Damien Pot uploaded this awesome photo of his Leica M9 and flash to my Facebook fan page. How would you react if someone took a photo of you with this rig? ;)
Archives for June 2011
BREAKING: Olympus Announces PEN EP-3 and Zuiko 12mm f2.0 lens (24mm equivalent)
Recently I reviewed the Olympus PEN EP-2 on The Phoblographer, and was quite impressed with this micro 4/3rd camera for street photography. Little do I know that about a week later, Olympus announces their new PEN EP-3 along with their new Zuiko 12mm f/2.0 Lens (24mm equivalent). From the looks of it, the camera looks great with an all-metal redesigned body, a reengineered autofocus system, a 1080p video mode, with a nice OLED touchscreen in the back. Sources show it will cost around $900 and will be available for purchase in August. Make sure to check out their full press-release here.
Review:
Make sure to check out the hands-on review of the Olympups PEN EP-3 and 24mm f/2.0 lens on The Phoblographer.
Live Q&A:
Olympus will also be holding a special three-hour Olympus Tech Thursday on their Facebook page from 12-3p.m. PST (3-6 p.m. ET) www.facebook.com/getolympus where Olympus spokespersons be answering a variety of PEN questions from fans and will be sharing additional new PEN content.
Shooting Street Photography With a Leica M9 and Flash in Los Angeles at Night [First Impressions]
With my Leica M9 set up with my Canon Speedlite 430EX, I experimented street photography with a flash for the first time in Los Angeles (3rd Street Promenade). Despite what people say, I didn’t get punched in the face or my camera broken (although I did get shoved once hard in the back). Overall, it was quite a fascinating experience, and I learned a ton about the process. Keep reading to watch the video of my crazy stories, and also check out some of the photos as well.
The Lessons of Shooting Street Photography in a Small City
Eric: For this guest post I am pleased to feature Keith Chastain, an incredibly passionate street photographer who currently lives in a small city. Many of you in the past have asked me advice about shooting street photography in a small city and franking speaking– I wasn’t quite sure what to say. However Keith is able to balance his life in the small city, while scratching his itch for street photography while hitting up big cities like San Francisco. Read more to see his images and read his insight about the subject.
Keith: I’m thinking of an unoriginal analogy for street photography…Bear with me here…Street photography is a lot like fishing right? We have our favorite spots that usually guarantee us a few bites. Sometimes we come home with a few catches that are small and should have been thrown back, while other times we might return with the big one….A capture worthy of hanging over the fireplace like a fat marlin an old angler dreams of. The fundamental aspect of fishing is fish, just as people are the ones we street photographers set out to catch on any given day.
[Read more…] about The Lessons of Shooting Street Photography in a Small City
You Thought Street Photography Was Scary: War Photographers on the Shots That Nearly Killed Them
War photographers have a crucial job to society that is not only important but extremely dangerous. Without war photographers, we would not see the true realities of war and the countless number of lives that it affects. History has even proven that a single photo has the power to even end a war.
Read more about these war photographers’ stories that are incredibly real and chilling: The shot that nearly killed me: War photographers – a special report
via PetaPixel
85mm and the City: Street Photography in the Big Apple
This guest blog post is from Thomas Leuthard (85mm) who is one of my dear fellow street photographers from Switzerland. Not only are we good friends, but we have taught two street photography workshops together–one in Beirut, Lebanon and the other recently in Switzerland.
In this blog post Thomas talks about his recent trip to New York City and about his experience shooting there. If you are curious to read what he has to say, read more and also see his great shots!
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5 Tips How to Capture Compelling Shadows in Street Photography
Often times as street photographers, we are too focused on capturing what is right before our eyes, rather than looking up and especially down. Capturing shadows is a wonderful way to open up your eyes to things which are around you, and give the viewer a sense of the surreal. If you are interested in understanding how you can better capture compelling shadows in your street photography, read on!
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Inspirational Street Photography Wallpapers by Elliott Erwitt
Need some inspiration when it comes to your street photography? Check out these beautiful black and white street photography wallpapers by Elliott Erwitt. Click on the images to see the full-resolution images, and keep reading to see more of his iconic images.
