The Best Lens For Street Photography

street photography is one of my favorite things to do, especially when i am traveling to a new place or simply if i need a boost of inspiration.  when i get ready to pack my camera bag for a day of photographing and walking, i make sure to keep my bag light.  there is only one thing worst than sore feet when walking, and that’s a heavy camera bag.  for me, i don’t like wasting time switching out lenses while doing street photography because i feel that it interferes with my inspiration and makes me waste time fiddling with my gear instead of spending time taking pictures.  for me, there is only one choice for lenses and i think it is the best lens for street photography for many reasons.

make sure you have the right camera bag when heading out.  check out my go to camera bag when i want to pack light.

this post contains affiliate links.  thank you in advance for supporting bethadilly photography.

The Best Lens For Street Photography

The Best Lens For Street Photography | Bethadilly Photography

the best lens for street photography is by far a wide angle lens.  i love using my sigma art 24mm f/1.4 lens when heading on a street photography outing because i feel that it does the best job allowing me to photograph my surroundings easily.  i don’t feel like i am always having to take a step back, but instead i am getting the photos that i want easily from where i stand.  that is so important, as some places you choose may be crowded, not allowing you to get further away from your subject to photograph it in it’s entirety.  because you will be limited to the sidewalk at times, having a wide angle is the best choice.  here are 4 reasons why my wide angle lens is the best lens for street photography.

The Best Lens For Street Photography | Bethadilly Photography

1.  Achieve Bokeh

my wide angle lens is amazing in that i can get a lot of information within my frame, while being able to use a large aperture like f/2.8 to create bokeh.  street photography will give you many opportunities to create bokeh whether you are working with the light that is coming through the trees or the lights on buildings, or in traffic.  i love that my sigma art 24mm f/1.4 lens allows me to use such a large aperture to bring more depth into my street photography images.

The Best Lens For Street Photography | Bethadilly Photography

2.  You Can Get More Within Your Frame

when doing street photography, you will want to photograph the entire scene, at times.  having a wide angle lens will help you to get more of your surroundings within your frame so that you are getting some amazing pullback shots of where you are.  street photography gives you wonderful opportunities to photograph lines, and having a wide angle lens will really help you incorporate long lines within your frame, making your image that much more compelling.  wide angle lenses allow you to easily get more people within the frame, without having to take multiple steps back to compose.  be sure to place your subject near the center of the frame when photographing with a wide angle lens as the objects near the edges of the frame tend to slightly become distorted from the wide angle.

The Best Lens For Street Photography | Bethadilly Photography

3.  You Can Photograph Better In Small Spaces

wide angle lenses are a life saver when it comes to photographing in small spaces.  allowing you to get more within your frame, you can take a wide angle lens into a smaller space and still get some amazing shots…and even make the space look bigger!  i love this option, as there will be times during street photography when i may go inside a store and it’s refreshing to know that i am able to photograph in any space that i am presented with, big or small.

The Best Lens For Street Photography | Bethadilly Photography

4.  Achieve Crisp Photos

one of the main reasons why i am obsessed with my sigma art 24mm f/1.4 lens is that it takes the most crisp photos out of any lens i have ever owned.  because it takes such sharp photos, i think it is the best lens for street photography because it allows me to photograph textures and bring them to life within my photos.  because street photography can mean photography buildings of all type of textures, i like knowing that i can depict real texture in my images with this lens, allowing my viewer to actually feel like they are standing in front of the same building that i am.

street photography is a wonderful way to boost your inspiration, as it introduced you to a new place that is full of interesting elements.  be sure you do yourself a favor and pack a light back so you can make the most of your time photographing, without lugging around a variety of lenses.  know that a wide angle lens is the best lens for street photography and that it will help you capture the images you desire without having to constantly switch out lenses to do so.

all images in this post were taken with my nikon d750 and sigma art 24mm f/1.4 lens.

be sure to join my exclusive email list to receive my latest photography tips and tutorials.  it’s free!

need some photography tips + inspiration?  check out what posts are trending below!

7 comments
Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Menu