After traveling and having done many workshops on street photography, I have met many Leica M9/rangefinder users who have had difficulty configuring their camera for shooting on the streets. There are lots of misconceptions out there, which make things confusing for people. Therefore here is some advice I have for Leica m9 users (or Fuji x100 or rangefinder users) when shooting street photography. (Note that for the original video, the audio gets cut out at 16 minutes, so I edited the video down).
Check out the video below, and I have things written in more detail below!
Eric’s Note: I am very pleased to feature the project, “Bell Pond” by Stephen DiRado, a photographer and a professor at the Photography Visual & Performing Arts Department at Clark University. His current project is called, “Summer Spent” — a photography film about shooting with his 8×10 camera on a clothing optional beach, conversations with subjects and a lot of soul searching on why he photographs. Read more about his “Bell Pond” project below.
Stephen: Fresh out of art school in 1981 I was eager to find a project. There were some false starts.
During the summer of 1983 I documented a densely populated community of new and old immigrants residing on Belmont Hill in Worcester, MA. Bell Pond is the public park and pond central to the neighborhood and a magnet for families, individuals and teen gangs. A tight community, all watching out for each other, I came in as an outsider, a suburban kid fresh out of art school looking for a project.
Hong Kong Street Photography Workshop Participants
Here are some snapshots from my recent street photography workshop in Hong Kong with Gary Tyson from F8 Photography. See all the behind-the-scenes fun and goodness below!
Also check out all of my upcoming workshops in London, Melbourne, Sydney, and Sweden by clicking here.
Just had a chance to play around with the new Fujifilm X-Pro1 here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Looks like a very solid camera, with a few quirks (like every other camera out there). It might be a great option for those of you who have DSLR’s and want something more compact and discrete when shooting on the streets. Check out the video of a unit (without lens or battery) with some of my impressions above!
Hey streettogs- I am excited to share this GoPro Tour of the Leica Store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some of my photographs are on display, in preparation for my workshop here this weekend. If you are in town, stop by and check out the store and the street photography books, and say hi to Shannel Woo, the Leica Malaysia Retail Manager here. Will keep you updated with everything!
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.: Gary Tyson is a great commercial photographer and has been in different locations around the globe. He is also the co-insturctor in Eric’s previously concluded street photography workshop in Hong Kong so I was really delighted whe he sent in a link of a collection of his street photographs.
What I usually do when a collection is sent instead of a series is I try edit properly to show things in common. It could be aesthetic similarities, strong themes, or repeating subjects. So I pointed out to Gary a subject that continually pops up in his street shots:
Group photo for my recent Street Photography Workshop in Hong Kong with Gary Tyson from F8 Photography
Hey streettogs- I just wanted to keep you updated with all of my upcoming street photography workshops. See the list below if I am coming to a city below you! :)
I stumbled upon a street photography POV video with a GoPro by Patrick Casey in Downtown Nashville. You can see that even though the streets aren’t very crowded, there are still lots of photo opportunities to be seen! He gets some solid shots in the video- and also shares them for everyone to see how he works in the street.
I use a Leica M4 with a Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2. I use portra 400 handprocessed in a unicolor press kit. I print every photo I take in a darkroom. Song in the background is Pretty Lights – Stay
For those of you interested in making your own street photography POV video, this is what you will need:
You can put the pieces together, and have your GoPro mount on top of your camera’s hotshoe mount.
Looking forward to seeing other people make more of these videos! Also let us know what you thought about Patrick’s video and shots in the comments below!
It now has been around 5 years that I have been shooting street photography- and I have learned an incredible amount through trial and failure. I made this recent list of things I have learned while shooting street photography– and some of my personal opinions. Remember, take everything in this list with a grain of salt! I simply made this list as both a way for me to self-reflect, and hopefully you can find some of these tips helpful.
Harness the power of groups/collectives to spread your photography
Don’t focus on aesthetics in your photos—but rather the message
Shooting film is magical
Never upload your photographs immediately—let them marinate for at least a week before sharing them
Good projects often take at least a year to complete
Post-processing your images digitally should never take more than a minute
Printing your photographs out large is immensely satisfying
Share your knowledge & technique with others – never hoard it yourself
It is better to shoot everyday for 10 minutes than to shoot once a week for 10 hours
Only show your best work
Photo-sets with over 25 images are exhausting to look through
It is great to constantly experiment with your technique and gear—but once you find something that works reasonably well stop and stick with it
When in doubt, ask for permission
People love to be complimented while on the streets
Don’t take photos of people who look pissed off or walk extremely quickly. These are the people who often get upset when you take their photograph
If shooting digital, always shoot in RAW
Look at other forms of art for inspiration
Take photos of people’s faces, not their backs
Eyes are the windows to the soul. Get photos with eye-contact in your images.
Your photos are only as good as the photos you look at. Avoid the internet and look at photo-books for inspiration
Giving helpful critique to others will make you a better judge of your own work
“If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” – Robert Capa
After a whole day of shooting, I am lucky if I get 1-2 good photographs
The more time you spend on online forums, the less you will shoot
Don’t think too much while taking photographs. Avoid “paralysis by analysis”
Don’t chimp while shooting on the streets (checking your LCD screen). You will lose many decisive moments
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” – Seneca
You can get luckier in street photography by spending more time out shooting in the streets
Don’t crop. Get it right in-camera
Look for the light
You will take the best photographs in the least-likely places
Always carry your camera with you everywhere you go. Everywhere
The smaller your camera is the less intimidating you will look
Don’t shoot from the hip if you have a camera with a viewfinder. Use the viewfinder—that’s why it’s there
Good composition alone doesn’t make a good photograph. A great photograph needs soul.