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How Thomas Leuthard Shoots Candid Portraits
Street Photography With the Leica M9 and GoPro HD 960 in Los Angeles
Many of you have asked me to record videos of myself shooting street photography. After a trip to Best Buy and picking up a GoPro HD 960 Videocamera, I rigged up an interesting POV camera to my Leica M9. Check out the video and let me know what you think. Read more to see some of the photos as well!
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Bruce Gilden: Asshole or Genius?
On the day of the Leica Magnum Paris event, I had the huge pleasure of meeting Bruce Gilden. After the official product announcements of the Leica M9-P and the 21mm f/3.5 Elmarit lens, I headed upstairs for some small appetizers and some wine. After chatting it up with some fellow photographers and bloggers from the event, I spotted Bruce from the corner of my eye. My hands got clammy, and I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my body. It was my hero—Bruce Gilden in person! I knew that I had to talk to him.
The second he was about to pass my left shoulder, I politely leaned in and asked, “Excuse me, are you Bruce Gilden?” He then said with a grin in his scruffy Brooklyn accent, “Yeah I’m Bruce Gilden—who are you?” I then introduced myself that I was a street photographer and blogger from Los Angeles and that I was a huge fan of his work. He then told me, “Oh—I think I know who you are.” My blood froze. How could someone like Bruce Gilden know who I was? I then asked him how he knew me and he told me, “Yeah a guy named Charlie in my workshop told me about you. He said to keep my eyes open for this overly enthusiastic Asian guy.” I then grinned and started to chat with him.
A Decisive Moment in Paris: Leica Camera & Magnum Photos [Video]
A video recap of the Leica Magnum Paris event last Tuesday. Guess who you see 30 seconds in ;)
Paris Day 5: Interview with Alex Majoli from Magnum and Love For My Friends (last day in Paris)
Today is the last day that I am in Paris, and I wanted to give you a few last updates. I was able to interview Alex Majoli from Magnum, an incredibly passionate and down-to earth photographer. Once I get back home, I will post the interview for you to read. Also I had the chance to walk around with JJ from Leica and take photographs, and also have a great meal of crepes with him and William Yan. Lastly in the night, I met up with Damien Rayuela, Charlie Kirk, and Alexandra Uhart with William. We had a ton of fun (and drinks) — make sure to read more to see the video and the images from today ;)
Paris Day 4: Leica Magnum Paris Convention and New Leica M9-P and 21mm f/3.4 Super-Elmar-M lens Announcement
Today was one hell of a day. It was the official Leica Magnum Paris event, and I was able to attend as a VIP attendee. I was able to meet Naseem (Political blogger), Magnus Froderberg (Photography magazine chief editor on Sweden), Cristina Garcia Rodero (Magnum Photographer), William Yan (Street Style Photographer), Thorsten (Overgaard.dk), Brett (Leica Workshop Photographer), Peter McCollough (SF Street Photographer), Jean-Jacques Viau (Leica Internet Head), Oliver Bachmann (Leica Camera Switzerland Head), and my beloved Bruce Gilden (Magnum Photographer). Did I also mention I met and took a photo with Elliott Erwitt? Watch the video below to read more about my day, and also make sure to check out the photos I took during the event as well!
Paris Day 3: Street Photography with the Leica M9 and Tough Parisians
For day 3 in Paris, I had another grand day shooting street photography with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux. Unfortunately I woke up super late (at 2:00PM in the afternoon) but still had a great day for shooting. The weather was a bit overcast and gloomy, but it was perfect in terms of lighting for street photography. Read more to see my video recap of the day (and hear the story of the old angry Parisian man who grabbed my arm) as well as see some of my best images.
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Paris Day 2: Street Photography with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux with Yaniel
I just had my first full day of shooting street photography with the Leica M9 and the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux in Paris. The streets here are truly amazing, and the Leica M9 was definitely a great partner to help me capture memorable moments. I am proud to say that I had a very great crop of photos today and had the chance to meet the famous Yanidel— make sure to read more and watch my video below and look at my images!
Paris Day 1: Street Photography with a Leica M9 and Flash with Charlie Kirk and Damien Rayuela
I just arrived safely in Paris and spent an entire doing street photography with my Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux with Charlie Kirk and my host Damien Rayuela. We had a ton of fun, and Charlie even taught me how to shoot street photography with his off-shoe flash, and I got some pretty interesting results. Read more to watch all the videos I recorded and see all the images I shot!
