Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair looking through a camera in a busy public street as she is trying a street photography walk

Experiencing A Street Photography Walk

18th December 2024 - New Experience Number 34.

This experience was very kindly gifted to me by the brilliant Uniquely Local. I genuinely love what they do. This write-up contains my honest and personal opinions of the street photography walk which they invited me to try.

It’s also my first ever gifted experience! Does that count as a new thing?!

Jump to 'Try it yourself'

Going on a street photography walk is like people watching with purpose. Not only can it help to improve your photography, it’s also a very mindful activity.

Find out how I stepped out of my comfort zone with my camera, and what the experience was like, when I gave it a go as one of my 52 new things in 2024.

You can see some of the pictures I took throughout the post. 

A girl facing away from the camera. A white male with a hat is facing her and is just visible.
Looking for interesting moments
A male market stall trader facing a woman who has her back to the camera.
Trying to use the hanging socks as a frame for the subject.

A Uniquely Local Experience

I’ve often used Uniquely Local for inspiration, ideas and experiences, as they offer a whole host of unique activities across Yorkshire. I highly recommend them if you’re looking for something more unusual to do in the area.

It was a brilliant surprise when they got in touch through X, (formerly twitter), and offered me an experience! There is so much to choose from, whether you’re a foodie, an adventure seeker, a creative, or you’re looking for something more relaxing; they have a superb selection.

Trying A Street Photography Walk

Something which caught my eye was the one hour street photo walk.

Taking place in my home city of York, the walk takes place through some of the tourist hot spots, perfect for capturing some everyday candid pictures. I booked on just before Christmas, so there were plenty of people and festive scenes just perfect for photographing.

View from behind a blurred crowd of a white woman watching a street performer and taking a picture on her phone.
Watching the crowds
A white male street performer wearing a hat and beard. He's talking to the crowd.
Photographing street performers
A white woman with dark hair holding her phone up to take a picture of a tourist attraction in a street. An example of an image from a street photography walk.
Seeing things differently

What Is Street Photography?

Street Photography is all about capturing unplanned pictures in public. The subject matter can be anything from architecture, events, and most commonly, people.

Nothing is staged. It’s all about random and chance occurrences, and photographing moments as they unfold.

An Asian lady working in a kitchen.
Unstaged pictures of everyday activities

My Previous Photography Experience

I love taking pictures, and I’ve been trying to take my camera off auto and think about composition more over the past few years.

Whilst a lot of my learning has been trial and error, or through on-line resources, you can’t beat an in-person teacher for in-the-moment support and guidance.

Perfect Place For People

I met my friendly teacher, Paula, near the top of the Shambles at midday. The narrow cobbled street in the heart of York is a popular place, especially as there are an abundance of Harry Potter references alongside the historic buildings.

As it was lunch time there were plenty of people milling about who would provide plenty of opportunities for pictures.

There was only me on the session, and I’ll admit I felt thoroughly spoilt having the teacher all to myself!

A white man wearing a bright yellow coat, reaching his arm out on a market stall to pay for his goods. An example from a street photography walk.
Colours can make great themes for street photography

Learning From An Expert

Paula has been a professional photographer for many years and loves to share her knowledge of taking pictures, and the city. She offers several different themed walks through the city, designed to help people improve their photography skills, stretch their creative legs, and explore the city, one photo at a time. You can find out more at the York Photo Walks website. 

We began by checking in on my kit and finding my level of understanding and confidence with my camera.  I used my DSLR camera, but the session is more than suitable for using a point and press, mobile phone, or tablet camera.

I am getting more comfortable using my camera in manual mode, but I was very grateful to have Paula’s input to help me choose the best settings for the session. You can absolutely take part in the street photo walk with everything set on auto too, which can be a good way to then focus solely on the composition.

A white male street performer, with a beard and a hat, entertaining the crowd in a city centre.
Capturing moments of action

Experiencing The Art Of Street Photography

Whilst it’s relatively easy to point and press to capture an image in street photography, there are so many ways to turn a good photo into a great photo.

Paula gave me a fantastic sheet full of tips on composition, content, colour, framing and many more things to consider which can help to elevate the images.

