Thanks to Trey Ratcliff for inviting me to his Google+ Hangout talk on street photography. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to host, but Karen Hutton was generous enough to lead the discussion. I was able to join my good friend Rinzi Ruiz and Vivienne Gucwa in which we talk about street photography and the stories behind some of our work.
Thanks to Dave Veffer for helping out with the whole production!
Eric’s Note: Streettogs Gallery is an on-going feature and intiative by Manila-based street photographer A.G. De Mesa. Click here for more info.
A.G.:Â Today’s feature is a bit different than the usual. As I said in the intro post for streettogs gallery, I would also love to see if you have a work in progress. Today is extra special because we have a photo book to analyze, dissect, and share opinions. But first, I want to share what I look for in a photo book.
(All photographs in this article copyrighted by Richard “Koci” Hernandez)
Eric’s Note: I was introduced to the work of Richard “Koci” Hernandez by two of my good friends, Misho Baranovic and Oliver Lang from The Mobile Photo Group. What first struck me about Koci’s work is the depth, soul, and the mood of his beautifully-crafted black and white images. Not only that, but all of the street photography done is on his iPhone!
Richard “Koci” Hernandez is a national Emmy® award-winning video and multimedia producer who worked as a photographer at the San Jose Mercury News for 15 years. His work for the Mercury News has earned him two Pulitzer Prize nominations and was awarded a national Emmy® award for the New Approaches to Documentary category for his work on the film, Uprooted. His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times and international magazines, including Stern, and he has worked with lynda.com to produce a course on iPhoneography, iPhone Photography, from Shooting to Storytelling.
To read more about the man behind the camera, check out my interview with him below!
One of the most influential books I have recently is titled: “Imagine: How Creativity Worksâ€. It was a book I was recommended by my good friend and fellow street photographer Brian Sparks. It outlines studies done on creativity, creative people, and the actual science done on the subject.
Sometimes we think that creativity is something that we are born with, and cannot be taught. I think (and the book suggests) the opposite. Creativity can indeed be taught, and there is scientific studies that suggest it. I can only hope that with this post it can help you unlock some of your own creativity in photography, and make your street photographs more unique, creative, and stand out from the crowd.
The article also features some of my unpublished work from 2011. Hope you enjoy!
Leica recently has released a range of new cameras at Photokina, including the Leica M, Leica M-E, Leica S3, Dlux-6, and V-lux 4.
As a street photographer, the two cameras that were interesting to me were the new Leica M and Leica M-E. Here are some of my thoughts of these new cameras as well as the Sony RX-1.
I believe firmly in the idea that talent is overrated, not only in street photography but other facets of life. We look at those who are successful in their fields, and we clamor how talented they are– and how they must have some innate skill or insight that nobody else was born with.
After reading many books on talent and success including “Talent is Overratedâ€, “Outliersâ€, and “Image: How Creativity Works” the findings are quite similar. Hard work and “deliberate practice†is what makes people great in their fields, rather than being born with talent. Talent isn’t an adjective to describe ourselves. Rather, talent is a verb– something we must nurture and constantly work on over the years.
Photograph by Kai Man Wong. Click to see entire interview on Leica Blog.
In-case you missed it, check out my interview with Kai Man Wong from Digital Rev TV on the Leica blog. We chat about his interest in street photography, his hectic life as a caster, and his fake british accent.
Street photography is phenomenal in NYC- it is truly the mecca here. Now heading off to Venice for my week-long workshop with Adam Marelli. Wish me a safe trip and thanks for everyone in NYC for showing me such a marvelous time :)
I am excited to share that this week’s winner for the “Motion” street photography assignment is Timothy Cadman hailing from NYC!
When I first saw Timothy’s photograph, it instantly popped out at me. I felt the sense of anxiety, confusion, and the pulse of the city of New York City through his photograph. Also considering the fact that the man is wearing a suit and a tie adds to a feeling of oppression, as I see a suit and a tie in such a dark film noir sense as something oppressive. Not only that, but the subject’s head is in the middle of the sky, which gives his face some separation from the background, and the neon lights on the left and right side of his head frame him nicely in the center. Once again, the feeling of “motion” in this shot is very apparent with the streaks of light and shadow around the man.
Timothy is going to now choose the new assignment for assignment #9 (to be announced).
Stay updated on the blog and my Facebook fan page for more details! Let’s all give him a round of applause in the comments below!
Eric’s Note: I have known Robert M Johnson for the internet for quite a while. I was initially drawn to his work from the nostalgia that it brought me (most of his work was shot in the 1970’s). I was drawn even closer to see his visual style and sharp eye for capturing moments and people. I also love seeing the similarity between his work and that of Frank, Cartier-Bresson, and Winogrand. Read a little more about him below, and check out his images too!Â
Robert M Johnson is an American Street Photographer located in Massachusetts, USA. He is a self taught photographer immersing himself in the history and nuances of his craft. His images were all shot during the classic 1970’s period of Street Photography. He always presents his work full frame and never crops an image.
I am very interested in ideas and how they spread. Especially “viral†ideas. A while ago I came upon this study on virality that studied the most shared articles on The New York Times and the researchers had a hypothesis on what causes something to spread like a virus.
Their research suggested that the articles that got shared most applied to their “3 A†theory — awe, anger, and anxiety. Articles that evoked a strong emotional response from the readers.
Curious how you can apply this to your street photography to make more memorable images? Read on.
Helen Levitt is one of my favorite street photographers – as I love her celebration of life through the classic shots of NYC. To me her work speaks to my heart- the small joys of everyday life through the children on the streets and people just living their everyday lives out and about in the neighborhoods of New York.
