Art of the Street Photo

I first discovered my love for photography in high school when I took a month-long summer trip to England. One of the weeks, we stayed in a small seaside town in Cornwall and I was so fascinated with my new surroundings (I grew up in a very safe, but very beige community so Cornwall was a whole new world) that I spent my days shooting photos of the local fisherman and abandoned boats around the village. Note: These were the days of Myspace-angled prof pics and glam Macbook Photo Booth collages..."normal" behavior for 15-year-old girl would have involved taking posted photos of my friends blowing kisses and throwing up the peace sign.

In college, I didn't act upon my interest in photography as much as I would have liked. I spent more time in front of the camera, but did make the leap to purchase my first DSLR the summer before I studied abroad in Ireland. I spent the next four months fumbling around the settings and unfortunately resigned myself to the permanent use of "Auto", convinced I'd never get the hang of my Canon Rebel. 

Then, a couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to take a series of photography classes from The School Of Light which helped me truly appreciate the art of the street photo (and taught me how to actually use the manual settings on my DSLR). Since then, my love for street photography has only grown and I'm always on the lookout for the perfect street shot. The photo above was taken in Downtown Los Angeles and was only captured through the perfect combination of luck, anticipation, and the kind of quirkiness you can't possibly replicate.

Head over here to see a collection of my favorite street photography shots over the years.

-M