Albert Khan was a french banker and one of the richest men in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. He set out on an ambitious project to document the people of the world, for the people of the world. He ended up with a collection of roughly 72,000 color autochromes taken from 1908 – 1931. Because they are wet plates they were extremely hard to reproduce and share the work in its true beauty.
Check out the bookhere. There are also a couple of parts of the documentary by the BBC floating around YouTube which are definitely worth a watch.
Thanks to Rich Bowen for telling me about this, it blew my mind as some of these people in the photos where born in the 19th century!
I was shooting with my good friend Mattias Leppaniemi, and he is currently working on a project on the elderly in Stockholm. He took a nice photo of this 88-year old Swedish lady, and had a really sweet story to tell. She told him that him taking a photo of her really made her day – and after he showed her the image she said, “Wow- your camera has really great film, that’s why the photo looks so good!” Watch the video above, it will really warm your heart and remind us why we go out shooting on the streets :)
Eric’s Note: I met street photographer Justin Wilkes when I was in Sydney – and had followed him on Twitter for a while. I had a closer look at some of his work, and was quite impressed by the diversity of his work and the pure energy and rawness of them. Check out some of his work below!Â
Justin:Â Here’s a bit of history of myself:
Justin Wilkes, 23 years old. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Graduated from ANU (Australian National University) in 2010 with majors in Sociology and Political Science.
I don’t like calling myself a street photographer. It seems a bit limiting. A victim of the ‘democratic snapshot aesthetic’ I never know what will or wont get my attention next. The camera lets me explore the unknown for the sake of seeing what it looks like in a photo. A silent observer in the organised chaos of life; sometimes a figment of something deeper emerges out of this chaos and that is where I try to be.
Eric’s Note: I am excited to announce that moving forward, every Tuesday will be “Charlie Atkinson Tuesdays”. Charlie will help the community by write inspirational articles every Tuesday. Please give him a round of applause as this is his first post!Â
Charlie: On Eric’s last night staying with me in the Netherlands, we found ourselves eating sushi and drinking beer having a discussion about how important it is to always try to go out and shoot as much as possible. This is often difficult, as I have a full-time job as a fashion/product photographer- and I feel tired and uninspired after work. This discussion lead me to mention this quote I heard a while back, which says, “The eye is like a muscle, you have to keep it fit“.
For this blog post I will talk about 3 quick and easy tips to keep you inspired and shooting street photography!
So for this week, the assignment is “Silhouettesâ€. This was chosen by the winner of last weeks challenge Steven Xue. Upload your best 1 silhouettes shot captured between now and this Friday to Eric’s Facebook fan page.
(Copyright: David Hurn/Magnum Photos/Magnum Photos)
I recently finished reading a book “On Being A Photographer” which is an amazing instructional book for aspiring photographers. The book was written by Bill Jay, in collaboration with Magnum photographer David Hurn. The book covers many different things, such as how to select a subject, how to work on a photography project, as well as how to edit and select your best images.
This article is going to be aimed at the top things I learned from reading the book. Now read on and see what you can learn from David Hurn and Bill Jay!
Hi guys, I hope everyone is having a good weekend, after talking to Eric we decided that the photo above by Steven Xue has won the first week, huge congratulations to him! We both really liked the runners up images bellow as well! I think these are really good examples of cliches as there often captured and uploaded for thousands of likes, but only end up getting a couple as there’s so many others like them! (more…)
Just got a mint (used) Leica MP from Bellamy in the mail and have been using it the last 3 weeks. I was using my Leica M6 for the last several months, but the M6 I had gave me some funky issues (my shutter would get stuck at around 22 shots – and it broke on 3 different occasions while traveling). Now I’m using the MP as my main camera, and the M6 as my backup camera while traveling.
The video above is my review of both cameras. In performance they are identical, although the MP has superior interior mechanics and is more reliable. There are also some cosmetic differences.