I recently visited the photography section of the MOMA, and came upon a slideshow of Helen Levitt’s Slides (in the video above). In 1959 and 1960 she received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation to shoot the streets of New York in color (her previous work was done in black and white). A crazy story is that the best of her shots were stolen from her apartment in 1970. However undeterred, she continued to shoot and her work was featured at the MOMA (in 1974). What remains is a soulful look into the city, in the vibrant medium of color which was very underutilized in that era.
Photos by Helen Levitt
Click to see more photos by Helen Levitt on American Suburb X
If you want to see more color photos by Helen Levitt (in high resolution), check out this feature on her on American Suburb X here.
Books by Helen Levitt
Click to see on Amazon
Below are some lovely books by Helen Levitt (and affordable!). Highly recommend you guys to pick up a copy via Amazon.
Helen Levitt (a great and affordable collection of her work-recently published)
I am excited to announce that  Burn My Eye (an international photography collective) is holding its second exhibition at the very prestigious Third Floor Gallery from September 14 to October 28. They are one of my favorite photography collectives at the moment- I love the energy, originality, and exuberance of their members’ images. Make sure to put it in your calendar and swing by the opening, which is Friday, Sept 14th!Â
Anton Kawasaki is a member of The Mobile Photo Group and also a street photographer based in NYC. He uses the iPhone more or less exclusively for his work, and started shooting around the same time that Sion Fullana started as well. Coming from a nearly a 20-year background in the comic book industry and also being an editor, his photos of NYC are colorful, vivid, and introspective. He gets close both emotionally and physically to his subjects, and is able to capture those wonderful “decisive moments” which bring a little humanity and life into the crazy life of the big apple.
Luke Ding, the winner of last week’s weekly street photography assignment: “Surreal” has chose the theme for this week which is: “Motion”
You have until this Sunday (the 9th) @ 11:59pm (via your local time zone) to upload your best (1) street photograph that you shoot this week (no old photos allowed) to my Facebook Fan Page. I will select the entries I like the best and feature them on my blog!
In New York, I was very pleased to meet up with Sion Fullana, a journalist, film-maker, and street photographer based here. He is originally from Spain, and once coming to the city (and getting an iPhone 3G as a present from Anton Kawasaki)–he started hitting the streets and shooting. After several popular photos he published (including the kiss in Times Square–which was shot with a point-and-shoot), his visibility skyrocketed on the internet. He is also very active on Instagram, and is one of the members of The Mobile Photo Group.
Sion is an incredibly down-to-earth guy — check out the interview to find out more about his beginnings and how he discovered street photography through his mobile device!
* Apologies for the noisy background — am using an external microphone on my iPad to make the interview louder (but the ambient sound is much louder too!)
Last year when I taught my street photography workshop in Hong Kong, I finally had the chance to meet Gary Tyson in person (and teach alongside him). Gary is a very thoughtful and down-to-earth guy who shows great compassion for the subjects that he shoots. He had a beginning in military photography, and now founded his own company F8 Photography in which he shoots assignments, teaches workshops, and also does video work.
In his free time he loves to travel all across Asia, and his true passion is street photography. If you want to find out more about Gary and his work, read on!
I had a phenomenal time this past weekend teaching my Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Adam Marelli. Not only did everyone push themselves to get over their fear of shooting street photography, but they also applied the fundamentals of design & composition (taught by Adam) in creating solidly constructed images! Make sure to see the link below and comment on your favorite shots.
What makes a photograph memorable? What makes a photograph so powerful and so magical that it burns itself into our memories? Why do certain photographs withstand the history of time? Why do certain shots that are perfectly composed and framed are easily forgotten or dismissed? What makes a great photograph? How much of it is subjective vs objective? Is there a “science†behind making a memorable photograph?
These are many questions and thoughts that constantly revolve in my mind. Although there are no definite answers to any of these questions, many things I have been learning in sociology, psychology, and cognitive science have been giving me some clues.
While there is no certain “magical checklist†in what makes a certain photograph memorable, I will apply some studies to a hypothesis which could help you create more meaningful and memorable images from some thoughts from cognitive science.
I saw a message via Richard Bram on Twitter about an upcoming street photography talk in NYC at the Museum of NYC, Monday Sept 10th at 6:30pm! If you are in town, make sure to attend! The price is only $12 and I am looking forward to the informative talk! I will be there in attendance too :)
Description: Contemporary street photographers discuss their stories, what they won’t shoot, living in a world where everyone has a camera on their phone, and more.
Join us for a conversation with contemporary street photographers who will reflect on how they approach people, public spaces, and the unpredictable nature of their work. The program will be moderated by curator Sean Corcoran.
When I was in Marseille, I had the chance to interview Damien Vignol, a Parisian street photographer (who was originally from Marseille!). I was surprised to see his images and love for street photography (considering he has been shooting street for less than a year!) He shoots mostly with his film Leicas for his street photography and has shot mostly black and white in the past – but now is focusing on shooting color slide film. Check out my interview with him above and check out his images below!
(All photographs in this post are copyrighted by John Vink / Magnum Photos)
When I was looking for photobooks to download on my iPad, I came upon “Quest For Land” by John Vink, Magnum Photographer.
His project “Quest for Land” is a comprehensive photoreportage about land issues in Cambodia over a time span of more than 10 years. He published this book via the iPad, in which he has over 700+ photographs over several projects that cover issues of land issues in Cambodia in the post Khmer Rouge era. The book also includes interactive slideshows with sound tracks, texts about the issues written by former Phnom Penh Post editor and journalist Robert Carmichael, and links to a number of reports about land issues put together by local and international Human Rights organisations.
