Adam Marelli (http://www.adammarelliphoto.com) has some amazing articles on street shooting, but one series that I learned from– and has helped me to rethink how I frame my photos– is his Surrealist Manifesto series. Learn about the geometry and optical reframing that Adam points out through his analyses of HCB’s photographs.
Read more here: http://www.adammarelliphoto.com/2012/01/surrealist-manifesto/
“A story in photographs about Paris – the Paris of the young men and girls who haunt the Left Bank. They dine on half a loaf, smoke hashish, sleep in parked cars or on benches under the plane trees, sometimes borrowing a hotel room from a luckier friend to shelter their love. Some of them write,or paint, or dance. Ed van der Elsken, a young Dutch photographer, stalked his prey for many months along the boulevards, in the cafés and under the shadow of prison walls. Whatever may happen in real life to Ann and her Mexican lover, their strange youth will be preserved ‘alive’ in this book for many years.”
-Ed van der Elsken, “Love on the Left Bank”
So the dust left in the wake of the tornado that is Photokina 2012 is still settling down. DPreview is even calling it “arguably one of the most exciting show for years.” But what does that mean for us street photographers?
Full Frame is Here to Stay. And more are coming.
The above pictures Leica M, along with the Leica M-E are just two examples of dedication to the full frame. Others include the Sony RX1 and the a99, since DSLRs are still relevant. Companies have fought out the Megapixel wars long enough, and consumers are now smart enough to realize that cramming a sh*tload of Megapixels doesn’t mean anything anymore (ahem, I’m talking to you Nokia).
See this video by the Verge:
As the Leica representative mentioned, bigger sensors mean shallower depths of field. This means that you won’t have to resort to a f/1.4~1.8 lens in order to achieve that shallow depth. More importantly, at our common apertures (f/8~11), depth of field will be more noticeable and combined with new technologies, we will be able to get ever so closer to the 35mm film’s dynamic range (millions of shades of grey, and hundreds of thousands of more colors).
The Sony RX1 in its miniaturized, Full-Frame glory. Would you drop $2799 for it?
Companies are Fighting to Be More Accessible than Ever to Us. More options than ever.
The prototype of the planned Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens.
More and more, street photography is being recognized as a niche. That’s both good and bad. Bad because it’s becoming more and more a colloquial and common term, leaving more room for misinterpretation of the category (I’ve seen some very poorly so-called “street photography” groups with nothing but landscape photos). But the good is that companies are catering more and more to the segment of street photographers. Take the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens that’s in production: it’s a clear understanding that photojournalists and street photographers clamor for the 35mm equivalent.
Fuji introduced the X-E1 and released firmware to speed up the X-Pro 1:
Fujifilm as a company is setting a great example by listening to the feedback of their customers. Granted, their company is still recovering from a decade of obsolescence, as their execution still is a bit shabby (release a half-complete product, then fix: as evidenced by the X100, X10, and X-S1), but they make it right. They understood the speed of the X-Pro 1 was not suited for street photography, but fixed it to be suitable enough for street photography. That is the power of the consumer and photographer, we who choose the tools in this competitive brand landscape.
The OM-D E-M5, my current primary camera, also is a model of response. Having heard the call for a better sensor, faster AF, and a retro styled camera. In fact, it’s become one of the best cameras on the market for street photography because of this smart, targeted response to photographers.
Those who ignore our demands are quickly becoming obsolete.
I won’t say much. Hasselblad tried to defend its Lunar system, a repackaged NEX system for the price of a cool $5k.
Those who try to market their way to photographers who demand a specific set of features won’t work anymore.
The same goes for companies who decide not to innovate, or create new things as excuses to claim they’re innovating. Samsung, in the Verge video above on larger sensors, argue that they want to optimize for their smaller sensors. On one hand it’s great that they’re to perfect what they do, but that’s evolutionary, not revolutionary. Being stuck with smaller sensors, they will never appeal beyond the amateur photographer. If that’s their target segment, that makes business sense. But innovation is all about breaking the barrier and trying something that doesn’t seem to be possible technologically.
Even Pentax, who is struggling to understand consumer needs with their infamously (and somewhat uselessly) tiny Q system, is trying hard to re-position their products by the needs of the consumer. This is what we need to see in the photo industry.
In the words of Louis C.K, “Everything’s Amazing and No One is Happy.” For us street photographers who demand depth in our photos, quick function and focus in our cameras, it’s an exciting time for us in this world.
&& Phil
Talk to me and follow me on Twitter @philhanphoto. (<-hey isn’t that a new username?!)
If you want to keep up with my latest articles and photos, Like me on my facebook page, Phillipe Han Photography!
And as always, comments below. Disagree? Agree with my thoughts? Let me know!
P.S. I’ve also joined a photo collective, revisedMEDIA. Check it out! Inspiring photos abound!
Do you have the balls to argue with a police officer? Apparently you have the right to, at least in London. In most countries, taking photographs in public is allowed (even of private property, as long as you are not physically in the property). Do you agree with the approach these photographers are taking to defend the right of their cameras and photography?
