Pixapro Tips

Street Photography Lighting Tips

When it comes to street photography, both natural light and lighting equipment are two key tools that photographers can use to really enhance their images. Lighting in the right place can draw attention to specific features or people, and can add an artistic flair to an otherwise plain image. We've put together some top tips on how to effectively use both types of lighting in your street photography and create an eye-catching shot anywhere.

How can natural and ambient light improve your street photography?

Natural light is a versatile (and readily available!) light source that can create stunning effects in your street photography. When shooting in the daytime, soft, diffused light of early morning or late afternoon, also known as the golden hour, can add warmth and depth, making it the perfect time to capture long shadows and stunning silhouettes. With the right street and sun placement, you can even get great shots of the sunset centred down the street.

Ambient light, on the other hand, is your friend for night-time shooting, and is best found in light sources such as car headlights or lit storefronts and neon-style lights! These offer a super cool cyberpunk-esque, futuristic look and can be a great way to add a bit of style to your shot.

How to use natural and ambient light in your street photography

1. Pay attention to the direction of light: Side lighting can create dramatic shadows, while backlighting can add a halo effect to your subjects.

2. Consider your surroundings! Can you incorporate the buildings lighting into your shot and use it to your advantage? Is there a particular angle that captures a light source to add interest?

Are there any interesting light reflections you can use in windows?

3. Use reflectors: When shooting with natural light only, it can be tricky to properly light and expose specific people if you're preferring to shoot street portraits. Using something as simple as a small handheld reflector can go a long way to bounce light up into your impromptu model's face and add some small catchlights in their eyes to bring out their features. Check out our 60cm collapsible 5-side reflector for this.

4. Experiment with different times of day: Different times of day offer unique lighting conditions, so don't be afraid to shoot at various hours to see how the light changes.

5. Long Exposure Effects: Natural and ambient lighting are also a great way to achieve a long-exposure shot! If you steady your camera on a tripod and use a long shutter speed, you could capture a stunning image of car headlights passing by, or of pedestrians walking around.

6. Bokeh Effects: Great for dreamy or festive themed images, bokeh effects blur lighting in the background of your image and make the lights stand out! To shoot bokeh, set your camera lens aperture to its max f-stop, leaving it wide open and in selective focus mode. The shot should then focus on your subject or model closer to you, and leave the lights to blur in the background.

Can you use flash lighting for street photography?

Flash lighting can be a powerful tool for street portrait photographers, especially when shooting in low light conditions or when you want to add a creative touch to your images. Using a flash can help freeze motion, illuminate features that you want to draw attention to, or even add a touch of colour with accessories such as gels.

If just shooting building and your surroundings, generally for street photography, no flash is needed and you can use the ambient lighting around you instead.

Speedlites are your friend!

Speedlites are the best option for shooting street photography due to their on-camera mounting design, their super compact construction and also their compact modification options.

Flashes such as the Godox V860III have TTL and HSS compatibility to help you shoot with the right exposure, and are powerful enough at 76w to help balance any natural lighting at fairly close range.

Similarly, the Godox V1 Speedlite has identical features, with TTL and a 76w output, but a different round-head flash, which is great for creating a flattering and smooth light cast, and can be paired well with a huge range of round-head modifiers! The V1 Pro model also has new features such as the detachable front bounce flash attachment and an external battery port for on-the-go charging (handy for long shoots outdoors).

Just pop the flash on top of your camera and get shooting with minimal equipment, and see what kind of images you can create! Make sure you select the flash with the right hotshoe for your camera brand.

By mastering the lighting in your street photography, you can improve your images significantly, and shoot compelling and eye-catching pictures out and about. Just practice and experiment with different lighting techniques to find what works best for your unique style!

Get in touch at info@essentialphoto.co.uk if you have any questions about lighting or ordering, and our advisor team will be able to assist with some recommendations!