Interested in buying a film Leica rangefinder? If you haven’t tried it out yet, I’d recommend getting a Leica M6 and a 35mm Voightlander f/1.4 lens. It is a solid combination, and the best “bang for the buck” out there. I have tons of friends who have the combination and love it. Have the cash and want a more reliable and durable camera film rangefinder that will last you a lifetime? Then get the Leica MP and a Leica lens.
In the end, remember that it is always a better investment to buy books, not gear when trying to become a better photographer. But if you shoot with a DSLR and might want to try shooting film, want something more compact and discrete, getting a film Leica may be a good idea to try something new
If you are interested in purchasing a second-hand Leica or Lens, hit up my boy Bellamy Hunt (Japan Camera Hunter)Â or email him at hunts.of.tokyo@gmail.com
Any more questions about the Leica M6 vs Leica MP? Leave a comment below!Â
Jacob Aue Sobol, Magnum Photographer embarked on a journey from Moscow to Bejing using the new Leica M Monochrom camera with the new 50mm f2 summicron. The images he captured show really raw emotion, and makes the viewer think about the story behind the images. The Leica blog is currently having an on going series documenting his journey. Check out the links bellow to stay updated on his series.
An introduction to using Hasselblad Medium Format Cameras by Jeroen Helmink, Dutch street photographer. Check out Jeroen’s work on his website or on Flickr!
Also if you are interested in getting a Hasselblad, email Jeroen at jeroen.helmink@gmail.com
Got any questions about Hasselblads or shooting medium-format film? Leave a comment below!Â
We still have a few spots left for my Advanced Street Photography Workshop in Hong Kong, June 23-24th with Gary Tyson from F8 Photography. The course will be focused on finding your unique street photography voice and style, embark on a project for the weekend, and publish a book out of it by the end via Blurb.
(Above image: 1st Place Winner in the Workshop by Stephane H. Click to see all the photos from the workshop)
Had a very memorable time at the Amsterdam Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Thomas Leuthard. We had a great group of participants who came from all around the place (Germany, Argentina, Italy, and more…) who really stepped outside their comfort zone to learn how to approach strangers while capturing ‘the decisive moment!’
You can see all the student photographs from the Amsterdam Workshop here.
(Above image: 2nd Prize Runner-up, Jonathan Van Wunnik. Click to see all photos from the workshop)
Eric’s Note: I met Tiffany Jones when I was in London on the judging panel for the London Street Photography Competition. Not only is she a great judge and curator, but a great street photographer. Check out her project: “A Royal Picnic” below!Â
Tiffany: A year has passed now since the Royal Wedding took place in London. It was a really exciting time to be photographing in the city as there was a jolly air of celebration which is somewhat unusual! People pulled out all the stops to dress up and make the day a memorable occasion. I started out early morning shooting random single images in Trafalgar Square and along the Mall where crowds were taking up optimal viewing positions along the procession route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, where the wedding was.
Eric’s Note: I am excited to announce that my good mate Charlie Atkinson will be helping out on the blog (remember the cheater on Digital Rev TV?). Anyways, he is now a reformed man and his heart is really into street photography! Considering that I’m always on the road and traveling – I haven’t been able to keep up with the weekly assignments as well as other features for the community. Please invite him warmly – and keep posted with cool new features he has planned up his sleeve for you guys!
Charlie: First of all I would like to give a huge thank you to Eric for giving me the opportunity to be lucky enough to be part of his sick blog!
So having spoken to Eric over a couple of beers and kebabs we got talking about some good ideas to get the community more involved. One of the ideas is to have more consistent weekly street photography assignments. So for this week, the assignment is “Cliches”. This could be an interesting first assignment as everyone always tries to avoid cliches. Upload your best 1 cliche shot captured between now and this Thursday (NO CHEATING ;) ) to Eric’s Facebook fan page. We will choose the best shots and feature them on the blog on Friday.
Eric’s Note: This article is written by Misho Baranovic, Melbourne-based street photographer and one of the co-founding members of the Mobile Photo Group.Â
Misho: It’s been over a year since I last posted my ten tips for shooting street photography with an iPhone. Over this time we have seen massive improvements in the quality of the camera and big changes in how images are shared, particularly through the growth of Instagram.
