Set 23 mm, f/8, 1/250 s floor, screen tilted up so you shoot from chest height, and CLASSIC CHROME on the dial. Then find a good piece of light and wait for someone to walk into it.
A or P 23 mm f/8 1/250 s min CLASSIC CHROME
Why these settings
- f/8 gives enough depth of field that small focus errors do not cost you the frame — the street equivalent of insurance.
- 1/250 s freezes walking people. Below that, feet smear.
- 23 mm is the classic reportage view: context plus a single subject.
- Chest height with the screen tilted is steadier, less conspicuous, and gives a more natural viewpoint than eye-level arms-out shooting.
- The electronic shutter is silent — useful, but remember it can lean fast movement and band under some artificial light. Mechanical by default.
The method: light first, subject second
Amateurs chase subjects; the frames that work usually come from finding a shaft of light between buildings, a bright doorway, a reflection or a clean background — and then standing there until someone walks into it. Set the exposure for that light in advance and you only have to press.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Everything looks cluttered | Too much in frame | Get closer, or find a plainer background. Subtract. |
| Faces are dark silhouettes | Bright background, meter averaged | +1 EV, or use it deliberately as a silhouette |
| Blurred feet | Shutter under 1/250 s | Raise the Auto ISO floor |
| Missed the moment | Camera asleep, or the lens was retracted | Half-press occasionally to keep it awake; do not review between frames |
| Shots feel timid | Standing too far away | Two steps closer. Nearly every street frame improves. |
On etiquette and law: rules differ by country, so learn your own. A useful working principle is that photographing people in public places is generally lawful in most jurisdictions, and being decent about it — lowering the camera when someone objects, not photographing people in distress — costs nothing and keeps the whole practice welcome.