Knowing how to use your camera, composing your shots, and picking the right moment already sets you a long way along the road to great street photography. But ofcourse, where will you go to make that fantastic shot? Let’s look into how to find a great street photography spot.
What makes a good street photography spot?
But first, what makes a good spot to do street photography? It’s an important question. And the answer is also reasonably personal. It depends on your style of photography.
Are you a people watcher? Then a place with a crowd is best.
Or are you into architecture? Then, finding interesting buildings is the main focus.
A good photo spot has everything you enjoy photographing and might differ from one photographer to the next.
Define what you want to photograph
Are you looking for groups of people? Then going to a high street or market is better. Looking for textures in ripped posters? Find out where the posterboards are in your city—looking for interesting architecture? There are sure to be guides and books about that.
How to find street photography spots
Finding the right spot for you can be achieved with different techniques. None of them are the best or the worst; it’s just finding out what works for you. But ofcourse, trying them all a few times can help you find that part out.
Research and Planning Before You Go
Using Google Maps
Look around Google Maps; lots of important places are marked on it. Important buildings and squares often get highlighted. You can also type in ‘market’ and find many pinned on the map.
You can create custom collections of locations by pinning places you’ve visited in one folder. I use this method for interesting places all over the world. You never know when you’ll be near them.
Using Instagram
Street photographers often have a portfolio of photos from the city they live in. Using their Instagram can be inspiring. You might already know the locations but haven’t considered their angles. You can use location tagging to find the spot, or maybe it’s mentioned in the caption or comments.
Websites and Flickr
Some photographers have their street photography portfolios on websites or Flickr pages. Flickr’s accurate geotagging system can help you determine where to look for good photo opportunities.
Just roam around
Depending on your type of street photography, roaming around is the best way to find a good photo spot. I do most of my photography in my hometown of Antwerp by wandering and following my intuition.
This can take you to undiscovered spots and set you up for that unique moment and shot no one else has taken.
Revisit the places you know and get to know them
Repeating a spot can be very interesting whether you’ve researched the place or found it by coincidence by roaming around. It gives you more and more knowledge of the place.
When does the light fall in just right?
What season works best for it?
What time of day works best for traffic?
You could also create a series, such as a triptych of the same composition taken during golden hour, midday, and blue hour.
Revisiting a place repeatedly also forces you to keep thinking about new ways to photograph it, pushing you more and more into original compositions.
Meet with other photographers
You can meet for coffee or talk to them virtually in DM. Make contact and talk about photography; good photo spots are bound to be mentioned. You can tell them you’re visiting their city and where they recommend you go (of course, you should also say what you like photographing).
Or you can go for coffee and go on a photo walk together. You will learn what spots they like and how they take stunning photos.
Are you too shy to meet or contact other photographers for now? Listen to my conversations with them instead.
Look up events happening in the city
Lastly, knowing where and when large groups meet can be helpful if you like photographing people and moments. Most cities have a calendar with important events on their websites.
An overview of markets, marathons, sporting events, protests, cultural festivals, and more can be helpful to keep an eye on.
How do you find your photo spots? Do you use the techniques mentioned above or take a different approach? Let me know in the comments below!