So, here is an updated list of tips for shooting street with an iPhone. These tips are aimed at iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S users. (Some functions mentioned will not work with the iPhone 3.)
Recently on my Facebook Fan page, I the community the question: “How do you stay motivated after missing ‘The Decisive Moment’”?. I am sharing some of my favorite responses below!
Deb Young How do you know it was a ‘decisive moment’ if you didn’t get it? It’s the journey, not the goal :) EVERY moment counts…
Fernando Ramos Knowing that history tends to repeat itself. If you saw something that’s because you know you wanted to see it and so, the moment isn’t about the exact characters in it as much as the thing happening and what it symbolizes to you.
Michael Meinhardt By acknowledging how fortunate I was to even have witnessed and recognized this moment. It may not be in a photo, but it’s stored in my mind.
Robert N Thornhill ‎”The decisive moment” is the ever unfolding now . always happening , perspective is what makes it so .
Virgil Gabriel Don’t stop looking! Move on! Decisive moments are happening at the every heartbeat – that of yours and the rest of humanity!
Stephen Patterson I like to wear a Go Pro on a head band to never miss “The Decisive Moment”.
Edward McAllister Just happened to me…you know my favorite shot? The next one!
Always love hearing everybody’s input- keep posting your responses to my Facebook fan page!
How do you stay motivated after missing the decisive moment? Share your tip in the comments below!Â
Eric’s Note: I had the chance to interview Ying Tang, a street photographer photographer from Shanghai, China who currently works freelance in Cologne, Germany. She studied photography at both the New York Insitute of Photography and the School of Photography of C.C.S.F. and has her work featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, and The International Herald Tribune in China. Keep reading to check out this interview to find out how she got started in street photography, and what she looks for when shooting in the streets!Â
Just had an amazing time at my Introduction to Street Photography Workshop in Berlin! If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check out the best photographs taken from the workshop. Also below are some fun videos we made from the workshop!
Berlin Workshop Day 1: Chilling, talking about street photography, and shooting in Germany
Berlin Workshop Day 1: Choosing the best 1 photograph
Berlin Workshop Day 2: Reflections of the workshop at dinner
Berlin Workshop Day 2: Interview with myself about how I felt the workshop went
Upcoming Street Photography Workshops – 2011
June
6/23-6/24: Hong Kong – Advanced – Info – with F8 Photography - NEW!
September
9/1-9/2: New York City – Info TBA - Register now (to reserve your spot) – with Adam Marelli
9/17-9/21: Venice/Verona – All levels – Info TBA – with Adam Marelli - Info - NEW!
October
10/13-10/20: 7 Day Street Photography California Coastal Cruise (Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico.) – Info – NEW!
December
12/9-12/15: Calcutta, India – Week-long Immersion Course – Info – (with Adam Marelli) – NEW!
Upcoming Street Photography Workshops – 2012
January
1/11-1/13: Manila, Philippines – Intro – (email Jeff Merceder at jeffren@titaniumsportz.comfor more info)
1/18-1/20: Manila, Philippines – Intermediate/Advanced – (email Jeff Merceder at jeffren@titaniumsportz.com for more info)
Photo by Andreas Weeber. The winning image of the workshop!
Just uploaded the best street photographs from my Introduction to Street Photography Workshop participants in Berlin! See all of the photographs here on Facebook.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to share the work of Luca Napoli, a street photographer based in Milan. In this post are some photographs from Luca’s projects: [Commuters], [Taranto Vecchia], [Living the Provinces], and [My Milan]. Keep reading to hear more about Luca’s projects, his history, and further insights!
Luca:Â I was born in Taranto, South Italy, on 1972. I got electronic engineering degrees in Ferrara and then moved to Milan, where I currently work. I live in a small town close to Milan.
Self-taught, I was probably influenced by my father in 80s who always involved me during sessions of street photography in the old city of Taranto, my hometown.