If you are curious in learning more about “Quest For Land” and the life, work, and photography of John Vink, read on!
Have you ever walked on the streets and saw a moment that you wanted to capture, but you were too scared to take the photograph? Would you like to learn how to overcome your fear of shooting on the streets and destroy those moments of hesitation? Do you want to meet other street photographers who are equally as passionate as you?
If you are a street photographer starting off and want more courage shooting on the streets, learning what to look for when shooting on the streets, or meeting other passionate street photographers this workshop is for you. Through this dynamic and hands-on 3-day workshop myself and Bellamy Hunt (aka Japan Camera Hunter) will cover some of the following topics:
How to conquer your fear of shooting street photography
How to become invisible and shoot without anybody noticing you
How to react to people who get offended by street photography
How to never miss “The Decisive Moment“
The best technical settings to use on your camera in street photography
How to create memorable and timeless images
The secret of creating beautiful black and white photographs
The best way to tell a story through your street photography
How to develop a razor-sharp eye when shooting on the streets
The fundamentals of critique & feedback in street photography
I am excited and also sad to announce that as of today morning I am moving from my hometown of the last 6 years (Los Angeles) to Michigan to support my beautiful girlfriend Cindy and her Ph.D. studies (Vietnamese Colonial History) at Michigan State. I have had an incredible last 6 years in Los Angeles, and the people I have met and connected with have truly helped me grow not only as a photographer, but as a fellow human being.
I am leaving behind lots of great friends in LA- but I will be back as often as I can! However in all honesty, I will probably miss everyone in LA more than they miss me (as they now have a phenomenal street photography community to support one another).
I am also very excited for my new life in Michigan, and especially excited to do more collaborations with my good friends and fellow street photographers in Detroit such as Brian Day and Andy Kochanowski. I look forward in doing more positive photography projects (part street and part documentary) about the people of Detroit– and their incredible positive energy &Â openness.
I think this move to Michigan will be another pivotal point in my life (and street photography career) and I wanted to thank you (yeah you) for your never-ending love and support through your comments, Facebook messages, Tweets, emails, and words of encouragement! I could never do anything without you, and owe you my life!
I was honored to meet Anders when I taught my street photography workshop at Fotografiska (he taught a workshop at the same time). People I knew who met him described him as very intense and hardcore- and I was a bit nervous meeting him. However upon meeting him, he was an incredibly loving, caring, and down-to-earth-guy. He looked at my work and gave me great words of advice and inspiration.
Although Anders describes himself as a “private documentary photographer” – I love his thoughts, feelings, and philosophy that I feel many of us street photographers can learn from. If you are curious about learning more, read on!
I am excited to announce the winner for the “Surreal” weekly assignment is Luke Ding from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The reason I love his photograph is the strange and ghostly feeling that it evokes. It looks like a person sitting at a bus stop, but the body seems to melt into the background, and strangely enough the head is quite dark. The patterns in the middle of the frame look like knives (or ninja stars) going into the body of the ghostly apparition. The high contrast black and white and grittiness adds to the surreal feeling for me as well.
The first runner-up is Longwen Chen, who was also also featured for the Week #6 “Emotion” assignment. When I first look at the image, it looks like a cascade of black water falling back on the man standing in the center of the frame. The reflections of the plastic around him are quite alluring, and the heavy machinery in the background he is working on adds to the tension. What I feel would have made this image stronger is if I could see the man’s face (and not just his back).
The second runner-up is Sacha Lenz. The first thing I see when I look at the image is the beautiful black negative space, and the bright tiger that pops out from the background. Whenever I think of tigers, I think of power and aggression, but in this photo the tiger looks quite docile and calm. Strangely enough in the top right corner of the frame, you have an open door with a person exiting the scene through the white light. It gives the photo a very surreal and strange feeling, but I have a difficult time linking the subject of the tiger and person leaving the scene. Also I find the left side of the frame a little empty (although the negative space is nice). I also love the textures and contrast of this image as well.
Stay updated for next week’s weekly assignment on my Facebook fan page!
Also the winner of this assignment is purely my opinion, so if you have any differing opinions please leave a comment below (and tell us why!) And please keep it constructive :)
Hey streettogs, I am excited to share that the great folks at Custom SLR (one of my site sponsors) are launching its black C-Loop and wants you and a friend to shoot in comfort and style. The Custom SLR C-Loop and Glidestrap are fantastic for street photography (as they take pressure off your neck, keep your camera always ready by your side, while keeping your hands free). You can see one of my reviews of the setup here.
The winner of this giveaway will receive the following:
Upload your (1) personal favorite street photograph you have ever taken to my Facebook Fan Page and share the following:
The story behind the shot
Why the photograph is meaningful to you
One piece of advice you would give to other street photographers
Your email address (So we can contact you if you win. It won’t be used for any marketing purposes – we promise).
Notes:
If you don’t have a Facebook, you can leave a comment below and provide a link to your favorite street photograph (and include the following points above).
If you upload more than one photograph for the entry (or don’t include all 4 points above in the caption) you will be disqualified.
#3: Share for More Chances!
If you want another entry to the contest to improve your chances of winning, you can also do the following below!
Tweet:
“Just shared my favorite street photograph with @erickimphoto for a @customslr giveaway! http://bit.ly/Oww3Sc”
*Thanks to PetaPixel for the giveaway format/idea!Â
More Info
Deadline to submit is Sept 6th.