Paris Day 1 Overview:
Heading to Paris for the Leica + Magnum “Past.Present.Future” Event
I am excited to announce that I am heading to Paris tonight to attend Leica + Magnum’s “Past.Present.Future” event. I am busy packing up my things as we speak, and I made a quick video to describe what I’m bringing and my thoughts about the trip.
Packing List:
- Leica M9
- 16gb SD Card (2)
- 8gb SD Card (1)
- 13” Dell Laptop
- Timbuk 2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag
Please wish me a safe trip! I will try my best to blog when I am overseas, but not sure how my internet access will be. Stay tuned on my Facebook and Twitter as well! :)
Why Inspiration is for Amateurs
When it comes to street photography, it can often be very difficult to stay motivated and keep shooting on the streets. I told my problem to my younger sister, who recently got me a wonderful book titled “Spark: How Creativity Works” which illustrates the creative lives of influential artists ranging from novelists to musicians. One of the quotes that the author decided to include of Chuck Close inspired me in which he says that inspiration is for amateurs, and true greatness comes from the ability to stay consistent and be tenacious.
Micro 4/3rd Street Photographers Rejoice: New LEICA DG Summilux 25mm / F1.4 ASPH Announced
I am a huge fan of micro 4/3rds cameras, as I think they are a wonderful compromise between DSLR’s and point and shoots for street photography. Therefore it is great news to see that Leica has just announced a new 25mm f/1.4 lens (which equates to 50mm on a 2x crop factor). This can be a great lens for anybody shooting with any of the Olympus EP-series or the Panasonic GF-series. Also if you didn’t know, Henri Cartier-Bresson shot mostly with a 50mm focal length ;)
You can see some shots from it here (in Chinese).
Press release:
The New LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. Lens Compatible With Panasonic LUMIX G Series of Compact System Cameras, Including LUMIX GF3
SECAUCUS, N.J., June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Panasonic today announced a new interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lens, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. (H-X025), compatible with the company’s LUMIX G Series of compact system cameras (CSC), including the LUMIX GF3, which was also announced today. The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens features outstanding brightness of F1.4, and despite the high-performance, it also remains incredibly compact and lightweight. The lens’ brightness allows for a beautiful soft focus when shooting both photos and videos – without having to rely on a flash.
The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens adopts Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating technology on the surface of the lens, which helps dramatically minimize reflection at the entire visual light range (380nm-780nm). The technology encompasses an extra-low refractive index coating with nano-sized structure and results in the super-clear photo with dramatic reduction of ghost and flare.
The new lens system comprises of nine elements in seven groups using two aspherical lenses and one UHR (Ultra High Refractive) index lens. The newly developed UHR index lens and glass mold aspherical lenses achieve uniformed description from the center to the edges.
The lens’ versatile 25mm focal distance (Equivalent to 50mm on a 35mm camera) is suitable for wide variety of occasions, giving users the flexibility in composition, perspective and aperture control. The lens is capable to take daily snapshots including scenic sunsets to dimly-lit indoor shots to the deliberately-creative shots using soft focus.
When mounted on the Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras, the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 ASPH. lens can take maximum advantage of Contrast AF system, which boasts both high accuracy and high speed for optimal photos. Furthermore, seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings. The lens also features a metal mount, making it extremely durable – even when repeatedly changed.
The LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 ASPH. lens will be available in August 2011 and pricing will be announced approximately 30 days prior to shipping. For more information about Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras and Micro Four Third lenses, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.
-Via Leicarumors
Micro 4/3rds users–is this a lens you would want to add to your camera bag?
First Test Shots of the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux Shot Wide Open
Hey guys, I have been able to do a few test shots of the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux wide-open at f/1.4 and the shots truly blow me away. The images are tack-sharp, and the bokeh is so deliciously creamy. All of the shots are taken in RAW, and unedited straight out of the camera. Check out some of the shots below and make sure to click the images for the full-resolution images!
