Atlanta Street Photography | Little Five Points | Clickin Walk 2018
Every year Clickin’ Moms has a worldwide event called Clickin Walk. In cities all over the world (mostly) women photographers gather in groups to socialize and participate in some street photography.
This year I co-hosted the one in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood. It rained all week and there was even a brief downpour on the day of the walk, so I was worried we would get rained out and would have to come up with a back up location. Thankfully, though, the rain cleared in time for the event and we had sunny weather for us to explore the area with our cameras.
We started the walk by meeting up at Junkman’s Daughter, walked down to the center of the action near Crystal Blue (a cool crystal shop you should definitely check out), then finished up just past Outback Bikes and 7 Stages Theater. After our walk was finished we headed over to Carmeli’s Pizza to chat & munch. Heads up about Carmeli’s: the pizza slices are as big as your head. Seriously.
If you’re looking for things to photograph, Little Five Points is the perfect location. The interesting storefronts, fun murals, and artists setting up shop provide plenty of opportunities to create intriguing images.
I have to be honest, I definitely wouldn’t consider myself the strongest street photographer by any means. I’m more of a portrait person personally, but I do love how street photography forces you to slow down and really observe your surroundings for interesting moments to capture.
There are many things to keep in mind when you’re practicing street photography. I’ll walk you through a few things I was thinking about while I was shooting:
Lines
Look for ways to incorporate lines in your frame, especially because lines are constantly present around us. Lines in your image create a sense of movement by keeping your viewer’s eye moving through the frame. Diagonal lines can especially be impactful to create a more dynamic photograph.
Tip: make sure to look at all angles around you - up above you, down on the ground… interesting lines can be anywhere around you waiting to be captured.
2. Color
Keep your eyes open for opportunities to use color to make an interesting image. Look for complementary colors (those positioned across from each other on the color wheel) like red + green, orange + blue, and yellow + purple. Pairing complementary colors together in this way can create a vibrant photo that captures the viewer’s attention.
You can also look for opportunities to incorporate analogous color schemes that create a calm mood for your viewer. Always look for opportunities to incorporate color as a technique to create visual depth and interest.
3. Repetition
Repetition is another compositional technique that can create an impactful image. Repeating objects throughout the frame draws your viewer in, and can be done in several ways. You can repeat a certain color, a certain shape, or a combination of the two (such as in the image of parked bikes above). Repetition carries your viewer’s eye through the image and encourages them to explore the frame.
4. Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is the placement of two contrasting elements next to each other in a photograph. The contrast between the elements is what intrigues the viewer as they explore the opposites you’ve captured in the frame.
Juxtaposition is an awesome compositional technique to create a strong image and visual interest. See if you can spot the juxtaposition in the two images above, and share what you come up with in the comments below.
5. Layers
Creating layers in your photograph adds depth to your image and creates a photograph that is more true-to-life. Layers are what takes your photograph from 2D to 3D for your viewer. Life in general is full of layers happening all the time, Be on the constant lookout for the chance to capture these layers and enhance the visual depth in your photographs.
Every once in a while it’s a great idea to step outside the genre you’re most comfortable in and practice new techniques. It’s also an awesome way to jumpstart your creativity when you feel a slump coming on.
Grab your camera (and maybe a friend), head to a new part of town, and put some of these techniques into practice.