This is a giveaway, and the winner will be chosen via Random.org.
Any questions about the giveaway? Leave a comment below!Â
Eric’s Note: Streettogs Gallery is an on-going feature and intiative by Manila-based street photographer A.G. De Mesa. Click here for more info.
A.G.:There is a fine line between cinema and photography. Good cinematography and good photography shows when you have a good arrangement of elements such as light, composition, and subject. But more often than not, a cinematographer has total control of everything while the photographer shooting on the streets uses what the streets provide. So when a photographer is able to show cinematic street scenes, that is a feat of skill in itself. That is why you should check out Ms. Helen Hill’s Mis en scene. (more…)
VICE recently did an episode for their on-going series called “Picture Perfect” with Christopher Anderson, Magnum photographer. It is a great short video documentary on Anderson, that feels very intimate and discusses some of his past, present, and future projects. Also for those who are curious (who finished watching the video) he survived the sinking of a handmade boat in the Caribbean by wearing a EPIRB, a satellite transmitter which sent a signal to the US Coast Guard (that saved everybody on board).
Anderson is one of my favorite Magnum photographers due to his soulful imagery, and intimate and personal approach. His photos make me feel that I am really there- along with all the action, drama, and human conflict. Not only that, but he has done a wide breadth of work that range from conflicts in war, photographs of his son and father, as well as a project he is currently working on in NYC. You can see some of his images on the Magnum Photos site here.
Also make sure to check out my book review of his recently completed work, “Capitolio” here.
Photos from Anderson
Below are some of my favorite photos from Anderson in his book, “Capitolio”.
Jonathan Carvajal, the winner of last week’s photo assignment “Backyard” made this week’s street photography weekly assignment: “Surreal“.
Interpret “Surreal” however you would like, and upload your best (1) shot to my Facebook fan page by 11:59pm on Thursday (8/23). Know it isn’t a lot of time to shoot, but remember “Pressure makes diamonds“.
Hey streettogs, I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a series of 3-day street photography workshops in Tokyo and Kyoto with my  good friend Bellamy Hunt, aka Japan Camera Hunter.
The first street photography workshop I did in Tokyo was last year, and it was a massive success. Passionate street photographers came from all across the globe, including the states, Europe, and Asia. We didn’t expect such a great turnout, but it was definitely one of the most memorable workshops I have taught.
There is something unique about shooting street photography in Tokyo.
The city has a sense of energy, a pulse, which inspires shooting street photography. The skyscrapers climb upwards endlessly, the colors are dazzling, qnd the streets never end with an infinite supply of people. It is quite unlike anywhere else in the world I have shot street photography.
(Above image: Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair, New York City, 1964. All photographs in this article copyrighted by the estate of Garry Winogrand)
Garry Winogrand is one of my favorite street photographers that I have gained much photographic insight and wisdom from. He was in-arguably one of the most prolific street photographers of his time (he shot over 5 million photographs in his career) and one of the most passionate. However, he hated the term “street photographer” and simply saw himself as a “photographer”. It is an idea I later understood and respected very dearly, as Winogrand was more interested in making photographs than classifying himself for art historians.
I never understood a lot of the things that he said about photography like why you should wait a year or two before developing your shots, why photographs don’t tell stories, and how photographers mistake emotion for what makes great photographs. Although I didn’t really get what he was saying, I was intrigued.
After having done a ton of research on Winogrand and finding out more about his philosophy in photography, I found a treasure chest. Although I am not an expert on Garry Winogrand, he has influenced my street photography profoundly. I wish through this article to illustrate some things that Winogrand taught to his former students (the bulk of the quotes are from “Class Time with Garry Winogrand by O.C. Garza” [PDF] as well as “Coffee and Workprints: A Workshop With Garry Winogrand” by Mason Resnick).
If you want to learn more about what you can learn from Garry Winogrand, read on!
I just came back to Marseilles from Istanbul after staying a week with my good friend two cute dogs. I had the time of my life, being able to meet other passionate local Turkish photographers, eating the delicious food there, and also shooting a ton (I shot 35 rolls of Portra 400 film there – avg of 5-6 rolls a day). Special thanks once again to Charlie for the hospitality he showed me and the great places he showed me to shoot!
I was also glad to have my buddy Matteï Batruch, a young street photographer currently studying medicine in Geneva, Switzerland. Last year he attended one of my street photography workshops in Downtown LA, and it was great being able to re-unite with him in Istanbul.
Check out my interview with Mattei above, where we talk about how he got started in street photography, some of the people he gains inspiration from, as well as projects he is currently working on.
I am inspired to see how much experimentation he has done the last year in street photography, and his photographic development as well. Some of my favorite shots from him are below!
(All images in this article are copyrighted by Stephen Shore)
While in Amsterdam I checked out the FOAM photography museum and picked up a book on Stephen Shore. For those of you who may not know, he is one of the early color pioneers in photography in America. Although his style is classified more as documentary and urban landscape, I think there is a lot of things we can learn from him as street photographers. If you are interested in learning more about color and street photography, read on!
One of the things I love most about traveling is checking out photo bookstores and meeting new people. Istanbul was no exception.
Charlie Kirk introduced me to Huseyin Yilmaz, a photographer and a lover of photo books. A few years back, he quit his old job to start a photo bookstore (named Espas) to spread the love of photography with the community. I didn’t show in the video very much, but he also opened up a small gallery for young and up-and-coming artists to showcase their work right across the street.
Huseyin is also coordinating the Bursa Photo Festival, September 15-21. You can find out more information about the festival here.