Test Shot #1:
Test Shot #2:
Test Shot #3:
Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux Unboxing and First Impressions
You guys may have heard that Leica has generously sent me a Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux to test out and review. Here is a quick and dirty video I put together unboxing the work of art, and giving my first impressions. I have already taken a ton of great images, and have many exciting things to say about the camera. Stay tuned for more images and a full-review of the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.4 Summilux.
Got any questions about the M9 or the 35mm? Leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to hit all the questions you may have!
15 Inspirational Images of Shoe Street Photography by the Community
On Monday, I wrote an article about how to shoot street photography of shoes which got tons of great feedback. To play off of the theme, I suggested that this week’s street photography assignment was to be of shoes. I announced the weekly assignment on Facebook, and many of you submitted some amazing images. Here are the best 15 that you uploaded–congrats to everyone who made the final cut! :)
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The Ricoh GRIII: The Ultimate Compact Camera for Street Photography Review
Hey guys, you might have heard me doing all my raves for the Ricoh GRIII for street photography. I put together my thoughts and review over on The Phoblographer, and have put in some of my best images as well. Long story short, I highly recommend everyone to purchase one, as it can be a great primary street photography camera or back-up. Make sure to check out the review, and leave me any questions you may have below in the comments!
“Trapped” – Street Photography Exhibition by Josh White in Seoul, Korea
Hello everybody, I am excited to announce that Josh White (who I interviewed on my site and the Leica blog) will be having a street photography exhibition of his finest work on June 12 – July 3, 2011 in Guillaume in Seoul, Korea. Read up more information on Josh White’s Blog. If you are in the area, definitely check it out!
The Street Portraiture Project of Fulton Street, Brooklyn by Chris Sorensen
Eric: While surfing the web, I came upon the work of Chris Sorensen, who had an amazing portfolio of black and white street portraits. I was captivated by the depth and humanity of his images, and I feel that every face he captured had a unique story to tell. If you look at each of these images, they show the true character and soul of the person that Chris captures. I extend a warm introduction to Chris, and I hope you enjoy this feature.
Chris: The studio where I live and work is on the edge of Bed-Stuy, a historically African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn probably best known outside of New York as the setting for Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. It is to Brooklyn what Harlem is to Manhattan. Over the years it’s also become home to large numbers of immigrants; originally from the American South, Latin America and the West Indies, and more recently from Africa and Haiti. It’s a very culturally diverse neighborhood where, unlike my previous apartment in Manhattan, I am the minority.
[Read more…] about The Street Portraiture Project of Fulton Street, Brooklyn by Chris Sorensen
Black and White or Color in Street Photography: How Do You Make the Decision?
Eric: Quite often I am asked by the community when it is appropriate to have a street photograph in black and white or color. It is a question I grapple with myself daily as well, and I enlisted the help of James Maher, a talented New York street photographer to help write an article on it. I hope you enjoy it!
James: Street Photography has been around for a long, long time. And for all but the last 10 years, the photographer has had to make a choice before walking out the door: should I use color or black and white film today?
[Read more…] about Black and White or Color in Street Photography: How Do You Make the Decision?
6 Tips How to Shoot Street Photographs of People’s Shoes (that don’t stink)
Thomas Leuthard, who is one of my close friends and fellow street photography workshop teachers, suggested a theme to me a while back that revolved around shooting street photography of people’s feet. At first I was a bit skeptical, but after looking at his images I was quite impressed. As street photographers, we can often get too preoccupied by looking forward that we don’t take the time to look up or down. Although shooting street photographs of people’s feet may sound weird (and a bit stinky), it can make for some fascinating results. Keep reading to find out how you can shoot street photography of people’s feet.
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The 9 Best Street Photographs of Bags by the Community
This week I announced on my Facebook fan page that the street photography assignment for the week would be “bags.” The theme was inspired by Thomas Leuthard, who has a great ability in creating strong themes. Below are some of the best images that you submitted–please stay tuned for the next week’s assignment! Congrats to everyone who made the final cut :)
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Name that Street Photograph, No. 1
It is always important to know photographs by great street photographers to improve your eye and your technique. So let’s see if you know the image above. Leave your guess by leaving a comment below and tell us who the photographer is, and the story behind the image. Let’s see what you guys got!