Think Like a Street Photographer: How to Think Like a Street Photographer

by Matt Stuart

"Never does that old maxim 'the harder I practice, the luckier I get' ring truer." – Matt Stuart

Street photography may look like luck, but you have to get out there and hone your craft if you want to shake up those luck vibes. Matt Stuart never goes out without his trusty Leica and, in a career spanning twenty years, has taken some of the most accomplished, witty and well-known photographs of the streets.

From understanding how to be invisible on a busy street, to anticipating a great image in the chaos of a crowd, Matt Stuart reveals in over 20 chapters the hard-won skills and secrets that have led to his greatest shots. He explains his purist and uniquely playful approach to street photography leaving the reader full of ideas to use in their own photography. Illustrated throughout with 100 of Stuart's images, this is a unique opportunity to learn from one of the finest street photographers around.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2021

Reviews

[Fred Lapierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you don’t have a camera on you at all times… you're just someone who saw some stuff and told people about what you saw.”

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, short read, full of very useful things to think about while out on the streets. I haven't picked up my camera in a very long time but seeing some of the beautiful and clever photos in this book makes me want to get out there and make my own!

[Syakirah Athaya Azalea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I think you should photograph the disabled, I think you should photograph everyone and everything because they exist."

[Dat Huynh]

4/5

A lot of good mentality and tactics towards taking street photography. Definitely will revisit this book once I learn the more technical sides of photography!!

[phil breidenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt has some great shots in this book along with some good advice for those who want to take better pictures while roaming the streets.

[Iulian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tips for newbs. Excited to head out to the streets!

[Susana Brijandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Padrísimo e inspirador. 🫶🏻 "Piensa como un fotógrafo de calle" de @mattu1 está buenísimo para motivarte a tomar muchas fotos, practicar, capturar todos los momentos interesantes que encuentres en la calle, o simplemente en el lugar que estés.

"Me encanta hacer fotos, sobre todo la acción misma de fotografiar. La implicación, la sensación, la participación, son mucho más importantes para mí que lo que resulte. Si la foto es buena, eso es un bonus. Si no lo es, c'est la vie. El placer de fotografiar es cien veces más gratificante que la foto. Así que cómprate unos zapatos cómodos, lleva la cámara colgada del cuello a todas horas, mantén las manos a los costados, sé paciente y optimista, y no te olvides de sonreír."

De verdad está súper interesante pensar en una fotografía más espontánea, sin plan de sesión, porque incluso estar atento al instante te lleva a realmente vivir en el aquí y en el ahora. A veces no está tan cool ver todo a través de una pantalla de celular, y aunque ver a través de la cámara también te desconecta un poco de la realidad, la experiencia completa y la oportunidad de capturar algo que tus ojos vieron y que puedes compartir con otros o conservar para ti, es increíble. 😊🤓📸

[Chris Vidouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful toolbox in writing, many of the skills and mindsets described are essential and oftentimes hard to master. Matt describes it all in a very practical way that encourages the reader to give things a go. I will definitely be returning to this one in the future just to refresh my skills and processes. I also found the chapter on editing and sequencing very intriguing, we often forget how much of an art in itself editing is, much less exciting than catching a moment at a 100th of a second but definitely an equally impactful process overall. Good stuff.

[César Vásquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy parecido al libro de Joel Meyerowitz "como hago fotografías" pero a la vez, cada uno se complementa de una manera muy poética y muy inspiradora. Los libros no abordan para nada temas técnicos, ambos hablan desde un lado más humano y de experiencias a la hora de salir a la calle a tomar fotos. Y creo que ese es el encanto de los libros, saber que cada que sales con una cámara puedes encontrarte con lo que sea pero debes siempre estar atento. Lo disfrute mucho, me hacía falta algunas lecturas así.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stuart te anima a ser un observador activo, a encontrar la poesía en lo ordinario, y a abrazar la incertidumbre. Enseña a ver, no solo mirar, a convertirte en un cazador de momentos auténticos, en lugar de un coleccionista de poses.

Este libro es más que una guía técnica, es una invitación a una aventura fotográfica con un maestro como anfitrión. Te enseña a ver el mundo como un escenario de historias sin fin, y a capturarlas con tu cámara como testigo. Te deja con ganas de salir a la calle, con los ojos bien abiertos y el corazón listo para encontrar la belleza en lo inesperado.