If you want to stay updated, follow the Bursa Photo Festival on Facebook and Twitter.
A night or two ago, my good friend two cute dogs interviewed me via my GoPro camera on a roof-top terrace bar in Istanbul. He asked me some great interview questions about some of the following:
The term “streettogs”
About my personal background/history
How I deal with people who criticize me
The issue of being an “internet celebrity” and developing as a photographer
Teaching street photography workshops
The interview is quite long (around 30 minutes) and a bit noisy (because it was windy) but if you have the time, give it a watch! Also if anyone has any other comments/questions they would like to ask me, leave a comment below!
Shooting street photography in Istanbul has been absolutely incredible. The light and colors are gorgeous, and I can’t stop eating the food here either! Not only that, but people are incredibly friendly and generous.
On my first two days here, I have been shooting quite a bit (5-6 rolls of Portra 400 everyday) because I have been so enamored with the city. Hope to get a few decent shots of the city from my trip.
Also currently staying with two cute dogs in Istanbul at a nice apartment. Had a minute to interview him on his travels and future in street photography. Â Check out the video above and watch it until the end, where I give a quick tour of the place too!
You can see some of his work on Burn My Eye and please check out the work of the other members here.
Click to see the video via the Magnum Blog (will not play here)
Recently Magnum Photos has been doing a great initiative via their Facebook fan page and Twitter titled: #AskMagnum. They have been soliciting questions for Magnum Photographers and asking the best questions.
They recently did a great interview/video slideshow with Bruce Gilden on their blog. The questions posed related to advice for street photographers, how he stays motivated to shoot new projects, as well as other interesting questions!
Check it out the interview here. Also read more to see Bruce Gilden’s portfolio.
Fabrice was born in 1982 and has been working professionally with Claire Jeantet, another French photojournalist 2008. They founded their own agency, Inediz, dedicated to documentary photography and multimedia reports, often linked to conflict or crisis situations. From housing problems in France to the story of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, from the fate of migrants stuck in Greece to the struggle of a circus family, Inediz bears witness to the daily life of those who are facing injustice. Always looking for innovative ways of telling stories, they have been developing online multimedia documentaries since 2011.
If you want more info on Fabrice’s personal path, check here. Read more to see his images!
Benedicte is currently based in Paris, and I was able to interview her about starting off in street photography with an iPhone, her travels all around the world, as well as her inspirations. Check out the video interview above, and see some of her images from her different projects below!
MOO has generously provided us with 2 sets of 100 Classic Business Cards and 2 sets of 200 MiniCards ($50.00 retail value each) for a give-away to four lucky readers of the blog!
I really like MOO Cards for a number of reasons: they’re printed on high quality thick stock, the sizes are unique (the MiniCards are about 1/2 a regular sized business card and the Classic Business Cards are shorter and wider than them as well), and you can choose different images for each card and from images that are already linked to your Flickr account. Having business cards to hand out on the street can come in handy – it definitely can take away the ‘creep’ factor when someone asks what you are doing.
To enter this awesome giveaway, all you need to do is:
Share a link to the street photography photo you would like printed on your Moo Cards in the comment section below OR tweet the link and add @overheardatmoo #ekspmoocontest in the body of your tweet! AND
I have always shot street photography in black and white. After all, it is what all the classic street photographers did. Whenever looking at famous photographs shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Garry Winogrand, and so forth they were always black and white.
The last 6 months or so I have shot exclusively using color film (Portra 400). After about 5 years of shooting mostly black and white and now shooting mostly color I have learned a lot about the benefits and the difficulties of shooting in color. I have also discovered many influential early color photographers who have had a profound impact on myself.
Hey guys, just put together a video of my travels in Seoul, Paris, and Marseilles. Unfortunately there seems to be a sound-sync problem with the webcam on my new 11” Macbook Air. Wasn’t an issue I had on my 13” Macbook Air- hopefully it is a bug that Apple will fix soon?
Also if anyone is good with Macs – the issue is I recorded in iMovie and the sound sync is off. If anyone has any suggestions how to fix this please leave a comment below!
There are still spots open for my upcoming 5-day Design/Composition Street Photography Workshop in Venice/Verona with Adam Marelli 9/17-9/22. Adam is a phenomenal teacher, and has an incredible understanding and knowledge of design and composition. Having studied Sculpture and Photography from New York University, he has continued his education in the pursuit of art by studying at Barnstone Studios.
This will be an incredible workshop that combines inspirational and practical hands-on learning, travel, and an experience you won’t forget. Keep reading for more info!
A Secret Tradition
Come explore the sun drenched side streets of Venice & Verona in a truly unique photography workshop. We will retrace the footsteps of the “Grand Tour†which was the foundation for any serious artist in the last three hundred years. During these formative trips painters like John Singer Sargent mastered Design, Composition, and Light to transform everyday street scenes into masterful works of Art.
You and your camera will be led on a guided exploration to learn “How to See like a Master Artist.†Many of the design principles were reserved for serious artists and are never taught in photography programs. But in this special (5) day workshop (Sept 17-22), you will learn the secrets of Classical Design that pioneers like Henrì Cartier-Bresson inherited from drawing, to revolutionize the world of Photography.
Eric: Congratulations to Michael Meinhardt for winning last week’s weekly assignment: “Emotion“. The reason I thought that this photo was the winning photograph was for several reasons.
