Tamron Blog: Arches & Alleys

Cities and towns have so much photographic potential, it's easy to get lost in the streets with your camera; absorbing all of what your location has to offer. One particularly interesting theme you can find in abundance are alleyways which may look ordinary to the office worker and shopkeeper but to a photographer, they're a photographic gem waiting to be explored. 

 Of course, you need to do your research to find alleys in a location that are safe to explore. If you can, explore with someone else and pack your gear in your bag that doesn't scream: 'look, I'm a photographer'.

Light can be tricky in alleyways as depending on the time of the day, it could be half lit and half in the shade which can make it tricky for your camera to set the right exposure level. Even light is, of course, favourable but it's not always possible and pockets of light can add an extra level of interest to shots. Take the above image as an example where the eye is drawn to the street at the end of the alley which is bathed in light. The square of light sitting above the arch also illuminates the windows above and helps to further guide the eye while the darker walls of the alley create mood and suit the aged surroundings. 

Within alleys, you often find archways that can be used in a bigger picture of the alley or you can adjust your zoom and focus in on its shape and what it frames. The below was spotted while wandering around with the Tamron 16-300mm, which is handy for street photography as you can quickly react to what's in front of you thanks to the lens having multiple focal lengths built in. We like the various shapes that feature in the scene and how you're intrigued to see what's beyond the entrance arch to the building.