Featured Street Photographer of the Week: Fahad

What drew you to street photography initially?

I got bored of being the subject of my photos and photo-manipulation work. I wanted others to be a part of my photography so I decided to take pictures of people being people in their normal people habitat doing normal people things.

The uncertainty is what I love about it, it’s the feeling of not having a the slightest clue what scenes you will capture today. And at the end of the day, you might have none, or one or fifty keepers.

I love your cinematic style – very dramatic. Can you tell us a little about your technique for getting that look?

Many street photographers play it safe by shooting f8 and above, mostly I take the risk by shooting wide open (f1.5 f1.2) and I also try to get as close as I can to achieve a nice shallow depth of field.

Yes, I’ve missed many great shots because I shoot wide open, but the ones I nailed are worth it 🙂

What do you think makes a good portrait? How do you get yours?

I believe in lighting and mood. If the light is good and the mood is right. We might have a winner portrait.

I rarely shoot portraits, almost all of my portraits are candid. I try to make sure my subject is wearing something interesting or is expressing an emotion (mostly annoyed haha).

These shots are intriguing:

What do they mean?

Sometimes I go through my library, and find few images that actually work together without knowing why. They just do! Maybe that’s why it’s intriguing.

Do you think street photography will still be relevant 50 years from now?

Photographers might not be able to go do street photography in 50 years (for many reasons, mostly technological advancements) that’s why it’s important that us street photographers keep documenting scenes from the streets, as this might be the last few decades we have an actual street filled with people doing things and going places.

See more of Fahad’s work by following his Flickr photostream.