We are always told that money doesn’t make us happy. Although I like the saying, it isn’t entirely true. Scientific studies do show that money buys us happiness- but only to a certain extent. For example, if you literally make only $10 a month, of course you will be miserable. However making $10,000 a month compared to $5,000 a month won’t make much of a difference. According to some study I read, money can only buy you happiness to the point that you make $70,000 a year. After that, it doens’t make much of a difference.
Money can make us happier in street photography. You also don’t have to be rich to reap these rewards. Curious on how money can buy you more happiness? Keep reading to find out.
I am currently in Berlin, and about to head out to Amsterdam tomorrow to teach a street photography workshop with Thomas Leuthard. A week afterwards, I will be teaching a 4-day street photography workshop for the Stockholm Photography Week with Fotografiska (the Swedish Photography Museum).
I always try to travel light- and typically carry just my messenger bag and my North Face Recon Backpack. Considering I blog while traveling, I carry more stuff in my messenger bag than I’d like. But to me, it is still relatively light (still trying to find ways to cut down). For those of you streettogs who travel a lot- hopefully my bag shot can help give you some insight on what I just packed for my trip!
Magnum photographer Jacob Au Sobol recently took an epic trip across the Trans-Siberian Railway, shooting Moscow, Ulan Batar, and Beijing using the new Leica M-Monochrom camera. Read my impressions about the new camera here.
I recently had the chance to shoot with the new Leica M-Monochrom camera at the Leica May 10th event in Berlin, and was quite impressed. The High-ISO is amazing but the camera is quite expensive.
Curious if the camera is worth the hype? Keep reading to find out more – and see the amazing b/w images taken of the trans-siberian railroad by Magnum Photographer Jacob Au Sobol.
Eric’s Note: For this post, I am honored to feature the words and photographs of Jack Hubbell and his experiences in South Korea as a G.I. I thank Jack very much for sharing these personal stories that tell much about himself and the experiences of those in Korea.Â
From what I have heard,
the aim is to follow the tracks
and not cross them.
Crossing achieves nothing.
Simply scars the velvet landscape, and
corrupts both soil and soul.
No, if your objective
is to reach the end,
it is best to sink down
deep into the tracks
and ride the rails
to your final destination.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to share the work of Christos Kapatos, street photographer from Athens who utilizes strong color and sometimes a flash in his street photography.Â
Christos: I have been into photography since 2011. I had never been involved earlier and that came purely out of luck as I just bought a camera for a week’s vacation trip to Paris. It was love at first sight. I am never leaving home without my camera anymore and I constantly and solely work on photography. I had a successful carrier as a salesman on international cargo transport and I decided to give it up and stick with photography. I came across some good Greek street photographers on Flickr and i intensively studied their style and technique.
Now, I walk the streets of Athens, this so much “exhausted” city and capture moments and feelings. There is some grotesque feel to my photos as friends say but i can character study people that way. It’s hard to survive in the Greek crisis environment but the tension in the streets is so inspiring.
When I was in Melbourne, I met up with street photographer and co-founder of the Mobile Photo Group (MPG), Misho Baranovic. For those of you who may not know Misho or the MPG, they essentially shoot street and documentary photography with mobile devices and share their work online through a number of platforms, including Instagram.
Being an Android user myself, I never understood the hype of Instagram. To me it seemed just like another camera app where people would take photographs of flowers, sunsets, or lattes and add tons of crazy processing (lomo or vintage film anybody?). I essentially thought it was a platform only for Justin Bieber lovers or hipsters with too much time on their hands.
Had a chance to interview Rinzi Ruiz, a phenomenal black & white street photographer based in Los Angeles (and one of the alumni of my LA street photography workshop!). I chat with him about his inspirations in street photography, how he finds the light, and advice he has for aspiring street photographers. We also geek out over his new Fujifilm X-Pro 1- and see how it likes it compared to his old Fujifilm X-100.
The street photography assignment for this week on my Facebook fan page was “Hands“. I always stress the importance of capturing hands in street photography – because so much of our non-verbal communication comes from our hands. In this post are some of my favorites that were uploaded from the Facebook community.