As we walked through the busy areas, Paula was also taking photographs and I found this to be a brilliant way to learn. I’d look to see what had caught her eye, how she was framing the capture, and what position she was taking the picture from. This sparked my creativity, giving me ideas for my photos.

A white couple sharing a bowl of street food in a public street.
Street photography is like people watching with purpose

Unexpected Nerves

Whilst I feel fairly comfortable with my camera, I did feel a little uneasy at first taking pictures of strangers. I’m more than happy to take pictures of scenes, but proactively pointing my lens at people who were obliviously going about their business felt intrusive.

However, Paula put me at ease. With her years of experience, she soon helped me to feel more comfortable capturing interesting individuals and moments as they happened.

We’re so used to seeing people taking pictures in the street with their mobile phones, that I felt very conspicuous with a camera. Using a mobile for the session might have helped me to blend in, but I wanted to practice and learn with my camera.

A tourist taking a picture on their mobile phone in a crowded street. An example of an image taken during a street photography walk
Looking for interesting people and opportunities

A Mindful Activity

To get some great shots, you need to pay attention to what’s going on around you. We’re so often in a rush getting from A-B, that we can often find we’ve reached our destination on auto-pilot. The street photography walk meant that we slowed down, observing our surroundings and the people about us.

You also have to be fluid when it comes to street photography. You can’t control what’s happening. There were several times I thought I’d lined up a great shot, only for someone to walk infront of the camera, or for people to do something unexpectedly.

As we were so focused on the scenes before us, I didn’t look back at what I’d captured until the end of the session. Quickly scrolling through the pictures on the back of the camera, I felt excited to look at them on a bigger screen when I got home to see what images I’d got.

A street performer. The white male with a beard and wearing a hat is pointing flaming sticks towards the crowd.
Street photography is a mindful activity as you focus and pay attention

Why I Loved Experiencing A Street Photography Walk

I’m hugely lucky to live in York, it’s such a beautiful city with so much going on. However, it is easy to become blasé about places you regularly see. I loved how the session made me slow down, and re-focus on the place I call home.

Learning all about different elements of composition, putting it into practice, and getting in-the-moment feedback and guidance were invaluable. It has made me feel more confident about street photography and has certainly whet my creative appetite. I definitely want to explore it more in the future.

It was also a brilliant way to do some people-watching. Observing how other people explore and experience York, was a great new way to see the city.

In just one hour, I was thinking more creatively about what to take pictures of, and was far more observant about the people in the place.

There are some images that are not worthy of sharing, but that’s all part of the process of learning. I’m really pleased with other pictures though, and hopefully it’s the start of more street photography!

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair, holding a camera in a busy street whilst she looks at the camera.
I loved the experience of the street photography walk

Who Is A Street Photography Walk For?

  • Anyone with an interest in photography.
  • Any level of experience. Whether you’re new behind the view finder or you’ve been practicing for a while, you’ll get a lot from the session. 
  • People with any sort of camera. Whatever you have got to take pictures with, you can use it on the street photography walk. 
  • Residents. It’s a great experience for locals, and a way to see a regular place with fresh eyes.
  • Travellers. Tourists and visitors can experience a destination by slowing down and focusing as they explore, learning about the place they are visiting from their teacher.
A white woman and a white male looking at a phone infront of a shop window.
Capturing candid moments
A white woman wearing a hat, smiling for a camera as someone else is taking a photo of her.
Looking out for things happening
A couple in a busy market enjoying sharing a bag of food together. Taken during a street photography walk
Seeing the city differently

Want To Try It Yourself?

Cost Of Experience

  • I was very kindly gifted the experience, which usually costs £20 per person.

Recommendations

  • Focus. Excuse the pun! As there is so much to learn during the street photography walk, why not try and focus on one aspect and try to develop it.
  • Check the forecast. This is an outdoor session so dress accordingly. 
  • Wear comfortable footwear. This is a walk, and although we didn’t cover a particularly big distance, it was good to wear comfy shoes.
  • Ask questions. Paula wanted to help me learn and was more than happy to answer any questions I had. 
  • This makes a great gift! If you know someone who is interested in learning more about photography, why not treat them to this brilliant experience.

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