What we’re about
POST-COVID UPDATE - May 2022 -
Welcome to We Shoot People, London’s 1st Street Photography Meetup! We are a community of friendly and supportive photographers who love to explore London and learn how to create amazing images based on the people and environment of our endlessly fascinating city. We are here above all to have fun, but also to stretch our imaginations and learn how to be better photographers.
What is Street Photography? It is about making visually interesting images through candid moments of everyday life. It is about seeing with a fresh eye the stories, emotions, quirks, characters, and visual qualities of people and their environments. When you’re lucky enough to get in the groove, you feel a heightened sense of life and the world, and a drive to capture that feeling through images.
Our Meetup was forced to stop during Covid, but NOW IT'S TIME TO BRING IT BACK TO LIFE AND GET BACK OUT ON THE STREET! Its organisers are Ben, David, and Mark, experienced street photographers who are are eager to meet new people and share with them their passion for street photography, as well as to renew contacts with dear old friends.
We welcome all levels of experience. While we will be happy to offer technical advice, our emphasis will be on helping each person realise their own creativity. No particular equipment is necessary, not even a ‘real’ camera – some great work is being done these days using smartphones. In general, though, we will encourage people to leave telephoto lenses at home and use standard zooms or prime lenses, which make you get closer to the action and create more immersive images.
Most meetups will be in mini-workshop format based on some theme or challenge. Each will begin with a briefing and ends with a chance to socialize and share your experiences on the street. After each workshop we will encourage participants to post three to five images on our Meetup page, and to comment on each other’s images with constructive feedback.
Other meetups will hopefully involve going to exhibitions or otherwise looking at images together and talking about them. We are inspired by the rich history of street photography and the exciting work of new photographers, some of them based right here in London.
Advice and guidelines:
- Where can I shoot? “The street" can be absolutely anywhere, from a crowded market to a quiet alley, shop window, park, museum, or just out and about.
- Is it legal to photograph people in public? Yes! Here in the U.K. the laws are quite permissive. As long as you are in a public domain (i.e you are not standing on private property or being obstructive) you have a right to shoot strangers. But use your street smarts, show social etiquette, and be respectful toward the people you photograph. We discourage taking photos of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable people, and urge caution about taking photos of children, which must not be inappropriate.
- Please be aware that you are responsible for your own health, safety, and belongings during our events.
- The organisers reserve the right to make changes to any meetup if, in their judgement, circumstances require it. Organisers aim to keep fees low, but will not normally offer refunds or credits unless they themselves have to cancel an event.
Hope to see you soon!