Don’t let inspiration be your main source of motivation for shooting. Go out and shoot even when you don’t feel like it—and the streets will re-inspire you
Street photography doesn’t have to have people in it
“Creepiness is proportional to focal length”. Don’t shoot street photography with a telephoto/zoom lens
The best place to shoot street photography is your own backyard
Crouch often when shooting to get at least eye-level (or lower) to get a natural (or unusual perspective)
The lighter your camera bag, the more you will enjoy shooting
Don’t forget to look down and up when shooting
When in doubt, click
Don’t try to just take photos of interesting people, but try to take photos of interesting gestures
It is better to take an extraordinary photo of something ordinary, rather than taking an ordinary photo of something extraordinary
The way people react to street photography (all around the world) is often more similar than dissimilar
There is no perfect camera for street photography. Every camera has its own strengths/limitations
Learn to memorize a focal length so you can frame your shots before even bringing up your camera to your eye
The best combo: one camera and one lens
Focus on hands – they communicate strong messages to the viewer
Contrary to popular belief, most people don’t get pissed off when you take photos of them (most people actually quite like it)
Street photographs are well-balanced with an odd-number of subjects (1 person, 3 people, 5 people, etc)
“Realize that most of your photographs are crap” – Charlie Kirk
Shoot to please yourself, not others
The best response to internet trolls who criticize your work (without helpful critique) is to ignore them completely
If you have the opportunity, don’t just settle for one photograph. Take multiple photographs if possible. “Killers shoot twice” – Thomas Leuthard
If you don’t ask for critiques, nobody will ever give it to you
If you are going to ask someone for permission for a photograph, always preface your question with, “I know this may sound weird, but…”. Works like a charm.
If you don’t make time to go out and shoot, you will never go out and shoot.
Learn to judge distances well- so you can prefocus before you anticipate the shot (1.2 meters is roughly two arms-lengths, and 3 meters is roughly half the distance of a room)
76. Spend less time arguing over the definition of street photography, and go out and shoot more
77. You only remember 5-10 photographs from some of the most famous street photographers who have ever lived. Aim to take 5-10 great photographs before you die.
78. Photography is incredibly difficult
79. If people notice you taking a photograph of you, tell them, “Ignore me—pretend like you don’t see me” and most people will laugh it off and continue doing what they were doing
80. If confronted by a person on why you took their photograph, take a step toward them and be open and honest about your intentions. Stand your ground and know your rights.
81. Simplify your photographs. Less is more.
82. Don’t put watermarks on your photographs. It cheapens your work.
83. Street photographs don’t sell
84. Travel as often as you can to open up your views to the rest of the world and society
85. Always carry an extra memory card and battery (in war two is one and one is none)
Don’t always hunt for shots—if you are patient enough, they will come to you
Shoot at ISO 1600 or above (keep your shutter above 250ths/second)
f/8 and be there
Black cameras draw less attention to you
It is more interesting to take photos of rich people than poor people
Never delete any of your photographs (you can rediscover hidden gems later in the future)
Silver Efex Pro 2 is the best black and white conversion software for digital
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretsky
Don’t aim to take pretty photographs, aim to take meaningful photographs
Don’t be sneaky when shooting—you will get in twice as much trouble if you get caught
A great street photograph both has strong composition and story
When it comes down to it, composition isn’t as important as the story
99.9% of the photographs online are crap
Love your critics
100.Offer to email your subjects their photographs (they love it)
101.Break the rules
102.Make your own list
I had the huge pleasure of meeting up with Kaiman Wong from Digital Rev TV a few days ago- and filming this video! It was great to finally meet Kai in person (he’s really that hilarious!) as well as the video genius Lok and the lovely Alamby who helped coordinate everything. I was shooting with my Leica M6, and Kai with his Leica M2 and 15mm Voightlander lens (super wide!).
Some people on YouTube wrote some responses regarding arranging photographs for my shots. I thought it was a legitimate question and here is my answer:
Generally I don’t ask for permission when shooting, but typically after shooting my first photograph without permission – I enjoy chatting with my subjects and getting them to pose for me. Of course once they start posing and get directed by me, it is no longer candid and thus not proper “street photography”. However in the end – I like interacting with my subjects and I feel that it is able to help me build rapport and good will. I am not so interested in only taking all of my photos without permission- as I do ask for permission at times for my shots as well.
Hopefully the video will be good to those who are uncomfortable shooting street photography, and afraid of the reactions of others. I very rarely have any issues shooting in the street, and I try to show how I interact with my subjects in the video.
In the end I am not so interested in defining what street photography is or isn’t– but creating messages and meaning through my photographs– that make statements about society. I discuss this at length at a previous post titled, “What’s Important in Street Photography?”
Anyways hope you guys enjoyed the video and will keep you updated with more stuff from Hong Kong soon!
Foreword by Ollie Gapper: CritiqueMe is still alive and well, I just haven’t had time to produce a good, in-depth critique this week, it will be returning soon!
Its been thrown at you pretty relentlessly over the past few months: the notion of shooting film and its merits over digital, but what should you know before/during your time spent shooting this marvellous medium? This is a short list of things that I have personally found useful learning in shooting film, things I hope will help you as much as me!
Things have been a bit hectic in Hong Kong and prepping for my workshop this weekend, but wanted to take a chance to feature the best street photographs posted to my Facebook fan page the last two weeks.
On an unrelated note, I actually had the chance to meet Kaiman Wong and the rest of the team from Digital Rev TV and we did some recording for a video on street photography that will release soon (stay tuned).
If you would like to get one of your shots featured in the future, make sure to upload them to my Facebook fan page! (I prefer using Facebook because it is easier to sort/look through all the photographs).
