Street Photography Flashcards
7 cards from real Photography practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Street Photography flashcards as text
In street photography compositions, negative space is used to:
Answer: Emphasize the subject by surrounding it with uncluttered areas
Negative space draws attention to the main subject by contrasting it with empty or simple surrounding areas, creating stronger visual impact and clarity.
Vivian Maier, whose work was discovered posthumously, became celebrated for her:
Answer: Candid street portraits and self-portraits taken primarily in Chicago and New York
Vivian Maier was a nanny who secretly took over 100,000 street photographs—mostly in Chicago and New York—that were discovered and recognized as masterworks only after her death.
What does 'chasing the light' mean in the context of street photography?
Answer: Actively moving to locations and times of day where natural light is most favorable
Chasing the light means planning shoots and physically repositioning yourself based on where and when the best natural light conditions occur throughout the day.
When shooting street photography in low-light conditions, raising the ISO setting:
Answer: Introduces digital noise but allows faster shutter speeds to freeze movement
Higher ISO values increase the sensor's sensitivity, allowing faster shutter speeds in dim light, but the trade-off is increased digital noise or grain in the image.
Using doorways, arches, or windows to surround a subject is a compositional technique called:
Answer: Frame-within-a-frame or natural framing
Frame-within-a-frame uses architectural elements like doorways, arches, or windows as a natural border to draw the viewer's eye toward the main subject.
What ethical approach is most widely recommended when a street photography subject objects to being photographed?
Answer: Respectfully acknowledge their concern, offer to delete the image, and apologize if needed
While street photography in public is generally legal, respecting a subject's wishes by offering to delete objectionable images reflects ethical practice and builds community goodwill.
Why do many street photographers prefer shooting JPEG over RAW format?
Answer: JPEG allows faster continuous shooting and immediate sharing without post-processing
JPEG files are smaller and processed in-camera, enabling faster burst shooting, quicker card write speeds, and immediate sharing—important advantages in fast-moving street situations.