Looking for suggestions on street and architecture photography

[Arkitech]

I'm working on a project which involves both the good and bad neighborhoods in Chicago (particularly the south side of the city). Are there any guidelines I should keep in mind or follow to get the best pictures? My aim is to show the beauty of the craftsmanship that went into many of the homes, even the ones that are dilapidated.

I'm using fairly beginner quality equipment, a Nikon D3300 with a wide angle kit lens. Thanks for any helpful tips or pictures to point me in the right direction.

 

[CuriousMike]

Composition is key here... your gear won't be holding you back.
I'd look at examples of the type of shots you want to get and work on replicating them.

If the shots are done outside, consider the lighting carefully... the golden hour might be your friend.

For indoor shots, for ultimate sharpness you should probably be using a tripod so you can keep the ISO low and the aperture small.

 

[EOM]

You'll find your own style. Mike suggests keeping the ISO low.... if you want a "gritty" looking image, a high-ISO, maybe black or white might be your thing.

Wide angle is your friend for street photography; you'll need to be able to show context. Consider if you're doing one-off shots, or a small series. For example, a wide angle of the house itself showing its location, overall state, houses to its side, then a few slightly closer shots of the same subject of small details that seem important or help with the feeling you're trying to project. Light helps with the feeling. Shadows are part of the composition, too. What you choose to have in the frame is composition.

I see between 24-50mm being suggested often for street work.(so on crop a 16-35ish). If by wide-angle-kit-lens you mean the 18-55 you should be fine. Don't worry about having super wide apertures, you'll often want everything in focus as again.... a lot of street photography is context.

Post shots here when you take them! Good luck!