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PHOTOCOP · 08-12-2009, 11:27 PM

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What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w?

philbaum · 08-12-2009, 11:53 PM

Originally posted by PHOTOCOP

What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w?

A. The best ISO is one that will give you a fast enough shutter so that you don't need SR under ambient light conditions. Since catching the moment with street photos is so important, i'm of the mind that SR should be ruled out. AV would be a good mode for street photography.

B. Color of course. B&W on a digital camera is an on-camera filter jpg that eliminates the color information. It would be better to do the BW conversion in PP software where you can decide between color or BW for a specific image. You can always go from color to BW, but not necessarily the other way if you haven't kept an untouched copy of the original.

Best wishes,

**Kerrowdown** · 08-13-2009, 12:48 AM

Like most forms of photography the lowest ISO you can get away with and still capture the image. That said homeless folk, tramps etc still look great with more grain/noise in the shot, it seems to add to the grittyness of the image.

Shoot colour, you can always convert to B&W in PP, but not the other way around.

Cosmo · 08-13-2009, 02:46 AM

Depends on the light. I shoot 400 in afternoons, but shoot 100 during the day as I prefer to shoot with a wider aperture to get a shallow DOF.

To be honest, just shoot it however the hell you want, there's not set iso you must shoot to for street. Access how much light there is, what settings you want to be shooting at, how much grain you want with the photo, what lens you are using.

And for the Colour/B&W, same again, work it out for yourself, we can't tell you how to do your photography, shoot both and see which you like.

uccemebug · 08-13-2009, 04:05 AM

Originally posted by PHOTOCOP

What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w?

I typically shoot at 400 ISO because often times I'm shooting objects that are moving relative to one another at close range. At night I find ISO 1600 invaluable for getting timely action in dim light.

FWIW, I shoot both digital and film for street photography but I started to turn more to film for street photography in particular because I like the grain and imperfect colours. If I were you, I'd choose to shoot either colour black and white and stick with the results you get: I rarely find that desaturating a colour photo changes it in any tangible way. Actually, I find that made-for-colour media like digital don't make the best black and white images.

I have a huge collection of photos from the streets of Tokyo FWIW. Some examples

Colour (digital):
yoyogi tourists in a line
puppy rentals!
photos by m. werneburg
reflections in Harumi
smoky walkway

Colour (film):
three dogs in a basket
photos by m. werneburg
photos by m. werneburg
working woman

Colour (yellow filter on cheap Kodak Gold):
photos by m. werneburg
going to school
ginza street crossing

Black and white (film):
end of the century
photos by m. werneburg
photos by m. werneburg
photos by m. werneburg
Kinnear'd in Kawasaki
photos by m. werneburg
photos by m. werneburg

Cosmo · 08-13-2009, 05:37 AM

^^^Wow, those shots with the yellow filter are really interesting. I always thought that if you shot with a colour filter and colour film, you only got shades of the colour filter. eg, shoot red filter, the photo is all red.

JESSOPS 49mm YELLOW Y2 GLASS FILTER (35mm/DIGIT). MINT- on eBay (end time 26-Aug-09 18:30:00 BST)

Is this what you use? I'm interested in getting one.

APEHAUS · 08-13-2009, 10:52 AM

I find that working in Av mode to be really helpful for shooting on the go. I'll try and keep the ISO low, but if I see the shutter speed start to drop to much I might bump it up to fix that.

Anyone have any preference on metering mode for this type of shooting?

uccemebug · 08-13-2009, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by Cosmo

^^^Wow, those shots with the yellow filter are really interesting. I always thought that if you shot with a colour filter and colour film, you only got shades of the colour filter. eg, shoot red filter, the photo is all red.

JESSOPS 49mm YELLOW Y2 GLASS FILTER (35mm/DIGIT). MINT- on eBay (end time 26-Aug-09 18:30:00 BST)

Is this what you use? I'm interested in getting one.

Yes, a simple Y2. 8^)

uccemebug · 08-13-2009, 10:42 PM

In response to a follow query by private message:

> What lens did you use for those street shots?