[Sotiris Dimitrakopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το καλύτερο βιβλίο για φωτογραφία δρόμου που έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμής.
Ο Matt stuart μπορεί να μην είναι ο πιο γνωστός φωτογράφος δρόμου ή Legend (ακόμα) αλλά οι φωτογραφίες του είναι πολύ δυνατές. Σε αυτό το βιβλίο γράψει tips για όσους ασχολούνται με αυτό. Μου άρεσε που έχει αρκετές πρακτικές συμβουλές και δεν μένει μόνο στην θεωρία. Επίσης έχει αρκετές φωτογραφίες που λέει πως τις έβγαλε. Επισημάνει συνεχώς να έχεις μια φωτογραφική μαζί σου καθώς και οτι η φωτογραφία δρόμου δεν έχει πεθάνει επειδή έχουμε όλοι κάμερες στα κινητά μας πλέον και εφόσον κάποιος το βλέπει σοβαρά δεν πρέπει παρα να συνεχίσει να προσπαθεί να γίνει καλύτερος, με την δική του δημιουργική φωνή που υπάρχει μέσα του, χωρις να τον νοιάζει τι λένε οι άλλοι.

[Quintin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed this book on a trip to London where I ended up in the design museum in Kensington. A recent move across the globe had pulled me out of my comfort zone as a photographer who mainly shot portraits and my new journey into landscape and street photography (as a way to scratch my love of documenting life) produced many challenges and questions. This book does a wonderful job of showcasing how to get the most out of your street photography journey and helped me understand some key concepts that I wasn’t paying attention to on my first attempts at “street photography.”

[Anna Makarova · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun light read with lots of cool photos. I can’t say I’ve learned a lot from it; this book is definitely not one that will help you improve your photography skills. What it does though is help you get into the right mindset and attitude necessary for street photography, particularly that involves people. If that’s what you’re seeking - you’ll like it. I found Stuart’s references more inspiring and exciting for my purposes.

Loved some of his photos too!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book for anyone interested in street photography. Matt Stuart gives very useful ideas in his 20 chapters; clearly the fact that these suggestions come from a professional photographer makes the book worth every page it has. Also Mr. Stuart shares some of his own works to illustrate his ideas about street photography.

[Marian Aretu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book 2 days ago. Yesterday I had it waiting for me after work. Today I finished it and I want to go out and walk my camera through the streets, any streets, all the streets!
This book inspires even from the front cover, back cover and anywhere in between! I will definitely check out Matt's other books!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the author's witty and sharp images, but did not find that there was a lot of insight to be gained from the brief chapters. Although valid, a lot of this ground has been covered before.

[Alex Pler · Rating 4 out of 5]

20 lecciones breves que animan a salir a la calle con la cámara colgada del cuello a la búsqueda de buenas fotos, cueste lo que cueste. En sus fotografías Stuart hace que parezca fácil; en sus textos, desvela el esfuerzo de horas, días, errores que hay detrás de cada una de las imágenes.

[Duncan Cumming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it for the photos alone, never mind the text. Looking through it I had to laugh out loud several times. The text made me felt inspired to do more street photography as a result.

[Anyatsaruk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Found few fresh ideas and thoughts about street photography plus inspiration to go out and try them on practice.

[N S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally recommend to anyone who wishes to start on this wonderful hobby. Very easy read and inspiring. I shall take more photos after this read

[Elena Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Está bien porque es fácil de leer. Todo y así ha sido un poco genérico y muy enfocado en la cámara analógica.

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priceless opportunity to go through a great photographer’s process and thoughts.

[Alex Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like these books. Really bite sized, easy to read, and inspiring.

Does everything it needs to.

[Teresa Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

Li o livro em inglês mas foi de fácil leitura. É inspirador e tem fotografias espetaculares.

[Barry Stoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book on street photography. Lots of concise info supplemented with great images for context

[Manina Pascan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book for photographers

[F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulped it down in one sitting! Hugely inspiring.

[Nick Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice tips and musings, which inspire. Not much on technical details, but it's interesting and helpful, with nice photos too.

[Elyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much more insightful than I expected. Learned a lot about how street photography, outside of street style photography, functions.