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Photography vocabulary · Photo Genres & Shoots

Street photography

Meaning in photography, with examples

nounCore term

In photography, street photography means: Candid photography of everyday life and people in public places, usually unposed and taken without directing anyone.

In Turkish: sokak fotoğrafçılığı

How it is used

Street photographers favor small cameras and prime lenses, and talk about candid moments, layers and the decisive moment. The rules on photographing people in public and publishing those photos differ from country to country.

Example sentences

  1. Istanbul is a great city for street photography; every corner has a story.

  2. In street photography, a 35 mm lens lets you work close without being noticed.

Common collocations

  • candid street photography
  • street photographer
  • black-and-white street photography
  • black and whiteMade only of shades of gray from black to white, without any color. Also called monochrome.
  • prime lensA lens with one fixed focal length, such as 35 mm or 50 mm, that cannot zoom. Primes are often sharper and have wider apertures than zooms.
  • compositionThe way the elements of a photo, such as people, lines, shapes and empty space, are arranged inside the frame.
  • model releaseA signed document in which a person who appears in a photo gives permission for the image to be used, especially for commercial purposes.

More terms: Photo Genres & Shoots

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