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.: I always defined street photography as “Photographing people in a public place with or without permission”. That is how I go about shooting but when I encountered the work of William Eggleston, my definition shattered.
It seemed that his work doesn’t fit how I understood and read about photography. His photos are so simple, mundane, and very uninteresting. So much so that I think Eggleston’s War with the obvious is the anti-thesis of Bresson’s philosophy The Decisive Moment.
For those who are looking for a stylish, sleek, and functional messenger bag for street photography – check out the new ONA Union Street Bag. ONA sent me a bag to review, and after thorough testing (took it all over India) here is my review/overall impressions of this bag. Keep reading more if you are interested in making an investment into a fashionable and durable bag that will last you a long time!
Recently at the Downtown LA Art Walk, some of my fellow LA Streettogs and myself showed our work at the Hatakeyama Gallery. Lots of awesome people came out and supported and checked out some of the work by our group.
In the video I use my GoPro video camera to take you behind-the-scenes of the gallery, and right in all the fun! You can also get a sneak-peak on 3 of my photographs from my series: “Dark Skies over Tokyo” (shot with my Leica M6 and film). I will be sharing the full series later on, so stay updated!
The “What Photographers Actually Do” meme has been spreading like wildfire as of late. Danny Santos just put together a one for street photographers which is pretty hilarious (and true to a certain extent).
What would you add/change in the image above? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
I am pleased to share that my recent street photography workshop in Downtown LA was awesome! Not only were all the participants in the workshop willing to push themselves and find more meaning in their photography, but the group interaction and support was phenomenal. Huge thanks to Todd Hatakeyama from the Hatakeyama Gallery! Also huge thanks to Todd for providing these workshop photos!
Keep updated with all of my upcoming street photography workshops in Kuala Lumpur, London, Melbourne, Sydney, and New York here!
Also keep reading to see all of the photos from behind-the-scenes.
Update 2-27-12: Congratulations to John Barduhn for winning the giveaway! His tip was: “Always say “Thank You“. Stay tuned for our next giveaway soon ;)
thinkTANK Photo has generously provided a Retrospective 20 Shoulder Messanger Bag($167.75 value) for a give-away on the blog! You can have the chance to either win a version in Pinestone or Black (I prefer the Pinestone color). They make fantastic street photography bags, as they don’t look like camera bags (thus you can be more discrete). If you want a smaller bag, also check out the Retrospective 5 (good for street photographers with a Leica or Micro 4/3rds system).
To enter this giveaway, all you need to do is:
Share your #1 street photography tip (in 7 words or less)
There are three ways to enter (the more ways you enter, the more chances to win!):
Eric’s Note: This feature is by Trevor Marczylo, a Winnipeg-based street photographer who has made the move to Korea! If anyone in Korea wants to meet up with him- drop him a line! Follow his blog as well.
Trevor: I ‘ve gotten a ton of emails over the last few weeks regards to how I get that black sloppy border around my images in the darkroom. I simply just took a file and hacked into it until I was happy.
So for this week’s article I thought I’d write a quick and simple discription on how to file out your negative holder so you can have your own signature negative border style.
There really isn’t anything to it and all you need is a small flat file and your negative holder, some black paint or nail polish and the will to destroy your neg holder.
I am excited that issue #2 of Radiate Magazine is out. Radiate is a street photography magazine edited by Stu Egan, and features work, interviews, and features from up-and-coming street photographers from all around the globe.
You can get hold of printed copies here which costs $21 + shipping. It will make a great addition to your street photography library!
You can also download free PDFs from that page, or if you don’t want to register with Magcloud just head over to www.radiate-magazine.co.uk and get one there.
Eric’s Note: If you are wondering what all those crazy things coming out of Ollie’s head are, check out his last blog post.
Ollie Gapper: I was recently lucky enough to pick up a Canonet QL17 rangefinder off of eBay for a steal at £30 with postage, a camera I had been after for quite a while, and for good reason.
Eric’s Note: Today I am glad to feature the work of Jack Hubbell (Cyclops-Optic) on the blog today. Charlie Kirk turned me onto his work, citing the unique way he saw the world.
Jack: To have something in common with Eric Kim. What? Perhaps you think it Photography, but no. Further back than that. Further away than that. Off to a nation called Korea. Whilst Eric’s connection lies with ancestry, mine deals with birth. And by that I mean birth of vision.
Long before director Stanley Kubrick directed influetial films such as Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining — he took incredible street photographs in New York City since he was 17. He worked until the 1950’s for Look Magazine before he decided to pursue filmmaking.
Keep reading to check out incredible street photographs taken by Kubrick – which are comical, intruiging, and full of energy and excitement! Make sure to also check out Twisted Sifter for all the images!
*Florian Dirks from my Facebook fan page has let me know that not all of the photographs included below are unposed- some of them are elaborately staged. Incredible photographs nonetheless. Also big thanks to Rinzi Ruiz for directing me towards these photos!
My good colleague and fellow street shooter Thomas Leuthard currently has a street photography contest running titled: “Street Self Portrait” running on Flickr. Some of the rules are below:
These are some of the prizes for the contest as well!
1st prize – 3 years of Flickr Pro
2nd prize – 2 years of Flickr Pro
3rd prize – 1 year of Flickr Pro
If you have any further questions about the contest, please post them in this thread on Flickr.
Good luck to everybody and excited to see the winner!
Enter the contest by uploading your photograph here.
I am excited to announce that my good friend and Mexico City-based streettog Alex Coghe has recently published a free e-book on street photography. He goes over practical tips & techniques, philosophy, and general thoughts about street photography. It has a great wealth of information and inspiration – so make sure to check it out!
You can download a free copy on Scribd or directly here.
