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Adam Tan

Street photography is about making photograph in public places. To capture the random incidents, the candid moments, or anything that’s pleasing to the eyes and fascinating to us with an attempt to instil an emotion, convey a message, or interpret a story with what our eyes see and what our hearts visualise.

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Street photography is about making photograph in public places. To capture the random incidents, the candid moments, or anything that’s pleasing to the eyes and fascinating to us with an attempt to instil an emotion, convey a message, or interpret a story with what our eyes see and what our hearts visualise.

In addition, Street photography makes traveling more purposeful and significant. It makes us see the world with a broader perspective and greater interest. It also makes us see the familiar everyday surroundings with a fresh new eye.Some would say it’s challenging, as it requires patience, quick and intuitive responses and the failing rate can be high. And it’s not easy to make the composition pleasing to the eyes, and certainly not easy to incorporate the narrative component to the images in that split second.As a matter of fact, it does require something more. That’s what this Master Class is all about, I felt compelled to guide those who wish to acquire a deeper understanding in this area.

I’d immersed in this genre of photography for more than 14 years now, and I’d earned many honours in photo competitions in Street photography category. One of my most unforgettable moments and greatest honours was winning the First Place in National Geographic Photography Contest in 2013.

And I’m extremely glad to see many of my students participated in contests and earned awards and mentions from all over the world time and again.In this master class I will teach you first the very foundation of photography: Understanding the clue, or so-called the formula of what constitutes a good photograph, and how to develop our seeing eye in photography.

And we will progress to explore Street Photography in detail.

On a step-by-step basis, I’ll teach you which gears to use, how to do the camera setting correctly in different situations, how to find the right elements and integrate them in the chosen frame of the camera.And I’ll teach you the various creative approaches to Street photography: what’s suitable for colour photography, what’s suitable for B&W and etc.How to deal with different weather condition, whether it’s rainy or sunny and still produce good results; whether it’s flat lighting, or lowlight.I will guide you on how we could fully utilise each and every situation.

What you will find in the class is a complete guide of all I know about Street photography: From the technical aspects to the artistry aspects, what kind of preparation we should make, how to deal with different circumstances, what are the common mistakes we make and how to rectify them, how to make good and artistic composition, and how to seek out the storytelling, the narrative component.There are post-processing lessons, in both Color & B&W.

My tutorial is about simplify the complex, training in the habit of seeing & observation, with many inspiring & creative lessons and assignments for you to work on. It is designed to make learning fun and engaging.

At the end of the course, I believe you will find you have acquired a clear understanding and creative mindset, and able to produce aesthetically pleasing and good storytelling street images—more than you could ever imagine.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to obtain street photography with narrative component and pleasing to eyes.
  • The training and developing of seeing eye
  • Developing of a clear mindset on how to do street photography that evokes viewer's heart
  • Understanding of essential gear for street photography
  • Learn to use light source creatively and effectively
  • How to keep moving subject in focus and how to deal with tricking situations.
  • The training in seeing the nuances and subtlety
  • Develop a technique to distinguish what’s relevant for color and b&w respectively.

Syllabus

What makes a good photograph & the essential gear for street photography

Adam Tan has been a photography instructor for over 15 years, as well as a passionate fine art photographer.

He has won numerous international photography competitions, inclusive the First Place in Places category in the prestigious National Photographic Photo Contest in 2013; and 2nd place in Grand Prix de Decouverte Photo Competition in 2013, his winning entry was accepted into the coveted collection of National Library of France. He won Spotlight Award in Black & White Magazine Single Photo Contest, USA, in 2014; First Place in Street Photography category, ND Award, England, in 2014. He was the Top 10 Finalist in Hasselblad Masters in 2016... among others.

He compressed and compiled his creative technique, his perception and interpretation in photography into a series of courses to allow quick comprehension of theory and easy mastery of techniques. Many of his students had earned awards and recognition from all over the world with his teaching.

What you will find here is a complete guide of Street photography from technical to artistry aspects. It covers the training and developing of seeing eye, from the fundamental to a deeper perspective study of nuance and subtlety in street photography. What kind of preparation we should do, how to deal with different circumstances, what are the common mistakes we committed with our unconscious mind... in a step by step basis c/w on-location-demonstration and illustration, and supported by over 500 pieces of photographic works by Adam.

At the end of the course, you will acquire a clear and creative mindset, find fun and joy in walking the street with a camera, and produce aesthetically eye pleasing and good storytelling images... more than you could ever imagine.


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To acquire the fundamental understanding, or so called the Basic Formula of what makes a good photograph is very essential. It enable us to know how to scout for the relevant subjects to be incorporated into the chosen frame.

In this lesson Adam guides you how to develop a clear mindset in the Clue of making a good picture, and the pointers on searching out the core elements within a frame in different environments to make the images more impactful and pleasing to the eyes - c/w demonstration & illustration.

How to pack my bag for my needs in Street photography?

Is DSLR too huge? Which lenses are most fitting?

The advise on what is the essential gear for street photography in different situations and different approaches.

1. What are the 3 essential elements that make a good image? The core factor in photography before we proceed to talk about composition.

2. Composition in photography means how the subjects in the chosen frame are arranged, and combined them into an aesthetically pleasing whole. One of the major problems face by most photographers is the lack of creativity in composition, perhaps it is due to the lack of a thorough understanding in composition that constraint them from progressing.

In this lesson, Adam will share his insightful idea with you in the application of Compositional Balance, how to use them wisely and effectively to create visually pleasing images with a simplify the complex method.

He will also be clearing your doubts with what are the reasons that make the images less appealing even if the composition seems right at time.

C/w Elaboration, demonstration & illustrations.

The storytelling and composition in street photography

"A successful photograph could convey its meaning, or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description".

But how?

