with any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Looking for my table of exposures?

Try here.

Carry gear in pockets or a backpack, rather than a camera bag. More comfortable. Film in cargo pants. Lightmeter in a pocket.

One or two cameras, preferably one. If two, don't keep swapping between them. Stick to one at a time.

One or two lenses, usually one. (I use a 35 or 28 most of the time, but might take out anything from a 25 to a 90 depending on mood).

One brand of film. And don't try to shoot color and monochrome at the same time. Reduce the number of technical choices you have to make, so you can concentrate on what you are photographing.

Active camera held in hand NOT round neck. In your hand you are ready to shoot in a fraction of a second. Wrap the strap round your palm or wrist.

Pick a shutter speed and stick to it. I stick to 1/250 until it’s getting dark, then slowly click down to 1/30.

At the beginning of the day, take light readings in full sun, half sun, open shade, shadow and dark shadow and remember them (this is easy as they’re usually the same and one stop different each time). EG my standard settings for 400 film would be f/16, f/11, f/8, f/5.6 and f/4. Now you know the light, you just change your aperture when it changes or you move from one kind of light to another.

Keep focused at your ‘working distance’. This is the distance you naturally take pictures from people. It has to do with all sorts of things including your own perception of personal space and your own degree of comfort at invading other people’s, as well as the lens you’re using. (Tip: invading other people’s personal space is an important part of street photography). My working distance is 6-8 feet. I suggest you start off with about 12 feet and work from there.

Walk slowly, totally alert. Watch! When you see something that looks like it might be a picture, get the camera to your eye, focus, compose and click as fast as you can. It will be gone in a fraction of a second! You do not have time to worry about what people think, if they are watching etc etc. If you are lucky and the picture is there when you have taken the first frame, you can work on developing the idea within the picture by shooting more.

Don’t be afraid to shoot a roll on a single idea, and don’t worry if you shoot ten rolls and don’t get it. Film is cheap.

Never pass a shot and think "i'll get that later". It won't be there later. It NEVER is. The light changes, or the sun moves a degree, and it's gone for reasons you will never know. When you see it, shoot it.

Don’t try to copy ‘classic’ street photographers’ work. They did their stuff, you do yours. Concentrate on capturing what is unique about your view of the world.But STUDY the greats. Figure out what they did. Who are the greats? Well, you decide, but for me it’s Winogrand, Frank, Klein and HCB. Plus Gene Smith and Walker Evans and Atget.

Don’t stay in the comfort zone. What I mean by this is, challenge yourself. If you are feeling slightly uncomfortable, this is a good sign. You are working at the edge of your comfort zone. If you are feeling VERY uncomfortable, STOP. Go and have a cup of tea. Trust your instincts.

Shoot a LOT. Beginners don’t shoot enough. They fall in love with their own work. They worry about ‘hit rate’. Well, we all do, but we shouldn’t. What is an acceptable ‘hit rate’? Well, it depends what you mean. I think out of a 36 exposure roll you should have 36 frames properly exposed and 30 frames in focus (minimum). This is technical stuff and you can learn how to do it.

But how many ‘good’ pictures? If you average one per roll, you are doing extremely well, and I submit that you are probably not taking enough risks (I mean artistic, not physical ones) in the way you shoot.

One thing you learn is that you will have magic days, and magic rolls. I mean rolls where you have five to ten GREAT shots, all different. And you’ll know that you were ‘in the zone’ that day. And the next time you go out you will shoot twenty rolls, and nothing will be any good. Don’t sweat it. Move on.

It’s a percentage game.

Play it.