Today we have a very special photographer and Internet socializer- Daah Oliveira! She is the founder of the Clicks facebook street photography group which has exploded in members and participation, and serves as an inspiration to me every day. Hailing from Liverpool, England, Daah exhibits a very unique style and a dark sense of humor. Look out for her signature Rabbit-head, and enjoy.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
Q. Brief introduction please!
A. I am originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil where I started my photographer career 5 years ago but one year ago I moved to the UK where I am living at the moment. I have started photographing bands and consequently I have got completely involved in the art’s world which I absolutely love.
Q. First off, what got you started in photography? In street photography?
A. When I finished high school I wasn’t quite sure of what I wanted to be or what course to study at University so I decided to take one year break and enjoy myself as much as I could. Then I did, I had these friends which had a band and was always following their concerts. At first I was only helping them with all I could do and eventually I became a stage assistant. After a while the band started to become quite famous and they decided to record their first DVD. The photographer that was working with us also knew a lot about video and he was in charge of taking care of the DVD’s production. He knew how much I loved photography and then he offered me to stay with his DSLR camera and try to use it and be the photographer for that day. I had never used a DSLR camera before so he quickly taught me the basics of how to use his camera and I was thrilled for that. When he sent me the photos that I took on that day he also said to me that I should definitely go for it and become a photographer because he loved the photos of that day and kept thinking on what he said then I decided to enroll in a photographer course on the followed year. I’m glad I did because photography is definitely my passion.
Street Photography at first was only a project that I wanted to do because I had never imagined myself going on the streets and taking pictures of random people. When I decided to research all about street photography I realized that I had all the wrong impressions of what street photography was about and it was much more interesting that I thought it could be. I watched loads of documentaries, read many blogs and websites and after a while I decided to go with a friend to our first day of street photography session and I absolutely loved it. I realized that street photography wasn’t all about going to the streets and shooting every moment that happened. I only started to shoot street this January and I think I am still experiencing more and more… I noticed things that I don’t like, for example shooting portraits, it just don’t work to me and I thought that street photography was that, taking pics of people on streets. I’m glad that I was wrong.
Q. Do you mainly just shoot in black and white? What attracts you to B&W that makes your photos special?
A. When it comes about my street photography I try to mainly use B&W. I believe that the B&W adds an atmosphere to the photo expressing better what I want to show on my photos.
Q. It’s very hard to see the faces on your subjects, making the photos somewhat eerie and yet enigmatic at the same time. Do you do this on purpose? And why do you do it?
A. When I first started into street photography world I was in a period of experiencing every type of street photography in order to try to find which style would be more applicable to me. As a result, I realized that I don’t really like shooting portraits because it doesn’t say much about my style which I consider being more artistic and gloomy. I rather have one subject in my photos than being in the middle of busy places. It makes my brain stop and I completely close myself to think in a good photo to shoot.
Q. Why do you love street photography? What aspect attracts you to it?
A. I love being able to show my style on my photos, I love going in a street session and not knowing what to expect and how exciting street photography is. The aspect that attracts me most is the fact of how each photo tells a history by itself. I truly get in love for each of my photos because of the story that each of them tells to me.
Q. I always ask this: what’s the most interesting story you have from shooting?
A. Luckily (or not) I don’t have many stories to tell. Maybe there a few ones in which isn’t that interesting to other people but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t interesting to me. The story that I will always remember is when I was out in Liverpool shooting and I went down the docks in a Sunday which is a busy day there with loads of people. I was only resting my feet in one of the benches when I saw this couple arguing but at first I was just watching them and seeing how ridiculous the girl was being for flipping over the guy, hitting on him and when he said to her he was leaving she started to cry and ask him sorry, so he sat down and she started everything again… they did that for ages. I was quite scared of shooting this moment but I started to think that if she was doing that in public she probably wouldn’t even see me taking the picture of them… so I did. It was a funny moment and always will remember the scene as if they were in front of me right now. Other funny moment to me is when I recognized someone on the middle of the streets and I try to think where I had seen that person before, then I have a click in my head and I remember that I have a picture of that person.
Q. What subjects do you like to shoot? Or any specific locations? Why?
A. I like open places with good backgrounds and good illumination. Because I love the game that you can do with the lights, the shadows and shooting in an open place helps to call all the attention to the details. As I said before, I don’t like busy places because it is the complete opposite of my style.
Q. What gear do you use?
A. I use a Nikon D7000 with 50mm lens and for my blur/motion photos I use my 18-135mm.
Linda Wisdom- from Clicks
Q. You helped found the group Clicks on facebook; tell us more about why you made it, what it is, and so on!
A. At the first the group was created for a competition that I ran on my fan page. The theme was B&W reflection and loads of people were participating of it. Most of these people were street photographers so when the competition was finished I decided to rename the group to B&W Reflections and most of them kept participating of the group even after the competition closed.
I always see amazing pictures on my feeds and I keep a folder on my computer of pictures that I like or I used to post on a friends’ wall a picture that I knew that they would like so I started to think ‘why not create a community page and share this with more and more people?’. This was the main reason why I created CLICKS’ page and I enjoyed that I had the group already there and decided to change the name of the group as well. Everybody in the group seemed to love the idea and then people started to post more, new people started to participate of the group and it is really motivational to see all these interaction going on over there. I also wanted to make a good group of friends to share experiences, critiques, knowledge, etc.
