Summary

The article provides guidance for street photographers to continue their craft during the COVID-19 pandemic by following safety protocols, utilizing zoom lenses, capturing scenes that emphasize scale and context, shooting rarely empty scenes, and adapting to the situation without compromising public health.

Abstract

The article "Ways To Shoot Street Photography During COVID-19" acknowledges the challenges faced by street photographers amidst the pandemic and offers strategies to navigate them. It emphasizes adherence to local pandemic guidelines, such as social distancing, and suggests using zoom lenses to maintain distance while capturing human subjects. The piece advises photographers to take advantage of the unusual emptiness of urban spaces to create compelling images that reflect the times. It also discourages group meet-ups and close-up street portraits to minimize health risks. The author encourages photographers to document the pandemic's impact in a responsible manner, potentially shifting their style to adapt to the current circumstances.

Opinions

The author believes that street photography is still possible during the pandemic, provided photographers follow health guidelines.
There is a suggestion that using a zoom lens, though not typical for street photography, can be an effective tool during these times.
The article promotes the idea of capturing scenes that show human scale and context, suggesting that these images can be particularly powerful during the pandemic.
The author advises against rebellious behavior, such as disregarding quarantine orders or getting too close to subjects for portraits.
There is an opinion that the current situation offers a unique opportunity for street photographers to document history and create meaningful, impactful work that reflects the solitude and changes in society due to COVID-19.

Ways To Shoot Street Photography During COVID-19

As long as you follow the pandemic guidelines in your area, there’s still an opportunity to shoot photos during a walk

Be a lone wolf when street shooting. But stay inside if you’re sick or have been ordered to remain indoors. © Jeff Hayward

We are living in difficult times for everyone, and for street photographers, it’s no different. Depending on where you’re located in the world, you may have already been ordered to stay inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic altogether (in which case, here are some great suggestions on how to stay focused on your craft.)

However, here in Canada so far, we have been given certain guidelines such as staying 6-feet from the nearest person (known as social distancing.) Of course, there are instances where people have broken orders to stay inside, which is now a punishable offense.

In short, pay close attention to your country or state/province’s rules during the pandemic, and continue to practice hygiene routines to lower the risk.

While this all limits your opportunities to shoot street — especially if you love getting close to your subjects — there are still ways to snap off some street photos during a walk. (And yes, in Canada at least, you can still take a walk while following the rules.)

Use a Zoom

Street photography purists might scoff at this suggestion. However, while many photographers like shooting wide lenses like 28mm when out shooting, that requires getting fairly close to the subject depending on what you’re going for.

Instead, pack your 200mm or longer and take it for a spin. While you might only have been using this lens to shoot wildlife before, you can do some interesting things like isolating your human subjects. Zoom also has that “compression” effect that can work well in urban settings.

Taken in Toronto a number of years ago with a zoom lens. © Jeff Hayward

Shoot For Scale and Context

Use humans in your photos to show the scale of the city. Stand across the street from prominent buildings, for example, and wait for (lone) subjects to wander into the frame. Shoot at a fairly wide angle to show the smallness of the person beside the tall city structures.

You can also do something similar if you’re in a less densely populated area. Use a grove of tall trees as a reference for your people shots.

A lone runner comes over the crest of a hill. This was actually shot during a previous Around The Bay Road Race in Ontario, which was canceled this year due to COVID-19 concerns. © Jeff Hayward

Shoot an Empty Scene

This probably feels counterintuitive to a street photographer, but look for empty scenes that are very rarely devoid of people. This might be one of your only chances to get wide city streets with only one or two people milling about. It’s also a good chance to shoot certain landmarks without humans.

In addition, look for scenes that don’t have people, but have suggestions that people were there. This gives it an apocalyptic and moody “where’d all the people go?” vibe.

Look for graffiti. Look for garbage. Look for a lone shoe. Look for anything that tells the reader there are usually people there.

Look for empty scenes that show signs of humanity. © Jeff Hayward

Ways Not To Shoot

Again, and I cannot stress this enough, follow the orders from your local government. Don’t try to be a “rebel” if you’re a known carrier or have been ordered to stay inside and still want to shoot. I don’t want to encourage anyone to put others at risk.

Also, while street photography group meet-ups can be fun and a way to learn from others — put those on hold for now. Solo walks and shooting is the way to go for the time being (most street photographers already do this anyway.)

While I sometimes approach people to take street portraits, I don’t think that’s a good idea during this time either. You may have to get too close for comfort to ask for a photo.

This could be an opportunity for street photographers to show the impacts of the pandemic in a documentary-style fashion. After all, even empty storefronts and streets make a big impact in a photo.

You may have to shift your style a bit when you’re out shooting street, but by doing so, you can still stretch your legs while making a statement about the time we’re in through images.

We will keep this article updated with any new orders from the Canadian/Ontario government.