If you want more free e-books on street photography, make sure to check out Thomas Leuthard’s free ebooks on street photography as well.
Eric’s Note: I am excited to present these images by photographer Gil Cohen Magen for his upcoming book: “Hassidic Courts“. The images are a great insiders look to the lives of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and shot with a great street photography aesthetic. Check them out and let us know what you think!
The award winningIsraeli photographerGil Cohen Magen has an exclusive and extensive collection of photographs about the inside life of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel. Gil has been given exclusive access to observe and photograph the religious and cultural rites of these closed communities,ceremonies that have never been photographed before and have never been shown to the outside world.
Cohen Magen spent a decade preparing his book “Hassidic Courts”. During this time, Cohen Magen obtained unprecedented access to these usually closed communities. He captured rare religious ceremonies and extraordinary moments in the lives of Hassidic Jews.
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I have recently been working on a project in Beverly Hills that explores the following themes: wealth, disparity, happiness, image, and gloom. In my last POV video in Downtown LA many of you asked me to edit in the shots, and I did! Note that not every shot is fantastic- but wanted to include the shots as an educational tool to help you better understand how to approach, frame, and capture your subjects.
Below is the text pulled from my Yelp review of Steve’s Camera Service to fix my broken Leica M6.
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So here is the story:
About 3 months ago, I inherited a Leica M6 from a good friend of mine. I had only shot digital (with a Leica M9) and shooting film was a huge blast. I took that baby through half of Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, etc).
Then about a week ago I was shooting with it in Downtown LA and suddenly at around 20 shots in- my film advance lever would get jammed. I was scared crapless- because I had to get it fixed ASAP (heading to Hong Kong in 3 days to teach a street photography workshop).
Anyways, I asked on Twitter about the broken M6 problem- and a bunch of guys referred me to Steve.
I am excited to announce that Bellamy Hunt (Japancamerahunter) and my protege Rinzi Ruiz will be teaching a street photography in Los Angeles March 10th-11th. The workshop will be a fantastic opportunity for beginners and intermediate photographers to learn more about the beautiful craft of street photography- including how to take photographs of strangers, composition, as well as shooting on the streets of the City of Angels!
The workshop will be hosted at the Hatakeyama Gallery in Downtown LA. If you are a Los Angeles native or have ever wanted to visit – it will be an amazing opportunity to shoot all the colorful districts of Downtown. This includes the colorful fashion district, the dazzling jewelry district, and the amazing light rays from Broadway.
Beautiful Downtown LA
Some topics that will be discussed in the workshop:
Beating your fear: How to get over the fear of shooting strangers. By learning simple techniques we will teach you how to overcome your fears and how to get into the mindset to go out shooting without being nervous.
Find your style: Everyones style is different and we want to encourage yours.
Be critical: Learn how to self edit your work and how to select the pieces that really define you.
Working for yourself: Learn how to develop projects that will help you define your style.
Shooting: What street photography workshop would be complete without actually hitting the streets and shooting?
The course will be $395 for the weekend. Places are limited, so sign up quickly before spots are sold out! Check out more details at: www.lastreetphotographyworkshop.com
I know it has been a while since I featured street photography from the community – but here is the last batch of great shots I have noticed on Facebook! If you would like to get one of your shots featured in the future, make sure to upload them to my Facebook fan page! (I prefer using Facebook because it is easier to sort/look through all the photographs).
Some tips to get included in the next post:
Don’t use watermarks on your photographs
Don’t over-process your photographs
Street portraits are great – but try to incorporate the subjects/backgrounds more
Get good lighting. Try not to include shots that have been shot mid-day
Crouch more. Get at least eye-to-eye level with your subjects
Think about balance and composition. Don’t have your subjects too center-focused
Don’t shoot people’s backs. Sometimes they work but typically they don’t
“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept” – Henri Cartier Bresson
In the modern age of photography, everyone seems to have an unhealthy obsession with how sharp lenses are, how much bokeh they produce, and how “3d” they can make their images appear.
Ignore these statements. Anyone who talks at excessive length about any of these topics are misled into thinking that what makes a great photograph are the effects that expensive lenses can give you.
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.: Street Photography is rarely about someone we know very well. The subjects are usually those who are unknown to us and more often than not, we will never encounter again. The only evidence of the existence of these characters is the photograph made during that brief encounter.
In George Smyth’s The Extras, he shows strangers he encounters his daily life. It is something so simple and what street photographers tend to do but what made his work unique is that he presented his work on Bromoil prints. Bromoil printing is an alternative process where the silver from a traditional darkroom print has been replaced with lithographic ink by hitting the print with an ink charged brush for thousands of times. Needless to say, it is a laborious and time consuming process.
At the Leica store in Singapore for my "Proximity" Exhibition
Already missing the warm weather and awesome chicken rice in Singapore! Huge thanks to Adam Rahim for letting me stay at his place (and being my manager), Leonard Goh, Gracia Yap, and Sunil Kaul from Leica for hosting my workshop – as well as Invisible Photographer Asia for letting us use their gallery space. Let me not forget AikBengChia for being my guest speaker at the workshop as well!
Keep reading to check out all the snapshots of the workshop and exhibition!
Going to Korea was a trip to be remembered for me. Not only did I have the chance to teach my first street photography workshop (in my mother country) but also taught it in both English and Korean! Huge thanks goes to Josh White, Dani Kim, Jasmine Aum, Olivia Lee, Jinhwan Roh, Summer and the rest of the Leica Korea team. I also had my first solo exhibition at the Illum Gallery at the Leica Store in Seoul.
Check out some snapshots from the workshop and exhibition below!
