{"id":1224,"date":"2010-11-03T13:37:47","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T17:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=1224"},"modified":"2010-11-03T16:52:21","modified_gmt":"2010-11-03T20:52:21","slug":"featured-street-photographer-of-the-week-yanick-yanidel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2010\/11\/03\/featured-street-photographer-of-the-week-yanick-yanidel\/","title":{"rendered":"Featured Street Photographer of the Week: Yanidel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note<\/strong>: Every Wednesday, I feature street photographers with great skill and soul. For this week, I decided to feature amazing Parisian street photographer Yanidel<\/a>. I first witness Yanidel’s work when I googled “Paris Street Photography<\/a>,” and his site came up on top. I’m glad it did. He roams the streets of Paris with his Leica M9, and consistently shoots great street images. Continue to read this inspirational interview with him! Oh yeah, also feel free to check out all of the other featured street photographers of the week\u00c2\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n

1. How did you get started in street photography?<\/h2>\n
\""Rebel
"Rebel without a cause" - Yanidel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It started with my move to Paris five years ago. Paris is absolutely\u00c2\u00a0wonderful for long walks since there will be something interesting\u00c2\u00a0inpretty much any corner of the city. During these walks, I started to\u00c2\u00a0notice scenes and atmospheres and took my first snapshot at that time.\u00c2\u00a0Parallelly, Paris is also one of the mainstay of photography so I was\u00c2\u00a0exposed to the work of famous street photographers through exhibits or\u00c2\u00a0magazines. At the same time, as I began looking for a new camera, I got\u00c2\u00a0attracted by rangefinders and discovered the big role they played in the\u00c2\u00a0history\u00c2\u00a0of street photography. All of that came together at the\u00c2\u00a0same time and soon after I found myself in the street shooting\u00c2\u00a0strangers. Not only was I taking long walk, but I had become a shot\u00c2\u00a0hunter\u00c2\u00a0with a finger always ready to hit the trigger.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. How do you shoot in the streets?<\/h2>\n
\""Gust
"Gust of wind" - Yanidel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are mainly to different ways that I shoot. The first one is\u00c2\u00a0random, meaning that I take long walks in a part of town and just let\u00c2\u00a0scenes come to me. In a large city like Paris, something will always\u00c2\u00a0happen at some point of time and often, great scenes unfold when youleast expect it.\u00c2\u00a0On the opposite, I might go to a special spot and hang around a block\u00c2\u00a0for a couple of hours. For example, I shoot a lot on the Avenue of Les\u00c2\u00a0Champs-Elys\u00c3\u00a9e where I have a few spots that I especially like. This\u00c2\u00a0approach is quite different to the first one since most time, I will\u00c2\u00a0pre-determined the field of view of my shot and then wait for something\u00c2\u00a0to happen in the selected space.\u00c2\u00a0Technique wise, most of my shots are wide open, therefore I need to\u00c2\u00a0either focus precisely or have a very\u00c2\u00a0accurate esimation of distance when I zone focus. At F1.4, the sharpness\u00c2\u00a0zone is indeed very thin and a slight mistake will show instantly on the\u00c2\u00a0picture. Finally, I almost never ask for permission before I shoot,\u00c2\u00a0since I am after candid pictures.\u00c2\u00a0It does not mean that I won’t interact with the person after I took the\u00c2\u00a0shot, often a smile or a little chat,\u00c2\u00a0and sometimes even an exchange of emails. People are great when you\u00c2\u00a0explain them what you are doing.<\/p>\n

3. What do you love most about street photography?<\/h2>\n
\""Under
"Under the shelter of Paris" - Yanidel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Street photography is in my opinion the mix of a variety of skills and\u00c2\u00a0activities. It is physical in the sense that I might walk for 8 hours on\u00c2\u00a0a given day, so it definitely helps me keep fit. Secondly, I believe\u00c2\u00a0that there is an strong artistic component to street photography, at\u00c2\u00a0least in my interpretation of it. Indeed, my goal is not only to\u00c2\u00a0describe a scene, but I also try to compose them in a way that is\u00c2\u00a0aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes I would even say that aesthetics can\u00c2\u00a0be more important then the message of a picture when its main intent is\u00c2\u00a0to convey a feeling or mood. I am also convinced that street photography\u00c2\u00a0is a great intellectual exercise. Indeed, in a split second you must\u00c2\u00a0identify and compose a scene with subjects whose movements and attitude\u00c2\u00a0you don’t control. That part is often bound to your life experiences\u00c2\u00a0and cultural background which help you build a message, be it straight\u00c2\u00a0forward or requiring a more complex interpretation. Let’s not forget\u00c2\u00a0that while you are observing the scene and getting ready for the shot,\u00c2\u00a0you will often need to be tweaking the parameters of your camera for\u00c2\u00a0correct exposure, depth of field and focus. Since I use my camera in all\u00c2\u00a0manual mode, getting a perfectly exposed and well focused shot can be\u00c2\u00a0very rewarding since technology did not assist you in anyway.\u00c2\u00a0And finally, I love the adrenaline in street photography, that is that\u00c2\u00a0pressure you feel as you close on a subject in hope of the perfect\u00c2\u00a0candid.<\/p>\n

4. What is the #1 tip you have for aspiring street photographers?<\/h2>\n
\""Vintage
"Vintage is modern" - Yanidel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get out in the street and practice. The technical skills involved in\u00c2\u00a0street photography can only be learnt by being out there shooting. Books\u00c2\u00a0can obviously teach you the basics of exposure but once you have\u00c2\u00a0understood the interaction of aperture, speed and ISO, there isn’t much\u00c2\u00a0more to read about. Many mistakes and misfire will happen during the\u00c2\u00a0first few months but at some point, your eyes, mind and camera will form\u00c2\u00a0one and shooting will really be only about spotting good scenes and\u00c2\u00a0conveying a message or feeling. That leads to another tip, keep you\u00c2\u00a0zooms at home and\u00c2\u00a0learn to use fixed focals (35mm and 50mm are the traditional focals of\u00c2\u00a0street photography), that will force you to move around for the best\u00c2\u00a0angle of view and make you get closer to your subjects.<\/p>\n

Links:<\/h2>\n

Check out Yanidel’s wonderful Paris Street Photography Blog<\/a> and follow him on Twitter<\/a> as well!<\/p>\n

Also don’t forgive to show him some love and leave a comment for him below! \u00c2\u00a0Even ask him a question while you’re at it!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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