First of all, I feel that the emotion in Michael’s shot it is an emotion we can all relate with (envy, jealousy, and lust) related with material things (cars especially). The fact that it is a really high-end car (Bently) adds to the feeling of desire, and the man’s positioning in the frame is great (on the right) and the expression with his hands. Slouched over, dejected, having his hand over his eye in a look of despair. His balding hair suggests that he has been working for a while (as a middle-aged man), and the watch on the right hand to me is a symbol of his material wants (and running out of time?). The background reflections are quite beautiful aesthetically as well, and shows all the other people walking past him.
2nd place image: Digoy Isleta
The second-runner up is Digoy Isleta. The reason I enjoy this image is because of the great layers, depth, and (of course) emotion contained in the shot. The shot feels very three-dimensional, and has many things going on. First of all, the woman in the background looks lost and is grasping a mysterious hand coming out of the shadows (to show hope?) There is another random hand waving above her head, maybe to suggest for her to wake up and exit her daze? Also you one kid on the left (wearing the superman shirt) looking at her – perhaps a superman to save her? And the last boy on the far left, with his arm around the superman girl is looking straight at the photographer, making you feel like an active participant of the scene, rather than a voyeur.
3rd runner-up: Longwen Chen
The last winning shot is a photo by Longwen Chen that feels quite dystopic and surreal. The strong grain and grit makes for a nice backdrop, including the mysterious lines and shadows lurking from behind. I first see a young boy in the far left, screaming out – perhaps for his mother? Then enters the man on the left, who is giving a menacing stare to the photographer. He seems to ignore the child on the right (or seems unaware of him) and is exiting the frame. The man’s legs in a “V” shape adds to the composition of the photo. The tilt of the photo distracts me a bit (would have preferred it straighter) – but at the same time it adds to the uneasiness of the image.
Congratulations to all the winners, and keep updated for next week’s assignment on my Facebook fan page! Let us also know what you think of the winning shots by leaving a comment below! Â
(All photographs in the article are copyrighted by Carl De Keyzer / Magnum Photos)
Finding good photography books is tough, but I am excited to share a personal favorite of mine. It is titled: “Zona: Siberian Prison Camps” – by Magnum Photographer Carl De Keyzer. When I first purchased my iPad, I was looking for photography books to download. One of my friends recommended the book to me and after downloading it, I was blown away. The color, composition, context, and storytelling was incredible.
Eric’s Note: James Dodd an award-winning Sheffield based photographer and founding member of Statement Images – a UK based photography collective and co-editor of Street Reverb Magazine. I met James personally a few months back when I was in London, and have been a huge fan of his documentary and street photography. Out of all the projects he has done , the one I was most fond of was his “Olympic Dreams” project. To find out more about James and his project, read on!
When I started street photography, I resented the fact that I lived in Los Angeles. To me it was a boring, tired city that I lived in- and I wanted to go somewhere more exotic. I wanted to go to Paris, Tokyo, and New York – where the “real action” was for street photography.
I have been to all of those places and while they are fantastic for shooting street photography, sometimes the grass is greener on your own side. However if you are still interested in some tips for traveling and shooting street photography, read on!
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to share the work of Brian Day, a street photographer based in Detroit, Michigan. I have had the great honor of meeting Brian several times – and he is an incredibly down-to-earth and honest guy. Not only that, but he is passionate about storytelling both the beauty and the struggles of the people in Detroit.Â
Brian Day: I was born and raised in Detroit, and currently live and work in the metro area. I have been shooting in and around Detroit for about 3.5 years, and tend to focus on black and white photography across a number of genres, including land/cityscape, conceptual, photojournalism and candid/street photography. Like many photographers, I’m working on a number of unfinished series, one of which is titled “Walkers With the Dawn”, centered around the epidemic of residential fires in the Metro Detroit area. (more…)
Sorry for not having the weekly assignments up regularly, it will be back to usual every Tuesday! Please submit you images to Erics Facebook fan page here.
So for this week the theme is “Emotion”, see how you can capture emotion on the street during everyday life! Make sure you submit your best image by Friday for a shot at being featured as the cover image for Erics Facebook page, as well as being featured on the blog next week!
One of the biggest misconceptions I know runs rampart in street photography is the “myth of the decisive moment”. What do I mean when I talk about “the decisive moment” simply being a myth?
Well of course there generally is a “decisive moment” when you hit the shutter – to capture that exact moment you desire in a photograph.
However one of the common misunderstandings that plagued many street photographers (including myself) was that the decisive moment simply being one shot. After studying many contact sheets from Magnum Contact Sheets book, I was able to gain a new level of insight to read the mind of a street photographer.
Marco Gutierrez. Click to see on Facebook.Jerome Treize. Click to see on Facebook.Bianca van VugtRyo IshikawaEri Eschon
I just finished my Introduction to Street Photography workshop in Paris, France and had a phenomenal time. Special thanks to Neil and Cindy for helping me coordinate the workshop, as well as Ludovic Maillard for being my co-teacher. I have to say that this was an incredibly memorable workshop – from the divine light in Paris, to the red wine during our feedback & critique session, as well as the great vibe & energy from all of the students and participants. I definitely hope to come back again soon – and thank the ghost of Henri Cartier-Bresson for blessing us with some phenomenal weather!
Congratulations to Marco Gutierrez for winning the first prize in the workshop for the best shots, and to Jerome Treize for wining the runner-up prize!
I have always been a fan of Arthur Quejadas II, seeing several of his images in the Hardcore Street Photography Group on Flickr. After interviewing Trevor Marczylo I had a chance to interview Arthur as well. Check out the interview and see how Arthur creates layers and depth in his images – and chases the light like Alex Webb.
