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Find Your Frame: A Street Photography Masterclass

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‘Look beyond the obvious. Street photography is what you make it’.

Craig Whitehead’s shots of the streets are unique – his sense of colour, composition, storytelling and timing have earned him a hugely dedicated following. But how does he consistently take such special images, and what are the key creative takeaways to bring to your own photography?

Find Your Frame is Whitehead’s personal how-to guide to a craft he has spent many years honing. Across 20 short, sharp lessons, he reveals his secrets, his tips, his creative approach, his sources of inspiration, and his way of seeing, shooting and anticipating the streets.

Illustrated throughout with example images, and full of creative wisdom and advice, this is the start of your journey toward better street photography and a more creative way of visual thinking.

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2023

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Craig Whitehead

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Kristina.
231 reviews27 followers
August 29, 2023
I got some tips and picked up some inspiration, but this is more of a coffee table book for me than "street photography masterclass," as it's 144 pages, and most of them are photos. On the non-photo pages, the text is heavily indented and features prominent quotes in text. There is very little in the way of technical instruction, the tips here are much more general.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Profile Image for Online Eccentric Librarian.
3,400 reviews5 followers
September 11, 2023
More reviews at the Online Eccentric Librarian http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is a well presented book on street/candid photography. The author himself started with the more traditional 'in your face' style of capture people up close - and eventually transitioned into more abstract and arty work for which he became known. The images are of the artistic nature: the person/people aren't the subject so much as the final detail of a composition. It makes for interesting reading since he discusses various photographs he's taken, what inspired him, how he set them up.

Along with the inspiring images, the author gives suggestions on how to go about finding your own style of street photography. He helps with composition, color, light, and how to work with people. There are so no set rules - he wants you to find what inspires and motivates you and create your style/what you love from it.

His work is very much of the painterly variety: out of focus images, objects in front of faces, faces missing, bold colors, simple lines. I think most come to street photography to capture life and moments as they happen in a candid format. The author instead shows that street photography can have more of an abstract approach as well: similar to paintings you would see at a museum of modern or contemporary art. Images to make you think and try to figure out what you are seeing.

In all, an easy read from a photographer who is friendly, encouraging, and informative. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
Profile Image for Patricio Zenklussen.
30 reviews
October 16, 2025
2025 Side Readings ~ 16

Find Your Frame de Craig Whitehead es el primer libro de fotografía que leo en mi vida. La fotografía es un pasatiempo que siempre he tenido cerca, pero que nunca he abordado con toda la profundidad que me gustaría. Conseguí este libro en su momento, cuando estaba en un pico de interés sobre el tema, buscando consejos para adentrarme, específicamente, en el mundo de la street photography.

El libro, de unas 140 páginas, se presenta como una serie de 20 lecciones o tips. Si bien es amable y fácil de leer, la verdad es que me pareció "decente", sin más. Da la impresión de ser una selección de recomendaciones, ideas y pensamientos que el fotógrafo comparte al aire, más que un texto instructivo, organizado y pulido como una lección. No es una masterclass de un fotógrafo consagrado, sino las metodologías de un fotógrafo en particular.

El principal problema es que, aunque el punto de inicio de varios capítulos es bueno, el contenido es muy disperso. Por ejemplo, un capítulo empieza hablando sobre cómo usar framing con artículos presentes en mundo y, de repente, termina tratando la importancia de salir a hablar con la gente. Esto pasa de forma muy evidente en cuatro o cinco ocasiones, lo que demuestra que es más una colección de ideas que un texto realmente pensado y trabajado a lo largo de los años.

En resumen, la lectura fue correcta. Quizás me llevo alguna que otra cosa para mis propios experimentos, pero no es un libro que haya disfrutado especialmente ni que sienta que me haya enseñado algo concreto.
Profile Image for Ddiegoosf.
18 reviews
March 16, 2025
¿Bien supongo?

