Honing her skills as a photographer in the film Carol, Rooney Mara’s character Therese becomes intrigued with a visual style that was gaining popularity at the time: street photography. Best summed up as the art of observing and capturing everyday moments, this looser, more natural style of photgraphy was trailblazing in the 1940s and 1950s.
“It was the first time the camera was turned on to society in general, not just high society,” explains London-based photographer Michael Thomas Jones, citing Saul Leiter, Robert Franks, Diana Arbus and Vivian Maier as pioneers of the period.
“It was the start of the whole democratisation of photography. After the depression, people were sent out to photograph the social aftermath of it and in turn it opened people’s eyes. In the 1980s, any student would go and photograph a homeless person but back in the 1940s, it was no cliche.”
There are many reasons why this particular style of photography has endured. For Jones, it is street photography’s “anything goes” approach, the way in which it challenges “the boundaries of composition and structure”. From serendipitous portraits to urban cityscapes, if you want to improve your photography skills it’s worth paying attention to those fleeting everyday moments.
Seven tips for photography success from Michael Thomas Jones
1) It’s all about the lens
You need a 35 mm lens for street photography, which is wider than a standard lens. Street photography thrives on the elements surrounding the main subject coming into play. You get an idea of movement from other people and the passing of individuals; so you don’t want a lot of gear, you want one lens that works and that’s it.
2) Watch your speed
Use a relatively fast shutter speed. You need to make sure your camera’s not going slower than a 16th of a second or you’ll get a lot of blur. Auto focus is also really handy if you’re in a hurry, rather than trying to focus your pictures manually all the time.
3) Use your instinct
Street photography in its purist form is all about instinct – waiting around, getting the feel of a place and an instinct for the light and what’s going to happen next. Find what it is you’re looking at, and resonate further than just what’s happening
4) See the light
Light is absolutely everything. Really strong light produces really dark shadows and softer light (that’s obscured by clouds) allows the shadowed areas to open up, and the world looks much more photogenic.
5) Play the frame game
When a camera is wide open (in terms of its aperture) it only allows for a small level of focal length. If you’re focusing on your subject’s face in the middle of your frame and your camera’s wide open, what goes on beyond them starts to fall out of focus. This is such a powerful tool because it’s what separates the subject from the background, and in turn what frames your photo.
6) Have some respect
A lot of street photography is voyeuristic. It’s a stolen moment. In a lot of famous imagery, subjects aren’t engaging with the camera. Some of the best pictures you’ll take are when the subject is unaware, but you have to behave appropriately. Have confidence, be respectful and imagine the other person is taking a photo of you and what you would accept.
7) Make mistakes
Happy accidents are something that always happen to photographers. Often when you do something wrong you’ll get the film back and the mistake has created an effect and looks cool.
Carol is in cinemas from 27 November 2015.
London’s Somerset House is currently hosting a free exhibition of Saul Leiter images alongside Carol cinematography. Through a Lens: Saul Leiter and Carol runs until 10 January 2016 and is open daily from 10am to 7pm, and until 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
