My personal favorite British photojournalist and street photographer, I sit down today with Tanya Nagar (=tanya-n), and ask her about street photography.





Name and geographical location


Tanya Nagar. London, UK


How long have you been shooting (in total) and when did you start shooting Street


Generally shooting - for years, although most of my stuff was embarrassingly bad (think high key, badly edited attempts at abstract photography)! I've been into street more or less around the time I joined dA, so for around 2 and a half years.


What inspired you to shoot street?


I'm not entirely sure to be honest - my city, I guess. I used to go to a lot of protests at university here in London, but without a camera. One day I decided to shoot one, and I loved it. It gave me a buzz, and this crossed over into street photography, where I realized how captivating it is to shoot both the mundane situations and beauty of daily life, as well as unusual captures that often go unnoticed by people.


What goes through your mind while you explore the streets?


Apart from trying not to get run over, I search for anything that I consider constitutes a 'good' picture. 'Good' can range from someone walking down the street in what is seemingly quite a boring scene, to more unusual sights such as topless Shi'ite Muslim men self-flaggelating in public. I don't think much about what I want to shoot though - I just go with the flow without any pre-defined expectations, although I often think 'that would make a great picture'.


At first did you feel comfortable shooting people?


Yes and no. I've never been uncomfortable as such, and i'm still not entirely comfortable at times - it really depends on the particular situation and subject. It's amazing how shooting people varies from country to country. In India I can get close up to people and shoot in their faces without being questioned. If I try that here in the UK, I'll end up getting stabbed, so it makes street in the UK a lot more challenging, but that's also part of the fun.

Funnily enough, my most hostile reaction to date came from an elderly man in Uganda who protested at me taking pictures of others on the road - people he didn't even know. I had quite a lengthy conversation with him where I attempted to explain why I can't ask permission from everyone I want to shoot, and by the end of it he wasn't exactly happy, but at least he seemed to understand where I was coming from.


How did you overcome that fear (or) Do you have any advice for people looking to overcome that fear?


I have to agree with ~Treamus - smile! Be polite, be amicable, and don't show aggression. People are paranoid when they see cameras, and acting aggressively will not help. I love talking to people so I find it relatively easy to get into conversations with strangers - communication really is key I think if someone has an issue. Just be bold and try to be confident when shooting; acting shady and nervous will only make you look like you're doing something wrong, and if you're in the UK, you might even be mistaken for being a terrorist! [link]

Also, know your rights as a street photographer - watch this interesting video if you haven't already: [link]


Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from your gallery) and explain why it is your


I don't have a single favourite image of my known, but one of my recent favourite images comes from a trip to Uganda where I shot the following:

I love it because it captures the essence of Uganda for me. Although steeped in poverty and disease, I felt nothing but positivity everywhere I went, and although religion isn't something I practice, this picture for me radiates that positivity and hope - definitely hope.


Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from ANY dA gallery) and explain why it is your ?


Again, I don't have a single favourite picture, but one absolute gem comes from ~GMBAkash



Although this might seem like an unusual sight in the West, it is in fact quite a common occurrence in countries like India and Bangladesh, where people are forced to put their lives at high risk in order to hitch a ride on dangerously overcrowded trains. ~GMBAkash has also put himself in danger in order to capture this image, which shows true dedication on his part. I'm a big fan of colour street (conventionally it seems as though black and white is what's most popular), so all these factors combine to produce one of my best-loved images.


On the street, what is your favorite subject?


People being people. _{{The plain and simple, pure essence of street photography - fox}}


What is the best tip you can give to others?


Shoot, shoot and shoot! It amuses me when I see gear whores who talk about their endless stack of lenses and cameras, but can't use their collection to save their lives. Don't talk, just shoot. It's the only way you can truly learn.


Favorite photographer and why?


If I have to choose one - Steve McCurry, simply because his vividly colourful work in Asia leaves me in awe, and has greatly inspired me on my trips to India.


Anything else (or nothing else) you may think is relevant?

I'm going to use this opportunity to mention some of my recent favourite street photographers on dA.


~shinsenfreak has a great eye for unusual compositions.

~DRIVINGYOU delivers some wonderfully humourous images.

*tiki1's mix of humour and street produces a distinct style of work.

~felixlu proves that you don't need a snazzy SLR to capture great pictures - he uses a compact digital.

=FEROCELLO manages to portray the mundane aspects of London life in a highly interesting light.

~hersley consistently produces powerful images.

~samlin's shots capture an essence of beauty.


I know some of these photographers fall more into the photojournalism category than street, but for me, the two overlap to a great degree. I could name many more, but I might save that for an article at some point

Lastly, I'll leave you with two images that crack me up every time I see them





Thanks for reading