Street Photography in Dublin

Temple Bar is the cobbled pub district on the south bank of the Liffey. Neil Arthurs, who has walked Dublin with a camera for over 13 years, doesn't spend long here because it is mostly for tourists, but he still finds buskers and neon worth photographing. Brian Lloyd Duckett of StreetSnappers counts it among his favorite spots on a sunny day. Come at dusk, when pub signs light up while there is still color in the sky. Stand in a doorway and let the crowd flow past, or shoot a busker with the listeners in the frame. Late at night the crowd gets rowdy, so keep it light.

Grafton Street is the pedestrian shopping street that runs from Trinity College up to St Stephen's Green. It is known for buskers, which gives you performers and the crowds that gather around them. Brian Lloyd Duckett rated it one of his favorite spots when the sun was out. In late November the Christmas lights are switched on, and the photographer behind Panoramic Ireland stayed for the switch-on to photograph the crowd under the lights. Stand near a busker and work the faces of the audience, not the performer. The street is packed on Saturdays, so go early or late.

St Stephen's Green is the big park at the top of Grafton Street. Neil Arthurs starts his walks here, because at lunchtime it fills with office workers and tourists taking a break, and you find interesting characters. Walk a slow loop around the paths. Look for someone reading on a bench under a patch of light, or a group on the grass with the Georgian terraces behind. The light under the trees is soft even at midday, which suits portraits. Be discreet with people who are clearly having a private moment.

Moore Street, just off Henry Street on the north side, is one of Dublin's oldest market streets. Neil Arthurs describes traders calling out their famous bargains on fruit and veg, alongside shops selling anything from wigs to phones. This is the place for real Dublin characters. Go on a weekday during the day, when the stalls are trading. Get low with the fruit in the foreground and wait for a trader to shout. Traders are working, so buy something and ask before a close portrait.

O'Connell Street is Dublin's main boulevard, and the Spire, a tall steel needle, stands in the middle of it. Neil Arthurs points out that the Spire can be seen from many of the surrounding streets, so narrow side streets become leading lines that end at it. Walk the side streets west of O'Connell Street and look back. Put a person in the lower part of the frame and let the Spire close the composition. Shopping streets around it, from Gardiner Street across to Capel Street, are busy all day. The area gets rough late at night, so stay aware.

The Ha'penny Bridge is the old iron footbridge across the Liffey, and the quays on both sides make a natural walking route. Neil Arthurs likes to walk down one side of the river and back up the other, and warns that O'Connell Bridge is a gauntlet of selfie sticks. Downstream, the Samuel Beckett Bridge is his sunset spot, looking west along the river. Stand on the quay beside the Ha'penny Bridge and shoot walkers crossing it in silhouette against the evening sky. Pickpockets work the bridge crowds, so keep a hand on your bag.

Camden Street and Wexford Street run south from the center toward Portobello and are lined with bars and small shops. Brian Lloyd Duckett called them his favorite spots in Dublin, great on a sunny day. They feel more local than Temple Bar. Afternoons give you people sitting outside cafes with sun on the facades. Evenings bring the bar crowd onto the pavements. Stand across the street and use shop windows and colorful fronts as backgrounds. The pavements are narrow, so step out of the way of pedestrians.

The Liberties is one of Dublin's oldest neighborhoods, west of the center around Thomas Street. Panoramic Ireland takes photo tour clients through it to photograph Irish faces in their places, past butcher shops and street art. It is a residential, working area with fewer tourists. Late morning or afternoon works well. Frame a shopkeeper in a doorway, or look for passersby in front of murals. People here tend to chat, and the Panoramic Ireland guide finds that talking to the people you photograph makes all the difference. Ask before close portraits.