Fieldnotes Notebook 01 / Street photography

The ordinary block

A camera on a city walk

Pick a familiar street and give it twenty minutes. These three exercises work with a phone or a camera you already carry.

Late light on a brick wall and three windows
Plate 01 / A shadow across the block

Three frames to try

  1. Find the edge of the light

    Look for a doorway or wall where sun meets shade. Frame the edge, then take a step sideways and see what that line cuts through. Try both positions before moving on.

  2. Let one thing break the pattern

    Start with a row of windows, parked bicycles, or paving stones. Wait for a single difference to catch your eye. Keep enough of the repetition in the frame for that difference to register.

  3. Make a second frame on the way back

    Return to the same corner and shoot from the other side. Put the two frames next to each other. Write down one thing you only noticed on the return.