Storytelling or the narrative component is probably the hardest part in Street photography. And yet it’s the most essential part.

In this lesson Adam shares with you the two most important narrative components in Street photography, and the guidance on how to search for relevant subjects to create connection within the frame in the chaotic streets.

The training on how to detect relevant subjects & integrate them within the frame and incorporate the narrative component.

In this lesson Adam delves deeper into the four composition techniques via compositional balance in greater detail, examines and ponders the technique of composition from a more delicate angle.

And how to utilize them effectively to support the narrative and enrich the storytelling in the images.

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/adamtanphotography


After developing a good foundation in knowing how to incorporate narrative component, we now further exploration in this area from a more delicate angle.

Understand what is the difference between a good and mediocre image c/w Elaboration, demonstration & illustrations.

The assignment: The training on how to detect possible narrative components meticulously.

Understand light source, common mistakes and how to handle tricky situations

In this lesson Adam explains how to observe and utilise the light source, and the tips on how to create abstract & dramatic effect with high contrast lighting condition.

In the technical aspect, to acquire good sharp images with a good composition could be a tall order, Adam examines and ponders this issue in a very delicate angle c/w on-location-demonstration & illustrations.


Common mistakes in photography are often caused by the habit of unmindful perception. Adam explains the method on how to improve in this area in greater details, the difference between the affected & rectified images in various perspectives c/w illustrations.

Adam points out several types of common mistakes and brings out various tips on how to improve stereotype composition technique with new, creative ideas to enrich the narrative component. And how to master the "Delicacy of Nuance".

How to keep moving subject in focus?

This is a challenge almost every street photographer faces. In this lesson Adam gives a full explanation from scratch to enable students to understand the basis.

An in-depth analysis & guidance on both technical aspect and artistry aspect to handle the situation.

Guidance to train and develop a seeing technique to distinguish what’s relevant for Color and B&W respectively

Use Light Effectively for punchy, imaginative high contrast approach. To look over and reflect on it more meticulously.

In this lesson Adam explains and demonstrates in greater details in the high contrast approach in street photography. In both technical & artistry aspects.

Guidance in how to place the centre of interest against different background to achieve variable result.

A good image requires solid, strong visual weight & highly creative composition. In this lesson Adam gives a thorough explanation by selecting 10 sample images to examine and ponder more exhaustively in every little nuance and subtlety in composition that helps to fine-tune your composition technique.

A lesson to further develop the seeing in the subtlety in composition.

Which type of images are suitable for color? And which for B&W?

Guidance on which approach to take to achieve the desired result in both areas, in this lesson, Adam showcases a great number of images to make learning easily comprehensible.

Guidance to train and develop a seeing technique to distinguish what’s relevant for Color and B&W respectively.

How to utilize the right tools in Lightroom—from overall enhancement to partial touch-up

How to utilize the right tools in Lightroom—from overall enhancement to partial touch-up. Guidance on the why and how of what needs to be enhanced.

Post-processing with  the “Simplify the Complex”, and effective technique in making the learning fun, with abundance of pictures provided for hands-on practice.


How to utilize the right tools in Lightroom—from overall enhancement to partial touch-up. Guidance on the why and how of what needs to be enhanced.

Post-processing with  the “Simplify the Complex”, and effective technique in making the learning fun, with abundance of pictures provided for hands-on practice.

A brief summary of what’d been taught.

In this final lesson Adam is giving some additional narrative components, and guidance in self-training to explore it further through one’s learning attitude.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Develops foundational photography techniques and skills
Develops narrative skills
Teaches how to use camera features and functions
Develops artistic ways of using light and composition
Requires an expensive DSLR camera

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Street Photography Masterclass with these activities:
Read 'Street Photography: The Eyes of the City' by David Gibson
Reading 'Street Photography: The Eyes of the City' by David Gibson will help you learn about the history and techniques of street photography.
Show steps
  • Read the book and take notes.
  • Apply the techniques you learn from the book to your own photography.
Review the basics of photography
Refreshing your understanding of the basic principles of photography will help you build a stronger foundation for learning more advanced techniques in this course.
Show steps
  • Review the different types of cameras and lenses.
  • Practice adjusting the camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
  • Take some practice photos in different lighting conditions.
Watch online tutorials on street photography
Watching online tutorials on street photography is a great way to learn from experienced photographers and improve your skills.
Show steps
  • Find online tutorials that cover topics you are interested in.
  • Watch the tutorials and take notes.
  • Practice the techniques you learn in the tutorials.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Find a mentor to provide guidance and feedback on your street photography work
Finding a mentor to provide guidance and feedback on your street photography work can help you improve your skills and make progress faster.
Show steps
  • Network with other photographers and attend industry events.
  • Ask for recommendations from your friends or colleagues.
  • Reach out to photographers whose work you admire and ask if they would be willing to mentor you.
Take photos in different street environments
Practicing taking photos in different street environments will help you develop your skills and learn how to capture better images.
Show steps
  • Choose a busy street scene and take photos of people, buildings, and other objects.
  • Experiment with different angles and perspectives.
  • Try to capture the emotions and stories of the people you see.
  • Get feedback from other photographers or online communities.
Attend a street photography workshop
Attending a street photography workshop is a great way to learn from experienced photographers and improve your skills.
Show steps
  • Research different street photography workshops.
  • Choose a workshop that fits your needs and budget.
  • Attend the workshop and participate in all of the activities.
Create a portfolio of your best street photography work
Creating a portfolio of your best street photography work will help you showcase your skills and progress to potential clients or employers.
Show steps
  • Select your best photos and edit them to perfection.
  • Create a website or online gallery to display your portfolio.
  • Promote your portfolio on social media and other online platforms.
  • Get feedback from others on your portfolio and make improvements as needed.

Career center

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