I recently read a critique on Severin Koller’s blog regarding the ethics of street photography and shooting street photography close, with a wide-angle, and a flash (similar to Bruce Gilden). He brings up issues that I think that all street photographers should consider when they think about why they shoot street photography and whether there is a “right or wrong” approach in street photography.
For this post, I will try to type out some of my personal thoughts on the topic at hand. There will be many flaws in my argument but please bear with me—I consider it more of a personal essay that will help me explicate my own thoughts. I will try to draw from street photography books, my personal experiences, as well as some pseudo-philosophy to back up any of my claims.
My ultimate claim is that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to shoot street photography (as there is an abundance of street photography styles out there). However when it comes to street photography, we should argue less about the aesthetics, styles, technique, and approach and —and concentrate on the question: “Why do we photograph?” It doesn’t matter if you use a wide-angle lens or a normal lens or if you use a flash or not. In the end the most important question remains: “Am I creating images that makes a statement on humanity, and will my images have the power to influence others to see differently?”
INTERESTED IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BUT SCARED OR DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN?
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? Do you want to learn the best settings to use on your camera to capture the decisive moment on your camera? Do you want to meet other street photographers that are as equally passionate about street photography or interested in learning like you?
If you are an beginner or intermediate street photographer and want to conquer your fear of shooting in the streets or looking to improve your skills, this workshop is for you. Through this dynamic and hands-on 2-day workshop you will get to learn:
How to get over the fear of shooting street photography
How to shoot candid images without anybody noticing you
How to tell a story with your photos
The best technical settings to use in street photography
The secret of converting your photos into beautiful black and whites
How to react to people who get offended by street photography
How to capture “The Decisive Moment“
The laws of street photography
What techniques for taking great street photographs
The history of street photography
Read more for more information about this upcoming exciting street photography workshop in Kuala Lumpur!
At The Beach (1)Shot in Normandy, France in 2006. What goes through Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work is a certain lightness of life. It has to do with the subjects he picks, the way he handles them, and also with the print expression that he seems to insists on. Decisive moments and precise compositions, sure, but the lightness of life is the thread that carries it all.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to feature Knut Skjærven to the blog today, a street photographer with a fantastic eye which I see mirrors many of the aesthetics of Henri Cartier-Bresson. The interview is quite long, but very informative. Keep reading!
Knut: First of all, Eric, thank you for asking me for this interview. I am flattered that you suggest that there is a certain inspiration, and maybe even a likeness, in some of my pictures to those of Henri Cartier-Bresson. You said: “I love how your images convey a similar aesthetic to Henri Cartier-Bresson”.
That is a great, great compliment. I am not sure that I deserve it. I know I don’t. After all, it is not that long ago that I started taking photography seriously.
Sure, I have been taking pictures for many years, but it never occurred to me that I perhaps should spend more time with it. It was not till 2010 that I decided to start a proper photographic project. That project is still running. That brought about a change.
This is the tenth Instruction for the Year 2 of the Street Photography Now Project, written to inspire fresh ways of looking at and documenting the world we all live in. Photographs you contribute should be new work made in response to the Instruction.
The group will open on Friday 03.02.12 at 10.00 GMT. You have until 10.00 GMT on 17.02.12 to upload one photograph in response to this instruction.
Ollie: Let me start this with an apology. I haven’t had time this week to produce a nice in-depth interview or to find something or someone to write massively about, (the reason is stated below) so as much as I dislike talking and promoting my own work, this week I haven’t really got a choice.
So, as a lot of you will have known from observing my Twitter and Google+ accounts, I have recently spent a night in hospital whilst undergoing tests for a sleeping disorder. It was nothing major, just an uncomfortable night of being hooked up to a computer that monitors my brain activity. I decided to make use of this situation and bring a few cameras with me to enable me to produce some work.
Eric’s Note: This guest blog post is by Alex Coghe, a passionate street photographer from Mexico City. I had the great pleasure of meeting Alex in Los Angeles for the ThinkTank Gallery “YOU ARE HERE” street photography event sponsored by Leica. See this post why he loves street photography, and see how it echoes with you too!
Alex: Street Photography for me is all about the photography. There are so many genres of art, but street photography is the most powerful to me.
Street photography is one of the biggest passions in my life. My mind is always on street photography. I spend a large amount of time either shooting on the streets, blogging about street photography, networking with street photography, and thinking about street photography.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to announce the great concept of the “Streettogs Gallery” — a concept by A.g. De Mesa, a passionate street photographer from Manila in the Philippines. Hopefully his idea can help bring more great photo series, documentary series, and photo essays!
So what is this about?
A.g.: Stemming from Eric’s piece on making a series, Streettogs Gallery is a column appearing every Wednesday wherein I will showcase street photography based photo series, documentary projects, and photography essays together with my thoughts on the stories and the artist which could hopefully contribute to the aesthetic and knowledge of you, the readers.
I also hope to encourage a healthy discussion and show our opinions about the work presented and to judge it not whether if it is good or bad technically (an area in which Ollie’s CritiqueMe series is all about) but rather if it contributes to the art form that is street photography and to push it further.
Read more to see how you can get your work featured here!
Just out shooting the streets of the fashion district in Downtown LA with my film Leica M6 and recorded with a GoPro HD Hero 960 mounted on top of my hotshoe.
Today I turn 24, and by chance it also happens to be around the 6-month mark since I last got laid off my previous job and decided to pursue street photography full-time. I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to thank you guys personally for all your support and faith, and take a moment to reflect. Please watch the video above where I talk a bit about my fortunes, misfortunes, and the amazing journey I have been blessed with.
