Street Photography - How To Start From Scratch Today

Going to be honest, the gear selection was pretty bad
Keep it simple? What about cheap?

Get a nice, used DSLR and lens(es) from the 00s for 1/10th the price (like a nikon d80, or 4/3rds system if you want something smaller)
And start with free software like darktable, gimp, or anything else (matey)
Just make sure the glass is good, definitely recommend the primes in that category because of their size but definitely see the benefits of zooms to try different focal lengths (but since all the lenses are cheap, you can grab a whole bunch and still be out less than the xt3 body)

Just wanted to point out some things to really lower the barrier for entry, not that the suggestions were bad in and of themselves
A DSLR will never be as compact but as someone who shoots with a medium format film camera in the street, a big camera isn't as big of a problem as you might think :)

You're a good teacher Roman. Many thanks.

Honestly, this video was what I needed to kinda start to snap out of a rut.

Amazing video thanks a lot 📷✨

Great tips. Your channel has great content.

The only thing that I would disagree on is regarding the gear. Considering that a lot of beginners will watch this video, it makes it seem like you need $2000 to start. There are currently many interesting second hand cameras and lenses avaliable that would be great for beginners. Especially if the person is trying out a new hobby and learning photography, I would actually advise not to spend more than $500-1000 on gear.

Thanks Roman. You always provide great straight to the point tips. Have a great day

As a beginner myself, this has been very informative. Thank you 👍🏾

Hey Roman, this is an older Video but i hope some people read my opinion. I enjoy ur videos more and more, u giving such good advices and tipps. Im a bit on the otherside, im enjoying the "Process" more than the end result. Im kinda hate editing 😂. Often i just shoot in Jpeg becausei just want to enjoy the "photography part" so i can freemy mind and dont get this feeling. I have to do so much work in LR or Luminar or whatever. I bought my first fuji (xh2s) on March 23 and wow i total fall in love with the system. pls keep on the good work <3.

This pretty much covers the street photography waterfront —and not just for beginners. Pay attention, viewers. Nice job, Roman. [Now why was this comment "Not Allowed" on my Google Pixel 7 Pro?]

Do you rely on the sharpness of your original image? (Lens) As in my experience (as a Fuji shooter) LR is not great with Fuji sensors. Not. A street photographer specific question but I am looking into an iPad Pro for compact/mobile editing for all my photography. Thanks, love the honest and upfront style of making videos. G

I think you saved the best for last: Enjoying the process. This has to be the most important point in this entire video (not to say the other points aren't great too). If you really get into what you're doing and take enjoyment from it, then the rest will follow - whether that's photography or anything else in life.

Thanks for this one! Great points. One thing I’d love to see more of is how to go about creating effective presets. I get to a place where I have an edit I love but when I go to apply that same edit to another shot, a lot of the time it completely destroys the second shot and I can’t figure out what it is I’m doing wrong. Of course not every edit is going to look good on every image but it goes beyond that and makes the image blown out or completely dark etc.

Roman, love your videos, i think a great video would be like a POV walkaround, but trying to show how, and what you compose, and the settings at the same time, for example focusing on a background and waiting for passers by to take the shot, but go in more depth whilst doing it..

Awesome video and valuable content — thank you so much !!!

You give good advice. Many thanks.

Loved the end of the video the most with the common mistakes and your advice.

how do you pass the photos to your ipad? I will travel and i do not want to take my laptop and the hard drives, how is yoru workflow?

Why are the photographers in your video shooting with the lens hoods on backwards? Nothing screams "I'm a complete hack" like backwards lens hoods. And stop chimping at the rear screen, use the viewfinder, you'll see your composition way better with your eye against the eyecup.

The only thing I can think of is massive find a local photography club that you can get some guidance and support from. Maybe go out in small groups to take pictures. I know I feel weird sometimes walking around taking pictures in my area. That's just not something people do much here. Sometimes it's hard to put yourself out there in the public taking pictures of strangers. You may feel more confident in a small group.

Aa an absolute beginner this is gold; informative & inspirational - thank you!

I took a 10 year break from photography anf now iching to get back into it again.... these advices are pure gold for me. thank you so much for putting together this video!!!

Thanks Roman for your content, I appreciate all of that a lot. :) I took a lot of tips from your 3 days in NY video when I was visiting NY, It was great.

I’ve found this video really useful. But I’d love if you made a separate video about shooting light/shadow scenes well. I just feel I do not manage to make it without my camera trying too hard to expose those shadows too much and that big contrast dissapears. So walking slower through that topic would be really great!

Roman the Man.

Hi Roman, I’d just like to thank you for putting out such awesome content and really being an excellent resource for people getting into photography. Your dedication & love for photography is inspiring! Cheers

Step #1: Get off the couch and leave your house. 😉

Thanks for the content I need to get back out again and photog

Affinity photo is the software to go , only buy it one time and not a monthly payment … I’m using this for years and its doing the same …. Even better then adobe

Hey Roman. I’ve recently developed an interest in photography and using my iPhone 14 Pro to capture images. I’m going to continue experimenting with my iPhone and if my interest in photography is still as strong in 6-12 months time, I’ll grab a dedicated camera and a couple of lenses. Love your work. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas 🎄

You are a nice photographer, I also to be a Photographer like you😊😊

So sorry if I missed you talking about it, but what do you do when your iPad or your Lightroom cloud storage fills up? I’m not sure how that all works.

Thank u! It was very helpful to me!

I would add ‘Look at great photography - and not just online’. If possible look at books, gallery exhibits, magazines, museums, etc. It helps to know a bit of history, see what others have done before you and are doing now. I would include cinematography, even if you’re shooting stills.

Love your videos and the dose of common sense.

Twitter LOL lmao

You dont need that big XT3 for street photography, XT30II would be more usefull as it is more compact size

I was looking to get the 16-55 zoom, what do you prefer ?

Thx for the smooth content. Perfect addition to the overall process.

Just enjoy want you to do in this area. No one is right and no one is wrong.

Awesome beginner video. If I was going to add anything, it would be about keeping your gear in good, clean working condition. Also, within building your own style, I am very much a fan of taking inspiration from other peoples work, or other peoples methods, in order to find that specific 'subject' you enjoy capturing.

I really want a Fuji film x-s100 because I also want to learn video and it seems to be a good hybrid and I fail being consistent with my “aspirations 😂😭” so I have sitting on this want for almost 2 years now.

Hey Roman! Just came across your channel and just wanted to say you are doing a great job. I had a question, i wont say i am a complete beginner but more like an advance hobbyist if that makes sense 🤷🏻‍♂️ I previously had a Nikon D3300 but now I am thinking of moving up to ff and A7R5 since its the newest and most updated camera out there and wouldnt need to upgrade the body anytime soon (4-5 years) what would you recommend? I do have an inclination towards Sony. Or do you recommend i start with A7C? Appreciate your reply.

This is what you call a mother fxcking guuuuide

Wow - you're a natural teacher too - bravo, it's a path you should follow...

Díky!

another piece of advise would be to already at the moment of photographing to decide whether the shot is going to be colour or b/w

Flickr is also a place to share photos.