I recently got interviewed for Expert Photography which is run by Josh Dunlop. In the interview we discuss how I got started in street photography, how I would describe my style, as well as advice for aspiring street photographers. Check out the interview below if you have the chance!
Trevor moved out to Korea around 6 months ago from Winnipeg, Canada and has been shooting quite a bit of color work (compared to his black and white work in Canada).
Take a moment to check out my interview in the video above, and scroll down to see his new color work in Korea!
As a sociology student at UCLA, I have learned many insightful things through my courses that I have applied to my street photography projects. If you are struggling with finding your own voice in street photography or how to construct a project- check out my post below. I discuss my personal experiences in sociology, how I applied those concepts to my street photography projects, as well as practical advice to those who want to learn more.
I am also excited to announce my new “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” project that I shot in 2011 and just published.
I am sad to say that I just had one of the last street photography workshops in Downtown LA for the near future. For those of you who don’t know, I will be moving to Michigan at the end of August to be with my girlfriend Cindy and support her with her academic career. Also have some good project ideas for shooting in Detroit as well!
Here is some of the behind-the-scenes footage of my recent street photography workshop with Rinzi Ruiz which was focused on projects. The 3-day workshop was short, but intense – and focused on making a project in Downtown LA. 3 days isn’t nearly enough time to work on a serious project, but was a strong foundation for all of the workshop attendees.
After Rinzi and I judged the workshop attendees projects, we decided that the work of Dan Manwaring was the winner- as his project was tightly edited, coherent, and told a lot about his character (he is a tough-looking guy with a soft heart). Runner-up was Darren Wong who shot a cliche topic (dogs) but did it from very unorthodox angles and created some fresh images.
If you haven’t yet, make sure to watch this documentary on Henri Cartier-Bresson, the grandfather of street photography. The great thing about this documentary is that he reflects not only on his photography, but on his life and relationship with other artists.
The film was titled : L’amour Tout Court (“Just Plain Loveâ€) and was directed by Raphaël O’Byrne back in 2001 when Cartier-Bresson was 92 years old.
Let us know what your favorite part of the documentary was by leaving a comment below!Â
Hey streettogs – will be traveling for about 2 months to Korea, Paris, Marseilles, and Istanbul. Loaded up my bag with 100 rolls of Portra 400 (35mm), 25 rolls of Portra 400 (120 film) and my trusty Leica and new Hasselblad (thanks Jeroen) that I got for teaching a workshop in Amsterdam! I also share what else I carry with me when I am traveling for this expedition. A partial list of what I am bringing is shown below:
Sorry for the audio sync issues, not sure what is the problem. Will try to sort it out next time!
Also thanks to support from my sponsor CSLR that helps me fund my travels! If you would like to support me and CSLR (a fantastic company) pick up a CSLR Glide Strap + C-Loop for your street photography. Curious? Make sure to check out my CSLR Glide Strap Review.
If you have any questions about traveling and shooting street photography, leave a comment below!
When I started street photography, one of the first website I stumbled upon was In-Public. I was blown away by the work of all the street photographers there and curious to see how they captured the beauty and irony of everyday life.
One of the photographers whose work I admired was Richard Bram. I loved his classic black and white work, and was fascinated to read a feature he wrote for Street Reverb Magazine about his transition into color (something I have recently experienced as well). It was also great to see his insights and stories behind his work in “In-Sight” – a documentary on street photography and In-Public members by Nick Turpin.
The interview is very long (1 hour 30 minutes) and Richard apologies in advance for his squeaky microphone. However for anyone who wants to get incredibly insightful information about street photography I highly recommend you watch it. We talk about Richard’s background in politics and photography, his transition from b&w to color, as well as street photographers who influenced him.
Richard Bram’s Advice for Aspiring Street Photographers
Don’t be easily satisfied
Pay less attention to people who like your work, and more attention to people who offer you harder critiques
Become visually literate. Go to the library, take a course on art history (not just photography history). Learn about what makes a composition. Figure out why you don’t like the work of others, and why you think that others like it. Go to the 779 section at the library for photo books and devour them.
Look at pictures all the time, and internalize them.
Read a lot photo books, art books, literature, politics, science.
Get to know sculptors, actors, writers – because they will give you great advice on your photography. Don’t just live in the photography ghetto.
Great photographers know a lot more than photography.
Richard Bram Black & White Portfolio:
Richard Bram Color Portfolio
Watch “In-Sight” (Richard is featured photographing the streets of NYC)
When I was in SF the past weekend, had the great pleasure of meeting Emilio Banuelos after an introduction from my friend Ibarionex Perello, podcaster and photographer for The Candid Frame. Emilio is a street/documentary photographer currently based in the Bay Area, and has a strong body of work from all around the US as well as Mexico. His documentary work earned him fellowships from the Poynter Institute, the Marty Forscher Fellowship for Humanistic Photography and an award from EnFoco Inc. He also currently teaches documentary photography for the Academy of Art University, and has conducted workshops for the University of California Santa Cruz-Extension and the University of Coahuila and Black Boots Ink.
Make sure to watch the video above of him showing his photo sketchbook, in which he prints out contact sheets and carries images with him all the time. He looks at them constantly, thinking of editing and paring ideas, while also jotting down notes and stories. A fantastic idea for anyone of us to do, especially in the digital age we live in.
Also below are some images from one of his projects, “Greyhound America” which I enjoyed very much!
When it comes to street photography, it is easy to get caught-up in the hype of new cameras, spending too much time on blogs, and not enough time out shooting. I think one of the most difficult things in street photography is to find enough time to shoot and being able to also relax when out on the streets.