People I would like to especially thank in no particular order (sorry if I forgot to include your name!):
Loryne Atoui
Thomas Leuthard
Charlie Kirk
Bellamy Hunt
Damien Rayuela
Jason Gritjas
Adam Marelli
Souvik De
Jason Martini
Todd Hatakeyama
My mom!
Cindy Nguyen
JJ Viau
Christian Erhardt
Adam Rahim
Jasime Aum
Tom Britcha
Jacob Patterson
Neil Ta
Kaushal Parikh
Ryan Ong
Alfie Goodrich
Danny Santos
Dav Cheng
Rinzi Ruiz
Ryan Cabal
ABC
Kevin WY Lee
Ivan Wong
Leonard Goh
Chris Gampat
Josh White
Dani Kim
David Kim
Mijonju
Angelo De Mesa
My sister (Anna Kim)
Olivia Lee
Jinhwan Roh
Luke Ding
Holly Pyon
Brian Reilly
Francoise Callier
And to all of you!
Wish me a happy birthday with film!
If you have gotten something meaningful out of this blog or I have helped you on your personal street photography journey, please wish me a happy birthday and consider getting me some film to work on my future projects! I would love some Portra and some Tri-X!
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to have street photographer Kramer O’Neill share in this guest blog post his experiences about self-publishing two of his books. It is an incredibly difficult process–check out what he learned through the process in the post below!
Kramer: In 2011, I designed, printed, and distributed two photo books: Pictures of People and Things 1, an A5-sized paperback, and Till Human Voices Wake Us, a large-format hardcover. The two books are quite different: Pictures of People and Things is an associatively-edited, diverse collection of photos that work as two-page diptychs, while Till Human Voicesis a narrowly-focused, abstract, semi-narrative aquatic series in the street photography tradition, about swimming and the dark pull of the ocean. In both cases, though, I had no idea what I was getting into. In the interest of spreading some knowledge to other would-be self-publishers, here are a few things I learned.
Kip Praslowicz, a very active street photographer in the community, recently got filmed by PBS on his street photography and portraiture work. Check out the video to find out more about Kip’s approach and thoughts behind street photography and portraiture (and his love for medium-format and large-format film).
Eric’s Note: This article is by Trevor Marczylo, a street photographer based out of Winnipeg. He is actually heading out to Korea soon, so after reading this article, make sure to wish him a safe trip!
Trevor: The other night I stayed up until 5am printing. I was working on this one shot that took me about 4 tries to get right; burn here, dodge there. I couldn’t stop till I had just the right print. In this digital age where I could achieve what I want on my Mac in just 5 minutes, why should street photographers continue to print black and white in the darkroom? Read more and find out!
Eric’s Note: CritiqueMe is an on-going street photography critique series by Ollie Gapper, a street photographer based in the UK.
Ollie: For this weeks CritiqueMe I chose to comb through the work of prolific Tweeter, Gustavo Mondragon. I was sucked into the portrayla of life Mondragon presents from his hometown of Mexico City. I always find it interesting to see, not only different lifestyles, but those lifestyles presented by someone who actually lives them.
Something I have becoming more focused on is working on street photography projects. Street photography projects are important because they help you stay focused when shooting, and help you make more of a statement with a collection of images (rather than just individual images). If you have never started your own street photography project (or want some inspiration), keep reading to learn how you can start your own street photography project!
In this post I’m honoured to have the privilege to present an interview with one of the original members of In-Public and practicing street photographer, David Gibson. David’s work is among the strongest I’ve seen from a practicing contemporary street photographer, and has inspired me to refine my eye even more, to try and make images as graphically enthralling as his.
Are you an avid street photographer seeking to develop your own unique photographic vision and stand out from the crowd?
To this day, there are countless street photographers pounding the pavement and shooting anything that moves with their cameras and smartphones. How does one stand out from the crowd? How does one build a strong, unique look to their photos to make them memorable and worthwhile to look at? How does one get photos worthy of gallery exhibitions and photobooks?
To find out, join me at my intensive intermediate street photography workshop to be held in Downtown LA from February 3rd to the 5thin association with the Hatakeyama Gallery.
I consider myself first a sociologist, then a photographer. If anything, being a street photographer allows me to synthesize these two loves. On top of that, I am a lover of knowledge, theory, experimentation, as well as teaching. Fortunately being able to teach street photography for a living makes my life fulfilled.
I am currently reading an essay by Howard Becker (a famous sociologist) who also happened to be interested in art worlds (and especially photography). He is the author in which most of the sociological backbone of my upcoming UC Riverside Online course is coming from when teaching some of the theory behind street photography.
Eric’s Note: This is part of an on-going critique series called “CritiqueMe” by Ollie Gapper. Enjoy the feature below!
Ollie Gapper: Well I’d like to first off say thank you to everyone who took the time to enter for the first installment of CritiqueMe, I’ve had the great pleasure of looking at some truly fantastic work. I’d also like to congratulate Nicolas Hermann for being selected! The reason I chose Nicolas for the first installment of CritiqueMe is that I wanted to be really challenged for finding points for improvement (not that some of the work you guys turned in wouldn’t do the same) as the ones I would find will inevitably help a lot more of you.
Recently when I went to Tokyo, I had a ton of fun shooting in the streets with Charlie Kirk and Bellamy Hunt—both who shoot film. I never really understood the rationale why people shot with film. To me at the time, it seemed like a burden. First of all, you had to buy the film. Secondly, after you took the photos you couldn’t see them instantly. And lastly, it was expensive to develop it (and even more money to scan). For these three reasons, I was mostly put off by film. Although I did shoot a bit with my Contax IIIa film rangefinder and did enjoy it—at the end of the day I preferred my digital camera.
