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Using Flash in Street Photography (After Bruce Gilden) Flash in street photography becomes something completely different when you look at how Bruce Gilden uses it. It is not subtle, it is not hidden, and it is definitely not polite. His approach is direct, aggressive, and very intentional, and that is exactly why his photos are so recognisable. Now, you do not have to shoot like him, but understanding how he works, and the reaction to his work, gives you a much clearer idea

Photo by: @bennybulke

Photo by: @rizi_the_photographer Composition & Framing What works well: The leading line is probably the strongest aspect here. That line in the road pulls your eye immediately toward our subject, it’s very direct and very effective. Our subject, the man, is walking perfectly along that line, which anchors the entire composition. The bridge structure creates a massive diagonal that adds energy and scale. The cylindrical building on the left + the tower of the bridge in the di

The “No Cropping” Rule After Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson is probably one of the most iconic photographers of all time. One of the most talked-about principles associated with him is the idea of never cropping a photo. At first, that can sound a bit rigid. Why would you want to limit yourself? Why not fix things later? But once you understand where his idea comes from, it becomes less about restriction and more about discipline, and most importantly about ‘how’

Photo by: @dmnk.visuals

Photo by: @d.grade Composition & Framing What works well: The framing is probably the strongest part of the photo. The two foreground rocks create a natural window that points viewer’s eye toward the castle. The right and left rocks also create a very subtle S-shaped visual path (well, for me at least) → your eye starts in the bottom right, moves toward the left rock, curves back toward the right, and then naturally lands on the castle. The castle sits nicely centred within t

How to Get Different Bokeh Shapes With the Same Lens Bokeh is usually something us photographers associate with the lens itself. Certain lenses are known for smooth, circular bokeh, while others produce harsher or more geometric shapes. Some historic/iconic lenses that are very famous for their special bokeh renderings also come to mind, such as the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95, the Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4, or the Leica Summicron 35mm f/2. But what many people do not realise

Photo by: @3yin_2yu

How to Do Cyberpunk Colour Grading Cyberpunk colour grading is one of those styles that instantly creates atmosphere. Neon lights, electric blues, magentas, greens, glowing highlights, it is a look that feels futuristic and cinematic, one of my personal all time favourites. But like most strong visual styles, it works best when it is controlled, intentional and works with the scene. When pushed too far, it can quickly turn into something overly artificial. Start With the Righ

Photo by: Phil Penman

Photo by: @jccabral_color Composition & Framing What works well: The layering is a strong aspect here → First we have the immediate foreground (leaves), then the man, then the river, then the iconic Charles Bridge, followed by the architecture behind it, and finally the sky. That stacking creates strong structure and depth. The seated person (I am guessing an elderly man by the looks of it) provides a very clear anchor point and draws you into the scene immediately. The horiz

Zone Focusing for Street Photography If there is one technique that every street photographer has to learn/get familiar with, it is zone focusing. Autofocus is great, it is fast, accurate, and incredibly advanced now. But on the street, moments happen in fractions of a second. And sometimes even the fastest autofocus system is just a little too slow, or it grabs the wrong subject, or it hunts at the worst possible time. Zone focusing removes that delay entirely. Instead of fo

Photo by: Jorge Chagas

Photo by: @donamtykl Composition & Framing What works well: What we can see immediately is that the structure and layering here are the most key detail and the star of the show. Your eye naturally moves through the photo step by step → first the cyclist, then the lower train, then the upper one, and finally the train at the very top. That progression alone creates a huge sense of depth, complexity, visual interest. Even though the background is cluttered with wires, poles, an

The Importance of Colour in Photography When It Comes to Emotion Colour is one of the fastest ways a photograph communicates feeling. Before we register subject, composition, or even context, we react emotionally to colour. It sets the tone instantly. A photo can feel warm, lonely, tense, nostalgic, peaceful within a fraction of a second, many times purely because of its colour palette. Colour Works on a Gut Level Unlike composition, which the brain analyses step by step, col

Photo by: @jorgemchagas Composition & Framing What works well: The high up vantage point is great, it sort of compresses the scene and emphasises the geometry created by the light. The diagonal shadow creates a strong compositional divide that adds a lot of tension. Our subject, the man, is placed nicely within that light patch, and the light itself acts as a framing device around him. Background separation from the subject is pretty good —> the bright sidewalk behind him com

Photo by: @ohmnivalent

Geometry in Street Photography (And How It Frames and Guides the Eye) Geometry is one of the most powerful tools in street photography and most people do not even realise it/never use that potential. Cities are built on lines, shapes, repetition, symmetry, grids, curves, intersections etc. Once you start seeing those elements consciously, your compositions instantly become stronger. Let us take a quick look at how exactly that happens ;) Why Geometry Matters on the Street Mos

Photo by: Peter Rask

Double Exposures (And How to Make Them Work) This week, let us take a look at double exposures (yes, it is indeed inspired by my interview with Peter, he uses them quite a bit, so I though, let’s talk about them). Double exposure is one of those techniques that can feel either very powerful or super gimmicky if you do it wrong, so read carefully ;) What a Double Exposure Actually Is At its core, a double exposure is exactly what it sounds like, two images blended into one fra

Photo by: @da_frames

Photo by: @mo_hushi Composition & Framing What works well: Our subject is placed perfectly within the orange block, and your eye lands there immediately → partly because the man is in that sunlight patch (your eye instinctively goes where the light is), but also because of the fact that the he is dressed in all black → this makes him separate cleanly from the wall and he immediately becomes readable (he literally ‘pops’ out) The lamp shadow above the man acts as an extra fram

Using Negative Space in Winter Photography Winter offers a rare visual advantage I call → natural simplicity. Snow, fog, overcast skies, muted landscapes strip scenes down to their essential elements. When you use that intentionally, this reduction becomes a powerful compositional tool. Let us take a look at how you can take advantage of that ‘natural winter negative space’ this February. Why Winter Naturally Supports Negative Space Few seasons simplify the environment as eff

What is the Orton Effect? The Orton Effect is a photography technique that gives your photos a softer, glowing, and, I would call it, dreamlike effect. It was developed by Canadian photographer Michael Orton, who originally created the effect by combining two slide photos of the same scene, one that was sharp and one that was out of focus on purpose, both with different exposures. Nowadays, you can recreate everything digitally in Lightroom or Photoshop, and it is very popula