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Walmart Street Photography
If you live in the suburbs, and want inspiration to shoot– I encourage you to try out ‘Walmart Street Photography’, Costco Street Photography, or just shoot in grocery stores, markets, and other places in the suburbs!
YouTube: How to Shoot a Walmart Street Portrait
The story behind the shot
So this is kind of random and hilarious: I just arrived from Tokyo the other day, and now back in the suburbs of LA, and I’m super-jetlagged. I was at home (just came back from the gym), and Cindy’s younger sister Jennifer wanted to go to Walmart to pick up some stuff. I thought to myself, “Might be a fun little photo adventure” and went along.
I took the Lumix G9 Pro, Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens, and the new upcoming HENRI Shoulder Strap (email Cindy at hapticindustries@gmail.com for exclusive access and the first to get one), and we were just shopping for stuff, and a man who was waiting at the pharmacy inside Walmart called me over and said, “Excuse me — are you Japanese?” He was making fun small-chat, because he noticed I had a camera hoisted around my shoulder.
I then went over, and started to chat with him. His name was Jorge, and he started many businesses, was currently retired, loves Japanese culture, and did a lot of photography in the past (interior architecture photography for homes, with an 11mm lens).
Anyways we started getting chatting, and then I started to record 4k video on the Lumix (and started to shoot photos of him while I was recording/interviewing him). Afterwards, I turned off the video, and shot some still photos of him.
How I made portraits of him
When shooting Jorge E. Silva, I was chatting with him while shooting photos of him. Towards the end, I asked him to look up at the light (to get the catchlight in his eyes), and shot super-close of him with the 12mm f/1.4 lens in “iA / intelligent auto mode” on the Lumix — which is roughly a 24mm full frame equivalent. I shot in medium-JPEG, and processed later with ERIC KIM PRESETS in Lightroom Classic CC (also make sure to see my free PDF visualization on Lightroom Workflow).
Anyways, the moral of the story is this:
You can make photos anywhere– even inside a Walmart. Don’t be shy. Chat with folks — it will open up your heart, you will discover someone else’s life story, and it will bring joy to your life!
Make your own contact sheets
If you want to make your own contact sheets in Lightroom, here are some screenshots:
Photos of Jorge
Smile,
ERIC