The digital stuff was usually shot with my SMC 28 f/3.5 which is a really great lens despite the lacklustre numbers. The one with the elderly couple and the dog, for instance, highlights for me its ability to get the three-d effect. I occasionally use my 21mm Limited but not often (autofocus ain't what it should be on my *istDS).

A lot of the film stuff (for instance the yellow filter stuff) was shot with my old Olympus 35DC which has a fixed lens at ~40mm. Otherwise I typically shoot the black and white stuff with a 20mm, 35mm or 50mm lens on my Minolta gear.

> What color film you use?

Just about anything. Kodak, Fuji, AGFAPhoto (or whoever is OEM'ing their stuff these days). I buy Kodak Gold in its "DPR Centuria" guise here because it's the cheapest film going. I put on the yellow filter or a sepia filter get it processed at the cheapest place possible.

The AGFAPhoto Vista 400 is my current fling, I shoot it at 200 to prevent the underexposure to which the film is liable. I like to pretentiously tell people that this film has so much grain that it's like using MBX tires on a ten-speed. But honestly I find its colours more interesting and certainly more reliable than Fuji's Pro 400 which is an expensive film but which for instance I can't reliably use with a flash.

> What black and white film you use?

Ilford's older HP5/FP4 stuff. More grain, more latitude on the exposure.

> What shooting mode did you use?

I recommend Program mode for street photography, where possibly. On the *istDS I have to use manual mode with the manual focus lenses. The 35DC is Program-only. My Minolta stuff is either Aperture-priority or Shutter-priority.

> Thanks for your help.

Glad I can help in any small way.

LeDave · 08-14-2009, 03:44 AM

Originally posted by PHOTOCOP

What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w?

I realize that most people shoot street with B&W. For ISO, it would be anything that keeps your shutter speed at a reasonable level to be able to snap that shot without blur. Like someone else stated earlier, shooting in color and converting to B&W in PP afterward is the way to go.

CWyatt · 08-14-2009, 01:18 PM

If you are converting to black and white, don't just desaturate your photos. The black and white conversion 'slider' in photoshop (not sure which versions it's in, it's defintely in CS3) is an invaluable tool. You will also usually need to really crank up the contrast. Have a play around with it, creating good digital black and white needs some real skills!

The other thing I'd say is that while some photos look better in colour, and some in black and white, and in my opinion to make good images you almost need to decide before you take the photo (where this is possible) which you are going for. Colour and black and white photos often need different compositions to be effective, as they emphasise different shades, light etc.

What's great about the 'slider' tool in photoshop is the ability to use any combination of colour filters in conversion to black and white. It means when you're out shooting you know you can use, for example, a certain yellow object to enhance your photo because you know you can convert with a yellow filter to create white, or any other filter combination for any other shade.

lithos · 08-15-2009, 03:12 AM

Tri-X. Pushed three stops.

You'll thank me when you do...

attack11 · 08-15-2009, 05:02 AM

i like shooting street with an r25a filter for a unique b&w after conversion. since the filter blocks the majority of the spectrum, you're left with a very punchy yet natural looking image.

raymeedc · 08-15-2009, 10:15 AM

It depends on the image you're attempting to capture..... stop action, blurred movement, selective or wide range focus..... there's really no definitive answer to such a general question, but I would try to keep my ISO settings at the lowest manageable setting for my purposes at the time. That having been said, 400 is probably your best bet for keeping yourself prepared for whatever situation might pop up unexpectedly without having a chance to reset your ISO settings, to avoid missing the shot.

CWyatt · 08-15-2009, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by attack11

i like shooting street with an r25a filter for a unique b&w after conversion. since the filter blocks the majority of the spectrum, you're left with a very punchy yet natural looking image.

Is that just a red filter? Are you using film? If you're shooting digital the tools in photoshop can replicate the effects of any colour filter pretty quickly.

08-12-2009, 11:27 PM	#1
PHOTOCOP Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Jersey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 54	Street photography? Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w?

