Parkes Elvis Festival 2023
Street photography has a genre all of its own.
Typically its defined as photography that observes and records people and their interactions with others or the environment.
Its candid and has a unique narrative quality.
Now lets look at the Elvis Parkes Festival
An annual event celebrating the life and music of Elvis , held in Parkes , a small town in central west NSW.
Every year the town explodes with tens of thousands of extra visitors , many flamboyantly dressed as Elvis or just dressed up in their 50,s best.
They want the interaction and are absolutely used to all the cameras.
Actually I love this photography so I thought I,d share some photos , settings for street photography and a few tipos Ive learnt along the way.
Gear – Less is better , you will have to carry it everywhere.
I used my Olympus OMD mirrorless a standard and a zoom lens and my phone .
In the end I gave up on my phone as its so difficult to compose in the heat and glare and much easy to frame a shot using a camera .
The smaller the camera the better as its unobtrusive . The zoom is great for getting close but not too intrusive
Settings –For those on Manual- I always start with ISO and only change it when the lighting changes , for example when I go into darkened shadows or indoors, so considering the January outdoor sunshine , ISO – 100.
Shutter Speed , my go – to for a human moving 1/160 of faster . Aperture , aim for 8 fg depending on your light meter settings.
For those on semi- automatic settings , TV 160 .
General tips – Master the moment , wait for an interaction or a gesture , learn when to just be patient and when to click the shutter.
Respect and smile if your subject has responded , love the connection.
Choose your angles , get higher , lower , go wide , be versatile.
Enjoy the process , this is a great way to practice your technical skills and develop your own artistic vision.
Lastly Find out what street events are happening in your area , or just go on an adventure . Just you and your camera and see what you can create .
Cheers all , Sharon
