Plan you shoot before hand. If you are headed for a particular location be mentally prepared for what to expect. Not that you do not have to shoot the unexpected but you can carry your equipment accordingly.
Street photography is all about observing people, their actions and the environment in whole. Keep your eyes and ears open, so as not to mis any interesting opportunities. whne action happens it may be too fast for you to react quickly. be ready. And look around from the photogaphers eyes. certain things may appear too simple at a glance but there may be several photo options hidden inbetween.
On the street it should not take an effort for the viewer to locate the subject. you know what and whom you wanted to shoot but not the viewer. The actual ’subject’ of a street photograph should not get lost in the activity going onin the ackground or the surroundings… Get close to the subject, optically or physically to make them the prime object in your composition.
isolate your subject from the crowd. Shallow depth of field is a good way of achieving this. check for the background and let your subject overlap areas/colors which add contrast.
You have to be fast when shooting images on the street as a lot of activity may be happening around. if you are slow you may not be able to cover up everything. As you shoot one subject keep an eye on the others as well. as people know that you have pointed the camera elsewhere they tend to be offguard and this is a good time to shoot them as they are they themselves. If you are fast and obsrving around, you may quickly move around and catch people unaware. Being fast is important as expressions change in seconds.
Choose to keep the white balance which works best as per your brand and model of the camera being used. If you are shooting a portrait along the street in the golden evenning light, "daylight" white balance may give warmer results compared to the auto white balance.
You need almost everything on the street. however to restrict the weight and size you need to work out the options before hand as per your shooting style. Are you the type who likes shooting wider shots, portraits, candids, low light images, people on the move or just corners and abstracts. Your lens choice depends a lot on the subject. An 18-200mm may be a good all around lens for covering a lot of focal lengths in a compact amnner bur can not compete with prime or dedicated short range premium zoom lenses. Either carry more weight for quality or be light and get flexibility.
Shoot variations as in any other genre. frame your subject tightly but do not exclude an option with the surrounding scene. A close shot may have more impact but a wider shot may have more context to the photograph.
shoot the right picture but when you shoot do not hesitate to release the shutter a number of time in quick succesion but firmly without jerking the camera. at times when the subject is moving shooting in succesion may give you more probability of geting the right shot. You may shot in continuous mode but remmeber the number of frames per second will also depend on the shutter speed you are shootin at.
Gearing out like a “photographer” could lead to some hostility. Dress normally, keep your camera bag small and inconspicuous.
be a part of the scene and react to the emotions and drama that is happening around you.When you’re on the street, make sure that you involve yourself in the scene as much as possible.
Do not stay at one place for too long if you sense you are not really welcome by the crowd. A photojournalists equipment is generaly insured and moreover not his own hard earned money. a photojournalist also has a strong backup. As a street photographer, you do not enjoy the kind of protection a photojournalist does. You cant possibly ask for permissions but move on politely if somene is not liking being photographed.
Use the auto focus and fast lenses. autofocus works better and faster than manula focus in almost all situations. Understand the various autofocus modes on your camera. single shot, AI servo and aply them accordingly if these suit your shooting style.
carry the right filters and lens hoods with you. A good bag preferably a backpack is important as it leads to less fatigue on the street. on the other hand it is not that fast to access equipment in a backpack compared toa shoulder bag. For this a photographers jacket works well, as you can quickly keep and replace lenses in your pockets. Go for muted dull colours for both the jacket as well as the bag so that these are not too loud.
Lok out for places where a lot of activity is likely to happen. In fact one can always creat alis of such places and ideas which may be exploited as an opportunity arrives. Such locations may be ruled out where people may raise objections. Do not venture out in areas where photography might be prohibited. In sensitive areas like government or army areas keep your camera inside the bag if you really need to pass accross. Do the same if you are in the vicinity of a girls college or school as your intentions may be misunderstood.