Street Smart: Street Photography Techniques with Joshua K. Jackson

Last week, we teamed up with street photographer Joshua K Jackson as he took 11 fellow photographers on a photo walk around central London.

Armed with our trusty cameras and smartphones, we set off on a tour of Soho, throughout which we were treated to tips from Joshua on how to use different areas, colours and objects to create the perfect shots, see some highlights from the photo walk below.

Over a coffee at Picturehouse Central, he shared how he plays with light and contrast in the editing room to bring his work to life, and had the following advice to share with us:

Play with unpredictability: “I moved into street photography because I was looking for a new challenge in my photography. As a genre, it’s easily accessible as specialist equipment and locations aren’t needed. That can make it a highly unpredictable type of photography to do; the trick is to play with this unpredictability, and capitalise on opportunities as they appear.”

Be prepared: “Always have your camera with you, so you don’t miss an opportunity should you stumble across a perfect shot as you go about your day-to-day business. And the best camera is the one that doesn’t interfere with the process. It’s the tool you don’t have to think about: capturing your vision, feeling and ideas.”

Expect the unexpected: “My approach is always to head out with zero expectations of what I may see. This helps me stay open to all possibilities, and to move freely around the city, reacting spontaneously to anything that catches my eye.”

Find what you like: “My favourite area to photograph is London’s West End because of its vibrancy. It’s full of life and constantly reinventing itself. It’s important to identify what backdrop works best for your creative vision. Only by finding something that you like will your passion come through in the end result.”

Focus on what’s important: –”Whilst you should photograph everything that catches your eye, it’s key to make sure you’re filling the frame with what’s important. Doing things like adjusting the lighting and exposure of the shot can really help make the main parts of the image pop, and using apps such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop can help you do that.

See the real-life impact of Josh’s tips and tricks below, with some impressive before and after shots from the photo walk.

Before and after shots by Aryan Pishneshin

Before and after shots by Richard Parsons

Before and after shots by Steve Bright

Adobe has teamed up with Joshua K. Jackson to explore all the benefits of Ado__be Lightroom in creating the best street photography shots.