Street Photography in Oakland

Lake Merritt is where Oakland comes to run and hang out, and the path around it is full of people at any hour of daylight. At the Grand Lake end, Splash Pad Park hosts a big Saturday farmers market, which Visit Oakland describes as a local favorite with over 40 farmers. Start at the market in the morning, then walk the shore. Late afternoon light from the west lights up faces on the east side of the lake. Use the water as a clean background and wait for a runner or a cyclist to cross your frame. Weekend afternoons draw big groups, so ask before photographing a family picnic up close.

Old Oakland is a small historic district of Victorian brick and iron fronts around 9th Street and Broadway. On Fridays, the farmers market fills the streets from 8:00 to 14:00 year round, and Visit Oakland says the atmosphere feels like a party, with live music. The market brings office workers and families into the same few blocks. Shoot along the stalls with the old facades behind, or find a musician and wait for a listener to react. The light is best before noon, when the tall buildings on the west side haven't cut it off. Keep your bag zipped in the lunchtime crush.

Oakland's Chinatown centers on 8th and Webster Streets, next to the Lake Merritt BART station. The Our Oakland walking tour notes that Wilma Chan Park, formerly Madison Square Park, draws hundreds of seniors each week to exercise and socialize, then shop in Chinatown. Morning is when the park is liveliest. That is a community space, not a stage, so keep a respectful distance and ask before close portraits. On the streets, the produce stands and bakeries give you color and busy sidewalks.

Oakland First Fridays takes over Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street in the Koreatown Northgate district, from 17:00 to 21:00, with galleries and street artists, food vendors, dancers and DJs. Visit Oakland describes it as happening on the first Friday of each month, so check the calendar before you go. It is the best night of the month for people pictures in Oakland. Work the crowd at dusk, when stage lights and phone screens light up faces. Performers and vendors are generally happy with photos, but ask before a close portrait. Crowds are thick, so carry one small camera and nothing else.

Temescal is a North Oakland neighborhood strung along Telegraph Avenue, with cafés and small shops. Its Sunday farmers market sits in a DMV parking lot on the border with Rockridge, and Visit Oakland jokes that it lies between Strollerville and Hipsterville. That gives you young families and food lovers in a tight space. Arrive mid morning and work the aisles, or sit at a café window on Telegraph and shoot passers by. The light is flat under the trees on side streets, which suits portraits. As at any market, ask vendors before close portraits and don't block their stalls.

Jack London Square is Oakland's waterfront on the estuary, with a palm grove, promenades and views across the water. Jessie, a local portrait photographer, likes it for its colorful city streets and waterfront views all within a short walk. The Sunday farmers market here dates to 1989. Use the promenade railing as a leading line and wait for a walker or cyclist against the water. Sunset lights up the estuary and the cranes of the port in the distance. It is quieter on weekday mornings. Parking areas nearby see car break ins, so leave nothing visible in your car.

Jingletown sits by the estuary in the Fruitvale area and is home to artists working in converted warehouses and live work lofts. Visit Oakland publishes a self guided art tour of its murals and galleries, including Gray Loft Gallery, which opened in 2012 as an artist built live work space. The murals make bold backgrounds: pick one and wait for someone on a bike to ride past. Weekday streets are quiet, so this is more about color and texture than crowds. Studios are homes and workplaces, so ask before photographing anyone at their door.