I suffer lack of focus, obsession about gear, and also not enough time out shooting on the streets. It is a battle I constantly fight with myself to change. If you ever felt that you have had difficulty finding focus in street photography, hopefully this advice I will share will help you. Also included in the article is some of my unpublished work from 2011, hope you enjoy!
Alex Webb’s recent book, “The Suffering of Light” is his seminal book encompassing his entire career shooting color street photography. During several decades he traveled across the world, primarily in Latin-American countries, using Kodachrome slide film to capture the intense color and light of the societies he visited. His images are full of life and are beautifully complex, and crosses many borders and dips into photojournalism and fine art as well.
If you love street photography and are especially drawn to color, definitely pick up a copy of “The Suffering of Light” today. It is definitely one of my top-10 favorite street photography books of all time.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to feature the work of Thom Davies, a doctoral researcher as well street photographer. I first met him in the Flickr group “Grit & Grain” and have been following him ever since. What I find most interesting about his photography is his mix between documentary and street photography, as well as his ethnographic studies around the Chernobyl border region. Interested? Read on!
Thom: I started shooting the street a few years ago after taking a photograph of a man selling paintings in Spain. He shouted at me and I decided that I did not care. It was the first purposeful ‘street shot’ I had taken and I’ve not looked back since. I think I’m quite a sociable man, but street photography for me is something that has to be done alone. Walking through cities with no other purpose than finding the strange or the unusual within the mundane realities of everyday-life. Anyway, you’re here on Eric Kim’s blog reading this, so there’s no need for me to explain the enduring attraction of street photography. There is a tension there though, that something so seemingly anti-social and solitary can document the social.
Eric’s Note: This review of the pre-production model of the Leica M Monochrom isn’t going to be a technical review, but rather a practical one for street photographers who may be interested in the camera.Â
I’ll start off my preview of the Leica M-Monochrom with a story. I was ecstatic when I got in my inbox an invitation from Leica to attend their product launch in Berlin. I heard rumors about a new Leica M10, a black/white only camera, and some other stuff about the X2, etc. I always love being able to go to these events, meet other passionate photographers, as well as the good people at Leica.
To become better in street photography (or anything in life), it is essential to get honest and constructive criticism. However the problem with the internet nowadays is that our attention spans are short, and the majority of the comments/feedback we get on our Facebook/Flickr streams include phrases such as, “Nice shot!”, “I love the light!”, or my personal favorite “What camera/lens do you use?”
For this article I will try to give some suggestions and guidelines on how to give a constructive critique. Giving constructive critiques to others will not only help others, but it will also help you judge your images better as well.
I also included inspirational images from Fred Herzog for this article, one of my favorite color street photographers at the moment. Hopefully his work will inspire you too!
We street photographers constantly struggle with the concept of identity. We idolize certain photographers and their shooting and aesthetic styles, but sometimes we have difficulty carving out our own photographic identity. We are also, in a way, saying something about the identities of the people we photography in the style we choose to tell the story.
For this exciting challenge, we want you to interpret the concept of “identity” in a street photography image and share it with the community.
Take photos between now and July 15, 2012 and choose your single best shot related to the them and upload it to my Facebook Page before end of day on the 15th. You may choose to add a brief explanation or description of your photo.
Myself, photographer Charlie Atkinson, and my Manager Neil Ta will choose the Top 10 images and place them into an album for the community to vote.
PRIZES!
Grand Prize Winner: The street photographer with the best image as chosen by the three judges will win a Retrospective 7 bag from thinkTHANK Photo (valued at $155 USD).
People’s Choice: The photograph with the most likes at the end of day on July 22, 2012 will win a copy of Street Photography Now (valued at $30 USD), which is a quintessential part of any street photographer’s book collection!
Remember submissions will end July 15th, 2012, so get out there and get shooting! Good luck to all!
Any questions? Leave a comment in the questions below!Â
Eric’s Note: Streettogs Gallery is an on-going feature and intiative by Manila-based street photographer A.G. De Mesa. Check out more info here.
A.G.:Â Coming back from a small hiatus, I’m bringing you my analysis and some personal thoughts of Manila photographed by Jun Abe and published by Vaccum Press. I would like to apologize if the images of the book is bad, the actual book is absolutely brilliant. We’ll be back to regularly scheduled features next week!
Manila, Philippines. August, 1983. Then President Ferdinand Marcos just lifted Martial Law a few years prior but still hold absolute power over the Philippines. The country was in a state of constant flux due to President’s’ aggressive development plans under his dictatorship. This dictatorship was met with heavy opposition from his political rivals. Most notable is Benigno “Ninoy† Aquino Jr. It is in this month that Ninoy was shot dead in the then called Manila International Airport. With political turmoil and social instability plaguing the country, it was in this period when Jun Abe, armed with his camera, photographed the city of Manila.
30 years later, Vaccum Press comes out with the photographs coming from that trip.
Eric: Congratulations to Nick Kenrick for winning the Weekly Assignment #5 for “View Point”. Myself and Charlie loved the viewpoint that he captured from an unusually high vantage point, the simplicity of the leading lines, the complex curves, and the minimalism with that one man in the bottom.
Runners-up include Antoine Brsslt, which reminds us of a classic Elliott Erwitt shot (shot from ground level), while Joe Aguirre got an impressive shot of a man from a low vantage point, with his arms crossed – looking tough, cigarette in-mouth.  Congrats again and stay tuned for this week’s assignment! All of the weekly winners demonstrate a strong viewpoint from high, mid, and low.
