It’s all about the Decisive Moments & Details, according to Damien Demolder.

Panasonic Ambassador, Damien Demolder. Damien tells us what street means to him and shares a few tips to help you improve, or get started in, your street photography.

But street photography to some is still a mystery – why do we do it? How do we capture a great image? Are we just watching the world go by? We caught up with Damien, to find out a bit more before we venture out!

‘Street photography for me, like most types of photography, is about capturing the atmosphere of the moment and packaging it all up into a single image so that the folks back home can get a feel for what it was like to be there at that particular time. There are the big grand shots that encompass what a place looks like, and the little tiny shots that reveal the magic details that most people completely fail to see. To do this well we need to switch out of our everyday mode, where we just exist somewhere or pass through on route, and turn on our powers of observation. We have to begin to look and to see. For most people that isn’t a natural state of being.

‘When I’m out shooting I try to blend in, to become a part of the place and not to stick out as a photographer. I like to capture a moment as it would have been had I not been there, and I try to avoid changing anything by my presence. It isn’t always possible. Great shots can be had when people are aware of what you are doing, but my basic aim is to go unnoticed. I don’t intrude and I don’t get in the way or upset people, but I like to get close – as close as you would if you were there just walking by without a camera. Obviously I don’t ask permission of my subjects as that shifts the situation away from being from natural. Occasionally someone will notice what I am doing, but they are very rarely annoyed. I’ll be friendly and open and let them see the pictures I’ve taken. I don’t set out to mock people or show them in a bad light, so I don’t feel I have to hide what I have done.

‘When we are capturing magic moments we need patience, anticipation and quick reactions. Street photography is a form of action photography - we are shooting in fluid situations where everything is changing second by second. I show my students how to spot a scene with potential, and then we analyse it, determining what we want from it and how we want it to look. Then we wait for the right things to happen. Like in fishing, sometimes the magic doesn’t happen, so then we learn to accept that and to move on.

‘One of the great things about street photography is that you can do it anywhere – you don’t have to cross the globe to find the perfect location. The busier the place, the more opportunities there are, but even quiet country villages have potential. I love to shoot in the city and as I live near London it is one of my favourite locations. Any town or city will do though. It is stimulating to shoot in places where the surroundings and the people look different, and where people behave in different ways. I’d love to spend more time in the Far East, and shoot some more in Japan. I know though that I’ll be just as excited about shooting in Liverpool. There are so many places in the UK that I still have to visit.

‘My street work is shot while I’m testing a new camera, for fun and when I travel. I’m building a collection that I want to exhibit and use in a book. I don’t sell my work to libraries, as that’s not something I’m interested in at the moment, but the kind of pictures I take can be sold for editorial use – but not to advertise anything. I’d need a model release for that, and it isn’t part of what I do.

‘I don’t have favourite street photographers so much as favourite street pictures – everyone has lucky and off days, and not everything any one person appeals to me. Saul Leiter is an acceptation though, and I recommend him to anyone for some inspiration.

‘I like to use small cameras that don’t stand out and which don’t advertise the fact that I’m hanging around taking pictures. Micro four thirds cameras have always been small and light, but only a few years ago they weren’t really up to producing the image quality that I like or the AF speed I need to keep up with a moving subject. Fortunately, that has changed, and I’ve been able to take advantage of their size and their massively improved performance, as well as the massive lens range of the system.

‘The cameras I use most are the Panasonic Lumix G bodies – the GH4, GX7 and GM1. I love the speed and flexibility of the touch AF system, the control layout and the fact that my whole kit can fit in the pockets of my coat. The 4K video of the GH4 is excellent too, and although I’m not yet a fully-fledged videographer (and may never be) I’m really enjoying the new opportunities that the 4K Photo mode brings with it.

‘Shooting 8MP images at 30 frames per second, that can be grabbed from the video in-camera, allows me to get pictures that are impossible in conventional stills mode. Cameras have to move on, as does my photography, and this is great step in a new direction.’

To find out more about Damien and to see more of his work, visit: www.damiendemolder.com . Or catch up with him on social media:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/demolder

Twitter: http://twitter.com/damiendemolder