Yo no me clasifico como fotógrafo urbano, siquiera fotógrafo. Como en todos los estilos, discrepo en algunas cosas de las que dice pero coincido en muchas otras. Al final un fotógrafo urbano trata de dar personalidad a una ciudad homogeneizando a las personas y despojándolas de su individualidad, pero yo sinceramente tiro por otro lado.

Yo me clasifico más en el retrato, el retrato con una narrativa y storytelling, por lo que hay cosas que realmente no considero prioridad. Me gusta como aborda el tema de la composición y el color, pero más allá de eso hay datos que realmente son demasiado básicos.

Cosas como dejar tiempo entre las fotos y su edición, abrirse a nuevos campos o salir a practicar son básicas. Está bien como iniciación, pero a mi se me ha hecho algo tedioso leerlo principalmente por eso, porque no me ha inspirado mucho.

Por otro lado, me gusta que reconozca cosas como la abstracción y definir las "pautas" de una fotografía urbana. Cómo avisa de no estancarse en lo mismo y siempre ser original o cómo las redes sociales han modificado el formato y condicionado la composición.
Profile Image for Barb.
939 reviews56 followers
September 10, 2023
I was in the mood to read a photography book and found this one available on NetGalley.

The concept of Street Photography has always intimidated me. I've often worried that taking pictures of people on the street might make them angry or suspicious. Surprisingly, the author dedicates an entire chapter to addressing these fears. One valuable piece of advice he offered was, "If you act as if you're doing something wrong, people will respond to you as if that's the case."

When I initially opened this book, my goal was to broaden my horizons, as I had never delved into street photography before. However, after reading it and examining the images, I realized that much of what I do with candid photos at events, capturing people in and around the event location, could be considered a form of street photography. Thus, the advice in the book proved to be more valuable to me than I initially anticipated.

This book provides excellent guidance on composition and offers valuable insights into overcoming any fears or nervousness that may hinder your creative expression.
Profile Image for Liralen.
3,340 reviews275 followers
September 29, 2023
In Find Your Frame, Whitehead takes readers through some of the things he looks for when working as a street photographer. You can get a sense just from the cover what sorts of images he's attracted to—bold, tightly framed, making use of angles and built-in borders.

It's a very non-technical book, better suited to lay readers or beginning photographers than to (for lack of a better term) working street photographers. Whitehead's emphasis begins on, and circles back to again and again, finding the shot—not on focus or lighting or color correction or aperture or...I'm not a professional and I've run out of technical terms, so I suppose I'll leave it there, but in any case, if the book wants you to work on anything, it's training your eye to think how you might frame a particular shot, and then having the patience to wait for all the necessary elements in the photo to line up. Less about taking the shots and more about finding them, I suppose.

Whitehead talks quite a bit about shots that don't become the final version of the picture—e.g., when you shoot twenty frames of the same thing, but only one of them ends up being published—and I wish that more of those images had been included in the book; seeing the rejected or second-best shots, or perhaps more of the surrounding area that was cropped out, feels like a lesson in and of itself.

It all sort of begs the question of how much photographic "eye" can/should be trained and how much is more innate—I'd love to send a few beginner photographers out into the world with this book as their inspiration and see whether they gravitate to similar or very different shots—and I can't answer that, but if you enjoy Whitehead's photographic style this makes for an eye-catching coffee-table book.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
93 reviews3 followers
August 24, 2023
I was lucky enough to take part in a street photography workshop with Craig and another photographer in 2019. This book feels like a brilliant extension of that class when we took to the streets of London one evening. There are lots of great tips in this book and if you are interested in street photography or looking to improve your work, this book contains some great advice on light, composition, kit and more. My main take-away is to be more persistent. If a place feels like it has the potential for a picture, return to that area, consider the light and trust your gut instinct to do and try something different. Plenty of food for thought in this beautifully presented book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto for the ARC.
2,934 reviews261 followers
September 3, 2023
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fairly short book with advice on street photography. There's a lot of photograph examples and inspirational tips on how to find your own voice and take street photos. The book is somewhat technical, but the focus is on getting to know your own camera and how to look at things to get your photo than actually setting up your camera. I could see this being a nice coffee table book or gift to new photographer who wants to learn more.
Profile Image for Sotiris Dimitrakopoulos.
90 reviews6 followers
September 25, 2024
Τι βιβλίο και αυτό. 5 αστέρια καθαρά. Όποιος ασχολείται με την φωτογραφία δρόμου πιθανόν να τον γνωρίζει ήδη τον craig whitehead. Έχει ένα ιδιαίτερο στυλ το οποίο είναι χαρακτηριστικό.

