Find Your Frame

The title of this book encapsulates Craig Whitehead's advice: composition is key. Get to know your neighbourhood and look for 'frames' formed by architecture, street furniture, signboards etc, where you can wait for the right moment when, say, a figure passes and you take the shot. Divide up the composition in an interesting way and be sensitive to colour, shadow and changing light. These are just some of the valuable tips in Whitehead's account of how he works as a 'candid photographer' (not only looking at streets, but any environment). His style is painterly and tends towards the abstract, rather than photographing human incidents. But you should explore all possibilities, as he says: “Create your own way of working and that will contribute to a style that is uniquely yours.”

Any aspiring photographer will find this well-illustrated book invaluable. It will inspire you to “Think about when
and where to go – but whatever you do, just go!”

For international photogrpahy day, I read this book. Love the author/photographer's thoughts and advice for being a good street photographer. Great points about staking in a place and noticing and even being proactive about what might happen, getting rare photographs, how might it look, balloon heads trope and variations of it.
Wish all of the pictures rendered correctly.

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.