Nevertheless, I was intrigued with film once I came to Tokyo. In Tokyo, the analog culture is strong. There are tons of used film camera shops, and tons of other places where you can buy film as well. Not only that, but there are many photographers who shoot film who support one another as well and have their own communities. I had no idea how much influence the analog culture would have on me when I was in Tokyo.
I am excited to announce that I am having a street photography exhibition at the Leica Singapore store this upcoming Jan 13th at 7:00pm of some of my best photos from all around the world. If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by!
Also I will be hosting an Advanced Street Photography Workshop in partnership with Leica Camera Asia Pacific on January 14-15th as well. The workshop will be focused on making your own street photography projects. Click the link below for more info!
Mike Peters from his collection "Pursuit of Happiness"
In this article I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct an interview through email with NY-based photographer Mike Peters. His style of street portraiture is one that has been attempted many times by many names, but never quite to the extent or success of Mike’s work. He is consistent and his work flows well together, but he is not held down by his style and does not limit himself in what he creates. I hope you guys enjoy his work and words as much as I have, and that you may find some inspiration in this article that will help guide and refine your work, I know I certainly have.
One of the books that has profoundly changed my understanding of the world is “The Black Swan” by Nassim Taleb. His thesis is that much of what happens in the world is by pure luck and randomness. He uses The analogy of the “black swan” is that scientists for hundreds of years assumed that because only because white swans were seen, no black swans existed. However the day that a black swan was discovered, their understanding of swans changed dramatically.
In life there are two types of black swans: positiv black swans that bring us fortune, and negative black swans that bring us misfortune.
Recently every book I have been reading (whether it be a finance book, an economics book, a sociology book, or philosophy book) I have been able to always link it back to street photography.
Eric’s Note: I am pleased to announce Trevor Marczylo, a street photographer eating, living, and surviving in Winnipeg, Manitoba as a new weekly contributor to the blog! He is a full-time photographer, making a living selling prints that he takes on a daily basis. Make sure to check out his last feature on my blog with his photos here. Also keep posted for his Friday features!
I think a “subjective street photograph” contains the attitude of photographer.
The pure photographic image without thinking of any composition but only capturing the moment of a situation with limited time to only think or react and relay on his/her trained eye and how they view/see through their own camera in a moment.
That being said… It all comes down to the street photograph and how that photograph was taken. I’ll try my best to explain myself and using a few of my photos in this article.
I am excited to announce I will be teaching my first university-level course on street photography at the UC Riverside Extension program! The course will be an online/offline hybrid class- with the majority of the coursework being online, with street photography outings, exhibition outings, as well as a final student exhibition in-person.
Jan. 16 – Mar. 23 (Two field trips to be arranged.)
Preregistration:
Requested by January 13th
Location:
Online
Textbook:
“Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art,” John Szarkowski ISBN: 0870705156 Buy Online
Credit:
3 units
Fees:
$375
Course Description
Have you ever seen somebody on the streets and had the irresistible urge to take a photo of them? Whether it was their face, the shadow they cast, or the background they were standing in front of. In this introductory course, you learn how to: capture the beauty in the mundane of everyday life and “decisive moments,” shoot candid photos of strangers up-close and personal, study street photography in a sociological context, use the camera to explore society.
Develop your eye for street photography by studying the masters such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and others. The class is a hybrid of an online and offline course. Utilize online tools to study the work of the masters and create an online community where you critique & comment on one another’s images.
The offline aspect will go on field trips to photography museums/galleries, to go out and shoot with one another, and have a final exhibition of all the student work.
Sign up before it’s too late–and let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below!
Eric’s Note: When I visited Tokyo recently to teach my street photography workshop, I had the great pleasure of meeting Ade Ogunsanya aka
Street Portraitist through my good friends Charlie Kirk and Bellamy Hunt. Check out his project — shooting portraits of strangers on the streets of Tokyo, focusing both on the people and juxtaposing them against their environments. Definitely a great project to check out!
The aim of this project is to connect with new people, find out a bit about them and try to take a nice picture of them in the short time I spend with them. Quite a few of the people I take photos of end up contacting me after and we end up becoming friends on social media and I have given prints to a few others. All of these images are taken using a Pentax67 medium format camera with 105mm or 165mm lenses. The main motivation for shooting MF is the extra care you have to take knowing you need to nail every shot.
Eric’s Note: This is article is part of an on-going weekly column by Japancamerahunter (Bellamy Hunt) where he talks about vintage cameras, film, and street photography. You can check out his part articles here or if you need to get hooked up with a lens or camera, contact him here!
Well well, good old Uncle Eric has asked me to write another article for you. This time on the joys of shooting street with a compact camera. Eric and many of us spend a lot of time shooting with rangefinders and DSLR’s, but I think it important for people to realize that there are other ways to shoot street. The compact camera is one of these ways (medium format is another, but that is a whole different barrel of fish and something I may talk about another time).
So, why shoot a compact camera for street? Well, there are several reasons, but let me start with the most obvious…
I just finished reading “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, where he discusses many misconceptions and fallacies that we face as humans. He talks from a scientific-philosophical viewpoint, and has many fascinating insights.
One of them was about knowledge—and that it isn’t necessarily additive—rather something subtractive. For example, a good stock-broker won’t tell you what to do, but rather what not to do.
Therefore for this blog post I will share some of my insights and experiences in street photography in terms of what not to do. Hopefully this will help you get more compelling images when out on the streets!
Never have been to Singapore, but had a great time! Not only was I able to teach a street photography workshop with the famous Danny Santos as my guest speaker, but was also able to check out the IPA gallery and meet Kevin WY Lee, and a bunch of other guys there! Huge thanks to Leica in Singapore for sponsoring the event and giving everyone a fantastic time on the last night!