Στο βιβλίο αυτό πέρα απο συμβουλές που δίνει για το συγκεκριμένο είδος φωτογραφίας, Αναλύει τον τρόπου που το σκεπτικό του πίσω απο τις φωτογραφίες. Σίγουρα έχεις πολλά να πάρεις αν ασχολείσαι με τέτοιου είδους φωτογραφία.

Αν δεν ασχολείται κάποιος με φωτογραφία δρόμου δεν θα το πρότεινα το βιβλίο αυτό καθόλου.

Profile Image for Rajesh.
31 reviews
January 5, 2025
Find Your Frame: A Street Photography Master Class" by Craig Whitehead is an invaluable guide for photographers of all skill levels. Whitehead shares his practical tips and personal insights in a way that's both engaging and easy to follow. The book is filled with example images that really bring the lessons to life, making it not only educational but also inspiring. It's a must-read for anyone passionate about capturing the essence of street photography.

Happy shooting! 📸
Profile Image for David.
35 reviews
November 17, 2024
This is a "course" in street photography. The methods Craig Whitehead covers are not formulaic but are open-ended. He based each chapter on his own experience with suggestions on how to connect the concept to one's own photography. I'd like to see a real "course" developed from the book. That would be helpful for newer photographers who don't already have a body of experience to draw on.
Profile Image for Misse Jones.
578 reviews47 followers
November 3, 2023
Decent...

Find Your Frame gives credit to street photography and the author's personal sort of how to guide to a specific craft he has honed over 20 years. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the gifted copy.

Craig Whitehead has combined in short lessons his approach to street photography, including things he's learned in the field, tips, his creative approach, his sources of inspiration, and a host of trade secrets. He's included sample images and advice to anyone who's interested in becoming a street photographer or learning what he believes to be the tricks of the trade.

This is another resource I believe would make good addition for a coffee table read. While informative, I feel that the content and information shared is highly a masterclass but more of a how to guide to shooting street photography from his point of view.

3.5/5 ⭐️s
2 reviews
July 7, 2025
Great book. This guy knows his stuff

I have looked at quite a few books. This one really is very good compared to the others. Maybe I just like his style, but it is well worth spending on this one whoever you are.
Profile Image for Andra Hamburg.
11 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2024
Great book. Enjoyed it! There’s a good insight to how the author is approaching the street and what’s the background story to those beautifully captured shots.
4 reviews
March 2, 2025
I like this book, it’s an easy, inspiring and fun read. For me who just stared photography I’m more aware of the the elements of street photography.
Profile Image for Pamela.
144 reviews44 followers
July 15, 2023
3.5 stars!
If I hadn't already read hundreds of other books on photography over the years this might have gotten a higher review from me. To be fair I didn't expect this little photography book would have too much to offer me on new thoughts or ideas about making photographs but it actually did spark a few freshly inspired thoughts and feelings about going out to do some shooting again soon.
A fine beginners guide. Fun enough for new and aspiring photographers.
Profile Image for Belle.
3 reviews
December 14, 2023
Honestly, this is such a gem. I took a long break from photography, and I was never a professional to begin with, but this book has the most important tips and advices.

One of the best advices Craig Whitehead says is to not let street photography define us, we define it. To always evoke, experiment and break/bend the rules. And to let our inhibitors behind; anxiety, the fear of being judged while snapping pictures.

He also gives advices on social media and to not let it limit us. There is so much I could say about his book. From what he says about the beginning of his journey to those he admires. His work is amazing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is starting photography not just street photography. I learned that there is a lot I don’t know but I feel like I’ve just opened my eyes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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