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08-12-2009, 11:53 PM	#2
philbaum Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Port Townsend, Washington State, USA Posts: 3,659	Originally posted by PHOTOCOP What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w? A. The best ISO is one that will give you a fast enough shutter so that you don't need SR under ambient light conditions. Since catching the moment with street photos is so important, i'm of the mind that SR should be ruled out. AV would be a good mode for street photography. B. Color of course. B&W on a digital camera is an on-camera filter jpg that eliminates the color information. It would be better to do the BW conversion in PP software where you can decide between color or BW for a specific image. You can always go from color to BW, but not necessarily the other way if you haven't kept an untouched copy of the original. Best wishes,

08-13-2009, 12:48 AM	#3
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,867	Like most forms of photography the lowest ISO you can get away with and still capture the image. That said homeless folk, tramps etc still look great with more grain/noise in the shot, it seems to add to the grittyness of the image. Shoot colour, you can always convert to B&W in PP, but not the other way around.

08-13-2009, 02:46 AM	#4
Cosmo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 488	Depends on the light. I shoot 400 in afternoons, but shoot 100 during the day as I prefer to shoot with a wider aperture to get a shallow DOF. To be honest, just shoot it however the hell you want, there's not set iso you must shoot to for street. Access how much light there is, what settings you want to be shooting at, how much grain you want with the photo, what lens you are using. And for the Colour/B&W, same again, work it out for yourself, we can't tell you how to do your photography, shoot both and see which you like.

08-13-2009, 04:05 AM	#5
uccemebug Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 962	Originally posted by PHOTOCOP What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w? I typically shoot at 400 ISO because often times I'm shooting objects that are moving relative to one another at close range. At night I find ISO 1600 invaluable for getting timely action in dim light. FWIW, I shoot both digital and film for street photography but I started to turn more to film for street photography in particular because I like the grain and imperfect colours. If I were you, I'd choose to shoot either colour black and white and stick with the results you get: I rarely find that desaturating a colour photo changes it in any tangible way. Actually, I find that made-for-colour media like digital don't make the best black and white images. I have a huge collection of photos from the streets of Tokyo FWIW. Some examples Colour (digital): yoyogi tourists in a line puppy rentals! photos by m. werneburg reflections in Harumi smoky walkway Colour (film): three dogs in a basket photos by m. werneburg photos by m. werneburg working woman Colour (yellow filter on cheap Kodak Gold): photos by m. werneburg going to school ginza street crossing Black and white (film): end of the century photos by m. werneburg photos by m. werneburg photos by m. werneburg Kinnear'd in Kawasaki photos by m. werneburg photos by m. werneburg

08-13-2009, 05:37 AM	#6
Cosmo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 488	^^^Wow, those shots with the yellow filter are really interesting. I always thought that if you shot with a colour filter and colour film, you only got shades of the colour filter. eg, shoot red filter, the photo is all red. JESSOPS 49mm YELLOW Y2 GLASS FILTER (35mm/DIGIT). MINT- on eBay (end time 26-Aug-09 18:30:00 BST) Is this what you use? I'm interested in getting one.

08-13-2009, 10:52 AM	#7
APEHAUS Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Whittier, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 93	I find that working in Av mode to be really helpful for shooting on the go. I'll try and keep the ISO low, but if I see the shutter speed start to drop to much I might bump it up to fix that. Anyone have any preference on metering mode for this type of shooting?

08-13-2009, 02:58 PM	#8
uccemebug Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 962	Originally posted by Cosmo ^^^Wow, those shots with the yellow filter are really interesting. I always thought that if you shot with a colour filter and colour film, you only got shades of the colour filter. eg, shoot red filter, the photo is all red. JESSOPS 49mm YELLOW Y2 GLASS FILTER (35mm/DIGIT). MINT- on eBay (end time 26-Aug-09 18:30:00 BST) Is this what you use? I'm interested in getting one. Yes, a simple Y2. 8^)