Planning on going back to Singapore Jan 14th-15th for an Advanced workshop. Hope to see all of you guys there soon! :)
Most of you guys have no idea where Kota Kinabalu is, but it is an absolutely charming city on the coast of Malaysia. I had a ton of fun with the guys here, and it was somewhere very unique and interesting to shoot street photography. One of the highlights was shooting near the pier, where the fisherman let us jump onto their boats (not for the faint of heart!). Hope to see all my buddies in KK soon :)
Huge thanks again to Ryan Ong, my good friend and host during the workshop. We did the workshop in his studio, so if you are in KK and need anything shot, hit him up!
(Attend an Eric Kim street photography workshop, get a free Leica!)
Had an absolutely incredible time in Tokyo teaching my street photography workshop with Charlie Kirk, Bellamy Hunt, and Alfie Goodrich in association with the Leica Ginza store in Tokyo. Sorry for the delay, here are the snapshots from the workshop (warning, there is a lot of photos!)
Eric’s Note: This article is by Ollie Gapper, a street photographer based in the UK- and now a weekly contributor to the blog. Stay tuned for more of his “Ollie Gapper Thursday” posts!
With any genre of photography its easy to become saturated in your work and the work of others around you. In street photography, regardless of the numerous variations in individual photographers approaches and the wealth of locations and types of people we are granted visual access to, we still, slowly, become numb to the photographic impacts that once enthralled us. This is why I, for one, enjoy periodically dabbling in different genres of photography, whether it is shooting or viewing, to allow my mind to refresh and recharge from the relentless practice that is street photography.
I just finished the behemoth of a biography on Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and I gotta say—I am deeply moved. The biography was not only brutally honest, but gave inspirational insights into the thoughts and motivations behind Steve Jobs and Apple.
Although controversial, he made some of the most revolutionary products this generation (the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc) and had the vigor, discipline, and drive to do it.
Whenever I read books, it always helps me inspire in both my personal life and even more—my own photography. Although Steve Jobs was not a photographer (he actually dabbled in the idea of getting Apple more into photography) his vision, drive, and passion are all things we can learn from. For this article I will outline 10 traits of Steve Jobs which I feel could make you a better street photographer.
Eric’s Note: This article is by Ollie Gapper, a street photographer based in the UK- and now a weekly contributor to the blog. Stay tuned for more of his “Ollie Gapper Thursday” posts!
Over the past few months it’s fair to say I’ve spent a lot of time and money on printing. Though it wasn’t entirely through choice, it’s an element of my university course I absolutely would not change. It’s enlightened me, allowed me to look at my work in a totally different way. Being able to hold an image, move it around in the light, hold it close to my face and scrutinise every inch of it, it feels like its making me a better photographer. Seriously.
I’ve learnt a lot in terms of traditional, darkroom printing, both colour and black and white, and in doing so, I’ve learnt a lot about my film and my photographs.
Ive also been reading through the Ansel Adams technical guide books (The Camera, The Negative and The Print) which has taught me to reverse this method of only ever printing for your negative, it instead teaches you to expose your negative for your print. I shant go into the specifics of the Zone System or anything, as thats not what I want to say in this article.
I was at Charlie Kirk’s apartment in Tokyo, when he turned me onto a book he recently bought and was moved by, which was a book by Alec Soth—a Magnum photographer. It a lovely book, with a yellow cover and several of his photo projects inside, including excerpts from his blog which discussed the role of gear.
He said he constantly got questions about his gear for his projects, and then made the remark that he didn’t mind the question that much—considering that most photographers are nerds/geeks anyways. Therefore he listed a long list of his equipment (mostly large-format stuff) and how he processed his film—specifically for each project he did. He then ended the post mentioning that he wrote the post specifically with an Apple iBook. Funny and snarky way to end the post.
In this blog post my thesis is that we should quit wasting money on gear (lenses, bodies, etc) and more money on photo-books. I feel that the best way to improve your vision as a street photographer is to look at great photography (which is nearly impossible online) and readily found in photo-books. If you are curious about why, please continue reading! (as this post is damn long).
After seeing Eric becoming ever more inundated with his workshop work, videos, Leica work and all the associated travel I decided to get in touch and say “Hey, how about I help out on a more regular basis?”. The result of the following email conversation? OG Thursdays. (My middle name is Mathew (with one ‘T’) but I thought “OMG Thursdays” may have been easily confused with one of the millions of Perez Hilton-style gossip blogs).
What is this all about?
Ill be submitting guest posts every Thursday on a plethora of subjects relating to lifestyle, documentary and of course street photography that I think you guys will enjoy reading. Photographers I have met, people I think you should know, projects I’m working on, experiences I’ve had, equipment I’ve used, you name it and I’ll endeavour to cover it one way or another.
I’m studying a BA (Bachelors) in Contemporary Photographic Practice at the University for the Creative Arts in South East Kent, UK, which – along with supplying me with vast spectrums of information, inspiration and experience – also gives me access to lots and lots of rather lovely gear! A vague list for your delectation:
Mamiya RZ67 Pro ii (Just about every lens for it too)
Wista 5×4 (and an incomprehensible number of lenses)
Horseman 5×4 (same as above)
Bron Color light packs, Pocket Wizards, etc
The idea is that you guys put in a request for the gear you want to see reviewed (Ill let Eric handle the Leica stuff..for now) and I’ll get the gear, buy some film and I’ll write up as comprehensive a review as I can.
Im happy to answer any questions regarding my past work or current projects, take a look at www.olliegapperphotography.com www.flickr.com/photos/olliegapper and olliegapper.tumblr.com.
Comment below for what gear you’d like to see reviewed or any topics you’d like to see me review/cover.
