What Is ‘Blocking’ In Street Photography?
Five steps to add more drama your work
Last year, I wrote about layering in street photography and it’s something that discuss often on this site. This week, I wanna build on that theory with the concept of blocking.
The Context
Right off the bat, blocking in photography shouldn’t be confused with blocking in the cinematography world. With respect to filmmaking, blocking is this process of setting up your scene with your actors and preparing to shoot. When it comes to photography, I’m talking about something a bit more literal.
Blocking in photography is the intentional act of obstructing a significant portion of your frame with environmental factors to drive your viewer to a specific place in your image. It’s an exaggerated version of layering that pulls from abstract theory to ‘clean up’ the frame through the use of generous negative space. Where layering can exist in subtle and extreme ways, blocking is in your face. You see it immediately by how much of the story it occupies.
I’ll use blocking to focus the message of a frame and in some instances, raise the stakes. It has this powerful way of adding more drama to a photo in how overtly it presents itself. And look, like any shiny new toy, I played with this visual technique a lot at first. I think any of us might have a tendency to do that and if you’re asking me, it’s okay. Get those early reps so that you can learn when and where a technique like this can elevate your story. Like a new lens for your camera, you wanna practice with intention for weeks and months so that you become comfortable. The goal is to get to a place where photography techniques become paintbrushes that you can call upon when you need to tell a specific story
The Details
So, how can you get started with blocking in street photography? I’ve shared some of my photos for study and below you’ll find five steps to practicing the technique for yourself.
Break the composition rules. Identify the focal point of your image along with what’s gonna be used to ‘block’ the frame, and start moving with your feet to push your subject around the frame generously. Don’t be afraid to get weird and move away from the normal rules of composition. This is where the fun can really start to happen.
Shoot in black and white to make it easier. Since the RAW file on your camera will have all your colour information, you can use a black and white profile to strip the distractions so that you’re only thinking of contrast and composition.
Open up your aperture to start. By limiting your depth of field, it’ll be easier to block distracting elements and put the focus on your subject.
Follow the light. Look for strong sources of light that may be shining or reflecting on a point of interest. Use this as your focal point and see if you can block something in the frame around it. The exaggerated contrast between light and dark can make for an easy way to employ blocking.
Embrace the darkness. Don’t be afraid to use black to block your frame. Later on, you can get more experimental with colour and even glass but when you’re starting off, the absence of light can make for a great aid in blocking.
Now here’s a quick disclaimer, I don’t know if blocking is this ‘official’ accepted term in the street photography community with respect to this visual technique. It’s a term that I’ve adopted from those that’ve taught me, and something that a group of us use to refer to the same thing in the street photography space. When I was researching this week’s story, the only other person that I found talking about blocking in this capacity was Eric Kim with this great piece. And as far as I know, he may be the first person to coin the term that’s now permeated the street scene.
This is all to say, blocking is not something I invented. It may not even be the term that experts (or armchair experts for that matter) accept. But until I find a better means of teaching the process, the word blocking will do. And at the end of the day, the thing that matters most is the photography.
New June Contest!
Each month, I run a contest for the Church & Street Foto Club and try to feature something that I believe people will appreciate.
For June, I’ll be giving away the Daychaser 35L Travel Backpack from Moment. This is the bag that I relied on for my Arctic adventure and something that truly exceeded my expectations. If you wanna see how I packed it, check out this reel.
How am I picking the winner? All you have to do is be a member of this community and leave a comment on this post. As with every contest, I’ll be randomly picking one person, confirming they meet the requirements and then contacting them directly before announcing the winner publicly.
Once again, this contest is void where prohibited by law. Good luck!
My thanks to the team at Moment! Not only for this contest but for being the longest supporter of my work online. They’re a lean team of passionate creators that truly believe in supporting other creatives on their journey. Whether it’s a new camera, lens, workshop, or just some great articles, visit ShopMoment.com today.
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Reader Question: When will you have some of your prints available for sale?
I get this question a lot. And I’m sorry. I have to make time to get some prints out. First, those of you that signed up for the annual membership of Church & Street, I’ll be curating that special print next month and shipping it out shortly after. And if things go well, I’ll look to have an alternative print drop later in the summer for everyone else.
I’m a little too selfish with the prints. I do it for myself and enjoy them, but I know there’s a bunch of you out there that’d love to enjoy them too. Give me a little more time and I’ll make sure to share the joy of print.
What’s Next?
Next week, I’m off to Chicago for a concert but I’m gonna try my hardest for make a stop at the annual Mermaid Parade in New York. If you’re gonna be there, be sure to shoot me a DM on Instagram and let’s link up in person. It might be brief but I’d love to connect with readers of Church & Street whenever I can.
Anyway, that’s enough for this week. See ya next time!
GB
Never heard using that term with this method but it does make sense 😁
Love how ypu added more photos to this stack.