Q. Any links/pages/portfolio you want to share with us?
A. FB page: https://www.facebook.com/daaholiveiraphoto
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daaholiveira
Clicks Page: https://www.facebook.com/clickstreet
Q. If you had to pick just one piece of advice to give aspiring photographers/street photographers, what would it be?
A. To go out and shoot street with no rules on mind or fear. Experiencing is the best way to learn. 🙂
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
&&Phil, love those pictures? Share this article, comment, like, or tweet it!
Hey guys, I’m submitting my works to the B+W Photographer of the Year contest, just to see if I can make it =P
Here’s the hard part: I can only choose 3. Which are your favorite 3?
The little girl who could
Boy, Pondering
Lost in the City of Light
The Children of Light 2
XXL
The Coming of Age
Stride
Just Married
Into Forgetfulness
smile
Float Me Away
Bubbles or Kiss
They Live in Another World
A Fragile Bond
Let’s go on an adventure
Still Life with Boy on Wall
Il Bruno, Il Macho
Thanks so much!
&&Phil
As always, please comment below, like, or tweet! The more the merrier!
Hey there street photographers! Today I have a very special treat for you guys: Ali “Waxy” Waxman in the next segment of the street photographers. I have interacted with Ali online and I have been constantly impressed by her work. Based out of Pennsylvania, Ali has an extremely unique style to his shots, experimenting with various flash triggers (for extremely fast exposures) as well as long exposures that lead to interesting results. Look for his exhibition information at the end of the article!!!
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Q. Nice to meet you! A brief introduction?
A. My photography work explores the relationship between a consumerist desire and daytime ESPN.
Q. You have a very, very unique style of street photography. What’s the story behind it?
A. The shaky face project began at the cross streets of Second St and Walnut Sts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A somewhat juxtaposition of life. On one side, there sits a Hilton Hotel where Jaguars and Mercedes are being valet parked. On the other side of the street is home to the bus station. Where people beg for money and the homeless are fed by the food not bombs kids. Kids that are seriously struggling themselves, but giving everything they have for those less fortunate.
Q.Why the strange expressions?
Q. What is your most interesting story from shooting strangers on the street!
Q. What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Q. If you could give just one piece of advice to budding street photographers, what would it be?
Look at this:
What is it you ask? My family found this worn out letter/note in the chest of things my grandfather (paternal) left before he passed away, along with the Leica M3 he left. That there’s written in his handwriting: a perfect cursive. The photo behind it was left with it, a photo of my grandmother in her youthful years. My grandfather was laden with history, layer after layer: living under the Japanese occupation during his childhood, fleeing to the US after the IMF crisis in South Korea, and living out his days in a quiet house in the States. I don’t know what you see from this photo, but sure wish I could have spoken more about it with him before he left for a (hopefully) better world.
What do you see in this photo?
Hey guys, so I’ve been slacking. But in a good way. Really, I promise.
I’ve been finishing a final model shoot and have sold off my canon rebel and lenses to finally acquire the funds for an Olympus OM-D. Stay tuned for when that ships.
But in the meanwhile, check out this Municipal Archives collection.
As for what it is, an excerpt on the page should do!
Almost a million images of New York and its municipal operations have been made public for the first time on the internet.
The city’s Department of Records officially announced the debut of the photo database.
Culled from the Municipal Archives collection of more than 2.2 million images going back to the mid-1800s, the 870,000 photographs feature all manner of city oversight — from stately ports and bridges to grisly gangland killings.
There are some amazing photographs on here, street photography and other kinds mixed in for good measure. Check it out!
My local camera store just got a stock of Oly OM-D in so I went into try it while I was processing my film.
Some quick notes:
-The AF isn’t as perfect as I thought. Unless you shoot at the maximum aperture of F/3.5 for the kit lens, the AF is actually quite useless– but let me explain. The “detection” phase of the AF is absolutely flawless. It locks on every time, and without fail. But on what is the question– it sometimes locks onto a different subject than what you wanted, for instance the garbage can instead of the face of your girlfriend. Obviously though, it’s a machine so it can’t predict what you want (which, strangely, Canon and Nikon DSLRs can do).
-When it does lock on though, you need to be shooting at a high F-stop. This unfortunately means several things: 1) street photography usually entails shooting at a low F-stop, which means you’re going to have to manually keep the shutter speed high, and 2) you’re going to have to stay pretty still.
Yup. That’s right. The Image Stabilization system actually is less impressive than we were marketed with. A bit of a swing and the picture is pretty much blurry below f/3.5. I even tried the yaw function and yup, it wasn’t all that different from the Fuji X-Pro 1. Maybe I’m missing something here. I need to go back and do another test, but it was ridiculously fast. I could hold down the shutter button and it automatically shoots several frames (rather than having to go into a separate multi-shoot mode), so one of those copies will hopefully be crystal clear.
Stay tuned.
-Phil
Phillipe Han - Street Photographer 