Archives for February 2011

7 Bright Ways How to Shoot Street Photography at Night

"Together in the Rain" - Seoul, Korea. Click to read more.

On my Facebook fan page, I asked my readers what they wanted to have a blog post on. There were several of you who mentioned an article about how to shoot street photography at night. Van Gogh once famously said, “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” I definitely feel that the same applies in street photography. I love shooting at night, because I feel that is when you can capture the true soul of the urban jungle–when street lights illuminate and people are on the prowl. Keep reading to see more tips on how to shoot street photography at night:

Exclusive Interview with Joe Wigfall, New York Street Photographer

Eric’s note: I got a special treat for all of you guys out there. I was fortunate enough to get an interview with renowned New York Street Photographer, Joe Wigfall. Joe is best known for his black and white imagery of New York City and a WNYC Street Shots feature of him “shooting from the hip” which has already racked over 60,000+ view on YouTube. Out of all of the street photographers out there, Joe is definitely one of the most humble and soulful. Check out this exclusive interview with him and become inspired by his images as well.

PALEASE - Street Photography by Joe Wigfall — "PALEASE" - Joe Wigfall

The 10 Most Inspirational Street Photographs on Facebook

Recently on my Facebook fan page I asked my viewers to share their best street photographs for a chance to be featured on my blog. I looked at every entry, and chose these 10 as the best. Keep reading to see all of the inspirational images!

“Pipe it in” by Jason Martini

5 Ways How to Deal with Pissed Off People (after taking their photo)

"Turn that Frown Upside Down!" - Los Angeles. Click to read more.

A question that I often get from my readers regarding street photography is how I deal with people who are either disgruntled or pissed off after I take their photo. Fortunately enough, I rarely get approached by people after I take their photo. This is due to the fact that I often avoid eye contact with my subjects, and carry myself if I was taking a photo of someone else.

However I still have encountered people who get pissed off after I take their photo. Therefore I came up with some things that I have done which helped me deal with these people. Read more to see tips that you can do when encountering upset or belligerent people.

Join the Urban Photo Collective!

Note: The following blog post is by Fokko Muller, a street photographer inThe Netherlands. Check out the awesome Urban Photo Collective he is a part of, and join in on the fun!

Urban Photo Collective for Street Photography — Urban Photo Collective

The Urban Photo Collective (UPC) started almost 5 years ago in the city of Rotterdam (The Netherlands). The founder Thamar Kiemel (@thamar) was taking urban shots in Rotterdam with a friend. The idea arose to do that more often with a group of people. Just because it’s fun to go on the streets and photograph together.

At this moment the Urban Photo Collective has more than 250 members spread over 8 Dutch cities:

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Arnhem, Tilburg, Groningen and Emmen.

Each month a group of passionate photographers join to take photos in their city according to a collective theme.

Leica M9 Titanium Unboxed In All Its Sexiness

If you thought that the Leica M9 was expensive, check out the limited edition Leica M9 Titanium. The difference? There has only been a limited quantity of 500 Leica M9’s produced, and each are individually numbered and packaged with a Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 titanium lens. Oh yeah, and it costs $26,500 (compared to the $6900 Leica M9). Only the seriously wealthy and eccentric photographers can probably get their paws on this, but for the rest of us commoners, we can still dream. Check out this unboxing video below.

Gizmodo Shooting Challenge: B&W Street Photography

Hey guys,

Looks like the fellas over at Gizmodo are hosting a b/w street photography challenge. Rules are simple: take a candid photo of a person in black and white (and don’t use old photos). Seems like a lot of fun–read more for the rules.

Why You Should Always Use and Abuse Your Gear

I have always been a firm believer that photographers should use and abuse their gear. This means that you shouldn’t be scared to get little scratches and minor nicks in your camera when you are out exploring for photos. This means that you shouldn’t handle your camera like a newborn child. This means that you shouldn’t worry more about the warranty than actually taking photos. This means that you shouldn’t leave your camera at home in fear of getting in stolen.

The Most Famous Street Photographs Recreated with Legos

Recently I came upon these amazing Lego recreations of famous street photography/journalist photographs. Can you identify who took the photos below? Read more and find out how good your photographic knowledge is!

5 Reasons Why Digital Will Make You a Better Street Photographer

My good friend Yanidel (an accomplished street photographer from Paris, now on an around-the-world trip in Argentina) wrote a great complementary opinion to my original article “6 Reasons Why Shooting Film Will Make You a Better Street Photographer“, titled: “5 Reasons Why Digital Will Make You a Better Street Photographer“. He brings up many fantastic points in his article, and I highly recommend everyone to read it.

So now you have read both sides of the picture, which do you prefer–film or digital? Leave a comment below telling us how you feel!

Fujifilm FinePix x100 Sample Photos Live!

Fujifilm FinePix x100 Camera. Truly Gorgeous. — Fujifilm FinePix x100 Camera. My next camera for street photography.

My good friend and fellow street photographer Tom Kaszuba just informed me that Fujifilm has their FinePix x100 Sample Photos live on their site. I have taken the liberty of showing you some photo samples which show how awesome a camera it can be for street photography with its pancake 35mm f/2 lens. Keep reading to see more pictures of the camera, as well as the hot and new sample photos!

Street Photography Interview on ShutterSalt

Hey guys,

Jaymi Heimbuch, a wonderful photographer/blogger, featured me in an interview in her new photography site called ShutterSalt. Take a minute to check out my interview!

6 Reasons Why Shooting Film Will Make You a Better Street Photographer

Recently I have been shooting more street photography with my Contax IIIa Film Rangefinder. Although I still prefer digital for street photography in terms of convenience, security, as well as flexibility– I have started to learn the merits of shooting street photography with film.

I am not film purist by any means, as I am still relatively new to shooting street photography with film. Furthermore, I have not yet processed my own film before. However if you have not tried to shoot street photography with film before, I hope this article will help inspire you to do so in order to break out of your comfort zone and continue to develop.

Featured Street Photographer: Laurent Roch’s Decisive Moments from France

Note: Every week, I feature street photographers with great skill and soul. For this week, I decided to feature street photographer Laurent Roch from France. When I first stumbled upon Laurent’s work on Flickr, I was thoroughly impressed by his gritty black and white portrayals of the city. In his images, you see a great deal of symmetry and balance, which cradle solid compositions. Not only that, but the man knows how to really work The Decisive Moment. Want to hear where he finds inspiration and how he shoots on the street? Read his exclusive interview below and be blown away.

3D Street Photography: The Future?

The Panasonic Lumix 12.5mm f/12 3D G Lens. The future is here!

Recently my friend Jimmy Hahn sent me a link of the new Panasonic Lumix 12.5mm f/12 3D lens for the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras: the GF2, G2 and GH2. When he first posted the link on my Facebook, I was taken back by how odd and funny it looked. Upon closer inspection, I was fascinated to see that not only is it a prime lens, but it is incredibly thin as well.