STREET PORTRAITS
Why Street Portraits Feel Different From Candid Street Photography As a photographer, I spend long stretches alone, yet my camera is also my bridge to the world. When I work candidly, I slip into the flow of the street, observing but not engaging. The connection exists, but it is one-way and impersonal. Portrait sessions are […]
LEICA VS PHONE
The Leica M is my primary street shooting camera. I can shoot while staying nearly invisible to my subjects. Nearly invisible, but not quite. Sometimes, even the Leica can be too conspicuous, especially when shooting very close or around overly sensitive subjects with control issues. When the Leica is too much camera I use my […]
OVERCOMING FEAR OF STRANGERS
Strategies and exercises for photographing strangers in the street. The key to all people photography is access. A street photography skill you’ll need to master is how to approach subjects in different situations, in ways that let you keep shooting without losing access to the subject. Here are some strategies you can use. Full permission […]
WAITING FOR THE SHOT
Street shooting requires an instantaneous reaction to what you are seeing. It’s this need to react immediately to whatever is happening on the street, in the moment, that excites me the most when I’m shooting. I usually don’t wait for a picture to happen. I prefer to move into situations rather than stand still and […]
WORKING INSIDE
Shooting on the inside – Working your way in. One of the advantages of Leicas over bigger and noisier cameras is they let me work on the “inside” of situations. Working with wide angle lenses it’s possible for me to stand in the middle of, or very close to the situation I’m photographing without disturbing […]
BLACK & WHITE HYBRID WORKFLOW
Leica M6 film camera[/captioThis isn’t a post about the ongoing battle between film and digital. I shoot both depending on my needs. [Note: This post is updated for 2021.] In my ideal world I shoot film. I love the small, quiet Leica M6 bodies. I love taking a picture, forgetting about it, then rediscovering it […]