Next week’s theme is going to be: “Food” – inspired by Gaston Trussi, one the attendees in my past street photography workshop in Sydney. I think that what makes “food” a great theme is that without it – we would literally be dead. It also brings friends, families, and acquaintances together – and has strong roots to the society we live in.
How to enter: Next week, go out and shoot what you perceive to be “Food” – and upload your best (1) shot to my Facebook fan page by Thursday midnight. Why Facebook? It makes it easier to organize the entries and sort through them!
Keep reading to see the other great examples of hands from the community, as well as timeless shots from the masters!
On April 5th, 2011 South African photographer Anton Hammerl went missing after coming under fire from Gaddafi loyalists near the oil port of Brega in Libya. The three journalists with him, Clare Gillis, James Foley and Manu Brabo were captured and detained for 44 days.
For 44 days Anton’s family was told repeatedly by the Libyan regime that Anton was alive and well. The truth is he was left to die in the desert.
Anton is survived by his three children – 11 year-old Aurora, 8 year-old Neo, and 1 year-old baby Hiro – and his wife Penny Sukhraj.
The “Friends of Anton” initiative was formed to raise money for the family of Anton. Photographers who have donated prints to the cause include: Â website which has the latest details about the auction: 6.30pm at Christies New York on Wednesday 15 May.
Bruce Davidson
Samuel Aranda (2012 WPP winner)
Alec Soth
Sebastio Salgado
Larry Fink
Marcus Bleasdale
David Alan Harvey
Ron Haviv
Susan Meiselas
Ed Kashi
Simon Roberts
Finbarr O’Reilly
Kate Brooks
Check out the “Friends of Anton” site to see how you can help support this noble cause!
Had a quick chat with my buddy Dana Barsuhn, a fellow street photographer from Los Angeles and former attendee of my Intermediate Los Angeles Street Photography Workshop. For those of you geeks who are curious, he shoots B/W Tri-X film on his Leica M4, with a 35mm Zeiss Lens. Also featured in the video is his new toy, the Contax T3 he just picked up for snapshots.
Dana was introduced to street photography from his friend (host of the podcast The Candid Frame), Ibarionex Perello. Also for inspiraitonal images, check out Stanko Abadzic (one of Dana’s huge influences).
Photos by Dana Barsuhn
You can see the rest of Dana’s work in his “Los Angeles” album on his website.
Framed 2011 Book
Dana also put together a book of his street images from 2011 as a personal diary. All the images in the book were shot with his Leica M4 rangefinder 35mm film camera, captured in and around the Los Angeles area,  developed in his kitchen sink and scanned to his computer computer!
Feel free to download the PDF book and share it on your computer or iPad!
This video was recorded a while back by the Filipino Street Photographers group. Thanks again to Rinzi Ruiz and Jeff Mercader for interviewing me and all the love for my Filipino brothers and sisters back in the Philippines! Watch the video large here.
I will also be hosting a street photography workshop in Manila, Jan 11-13th (Introductory workshop) and Jan 18-20th (Intermediate/Advanced) in 2013. If you would like more information or register, please email Jeff Mercader at jeffren@titaniumsportz.com
“I believe that, more than ever before, photography is about a community and a culture, rather than the camera.” – Oliver Lang
I had the chance to interview Oliver Lang, one of the founding members of the Mobile Photo Group. Oliver shoots street photography in the sun-drenched streets of Sydney with his iPhone, using the Pro Camera application and capturing phenomenal light and moments in his images. He makes it a point to shoot every single day and even post-processes his images in the iPhone with the Snapseed application.
Make sure to follow him on Twitter @oggsie, on Flickr, and follow him on Instagram @oggsie.
Photographs by Oliver Lang
Links
Make sure to also check out the Mobile Photo Group Blog, where they talk about street photography, mobile devices, Instagram, and much more. You can also see all of the Mobile Photo Group Photographers here.
Do you shoot street photography with an iPhone or mobile device? What do you think is the future of street photography and Instagram? Make sure to leave your thoughts below, and let us know which of Oliver’s photographs are your favorite!Â