08-13-2009, 10:42 PM	#9
uccemebug Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 962	In response to a follow query by private message: > What lens did you use for those street shots? The digital stuff was usually shot with my SMC 28 f/3.5 which is a really great lens despite the lacklustre numbers. The one with the elderly couple and the dog, for instance, highlights for me its ability to get the three-d effect. I occasionally use my 21mm Limited but not often (autofocus ain't what it should be on my istDS). A lot of the film stuff (for instance the yellow filter stuff) was shot with my old Olympus 35DC which has a fixed lens at ~40mm. Otherwise I typically shoot the black and white stuff with a 20mm, 35mm or 50mm lens on my Minolta gear. > What color film you use? Just about anything. Kodak, Fuji, AGFAPhoto (or whoever is OEM'ing their stuff these days). I buy Kodak Gold in its "DPR Centuria" guise here because it's the cheapest film going. I put on the yellow filter or a sepia filter get it processed at the cheapest place possible. The AGFAPhoto Vista 400 is my current fling, I shoot it at 200 to prevent the underexposure to which the film is liable. I like to pretentiously tell people that this film has so much grain that it's like using MBX tires on a ten-speed. But honestly I find its colours more interesting and certainly more reliable than Fuji's Pro 400 which is an expensive film but which for instance I can't reliably use with a flash. > What black and white film you use? Ilford's older HP5/FP4 stuff. More grain, more latitude on the exposure. > What shooting mode did you use? I recommend Program mode for street photography, where possibly. On the istDS I have to use manual mode with the manual focus lenses. The 35DC is Program-only. My Minolta stuff is either Aperture-priority or Shutter-priority. > Thanks for your help. Glad I can help in any small way.

08-14-2009, 03:44 AM	#10
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067	Originally posted by PHOTOCOP What is the best ISO for street photograpy to shoot with? Also should i keep it in color or B&w? I realize that most people shoot street with B&W. For ISO, it would be anything that keeps your shutter speed at a reasonable level to be able to snap that shot without blur. Like someone else stated earlier, shooting in color and converting to B&W in PP afterward is the way to go.

08-14-2009, 01:18 PM	#11
CWyatt Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,291	If you are converting to black and white, don't just desaturate your photos. The black and white conversion 'slider' in photoshop (not sure which versions it's in, it's defintely in CS3) is an invaluable tool. You will also usually need to really crank up the contrast. Have a play around with it, creating good digital black and white needs some real skills! The other thing I'd say is that while some photos look better in colour, and some in black and white, and in my opinion to make good images you almost need to decide before you take the photo (where this is possible) which you are going for. Colour and black and white photos often need different compositions to be effective, as they emphasise different shades, light etc. What's great about the 'slider' tool in photoshop is the ability to use any combination of colour filters in conversion to black and white. It means when you're out shooting you know you can use, for example, a certain yellow object to enhance your photo because you know you can convert with a yellow filter to create white, or any other filter combination for any other shade.

08-15-2009, 03:12 AM	#12
lithos Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brisbane, QLD, AUS Posts: 3,261	Tri-X. Pushed three stops. You'll thank me when you do...

08-15-2009, 05:02 AM	#13
attack11 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Ottawa, ON - Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 658	i like shooting street with an r25a filter for a unique b&w after conversion. since the filter blocks the majority of the spectrum, you're left with a very punchy yet natural looking image.

08-15-2009, 10:15 AM	#14
raymeedc Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 951	It depends on the image you're attempting to capture..... stop action, blurred movement, selective or wide range focus..... there's really no definitive answer to such a general question, but I would try to keep my ISO settings at the lowest manageable setting for my purposes at the time. That having been said, 400 is probably your best bet for keeping yourself prepared for whatever situation might pop up unexpectedly without having a chance to reset your ISO settings, to avoid missing the shot.

08-15-2009, 12:49 PM	#15
CWyatt Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,291	Originally posted by attack11 i like shooting street with an r25a filter for a unique b&w after conversion. since the filter blocks the majority of the spectrum, you're left with a very punchy yet natural looking image. Is that just a red filter? Are you using film? If you're shooting digital the tools in photoshop can replicate the effects of any colour filter pretty quickly.

Street photography?

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