Oddities of Life

Street photography is all about the street…It might take hours and miles to hit the pavement and find that one photo that says, you did good. While you can do street photography in any town, I surely find a difference in the definition of ‘any town’. IE….Tucson AZ is not nearly as doable as Philadelphia PA.

So the other day in Philadelphia I walked for 4-5 hours and put in 10 miles. I did the same the next day too. All told I came out with one roll of film or 36+ images to review. Not a lot, but I don’t press the shutter just to press the shutter. Although I must admit the ‘sound’ of the shutter on my OM2 is ridiculously addicting. I think someone should make a ‘white noise’ sound of that shutter being pressed to get people to sleep. It is ‘that’ gratifying!

So….I ended up with 38 images and of those, I elected to scan 27 images so not a bad ‘hit rate.” Out of those 27 possibles, I feel I really enjoyed 4-5 images. So pretty good, for film or digital or anything. Given that I take my time and set up a shot or, I see a shot in the making, …..I plan ahead. I am constantly roaming with purpose and not just snapping with ease. I want impact….I want uniqueness. I want my style in my images.

I shot my OM2…..with Arista 400 EDU. If you read my blogs you will see that thru the years I manage to shoot many types of film as each type brings with it a flair, a purpose…. And Arista is no different although you still have to take the basic attributes of that film (you get to know this thru time and experience with each) and transfer your skill and your ‘want’ out of each image so it matches the style of the film.

Below is an example….. I like this image. It is crusty, …rough and ready….odd….unique, different and has flavor.

Here is another example of what I enjoy seeing….

The latter is a reflection…. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time for the foreground to shine thru and overpower the background of the van.

Now….experiment on your own. Find your style…..it doesn’t make a difference as to what your style is, ….just find it. It might takes years and within those years and miles and rolls of film, your style will most likely evolve. There is no one right style….just yours. Enjoy it….and learn from it. Grow and adapt and change and experiment as life is all about that.

And You Don't See Me? Right?

Being a street photographer I am always amazed by how the vast majority of people have no idea of their surroundings. They are clueless… Are they Zombies? Are they Avatars from the future? ….Either way, they just lack any awareness of their physical presence and those around. These' ‘space cadets’ just walk around or stand or sit or look off in some direction and are pretty much there for a street photographers picking. Totally oblivious to that which surrounds them. For instance…take this couple below….:

There they are….about a foot away. Just staring. I am next to them and I have no idea of their names, where they are from….do they speak English? Are they Vegetarians? ….do they read books? Are they lovers? Do they prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla? No idea….. But there they are, big as day.

Dah…take my shot…capture me. I am not posing in any way so a candid shot will turn out just fine….just fine. And yes, I did. I took their shot. In fact this is one of 4 shots I grabbed from them but I prefer this one as they are both looking ‘out’…..I like the closeness of it all. Just ‘Us”…hanging out…..far from good buddies.

Then on the other hand……

More on "Street"

in previous blogs I have spoken to several things that make for better ‘street work’…. One of them being ‘choosing the correct gear’ (camera and lens), while the other is access. So read a few blogs behind this one.

Another ‘street’ element to take into account is “Time’….

The same can be said for just about any venture one does for pleasure or work, but having the time and spending the time in the field is critical. If you are not ‘out there’, you won’t capture any images. That seems pretty basic. But surprisingly I see many people who want to be street photographers but rarely spend time in the field. Most lately, and one that directly relates to me is that I have a local meet-up group here in Tucson and soon-to-be in Philadelphia, and although multiple folks belong to the group and perhaps comment on photos, or post one or two of their own, rarely do they actually go ‘in the field’…

Without going into the field, essentially there is no growth opportunity. How can you get the hang of choosing the right gear etc, or….gaining access to a situation; if you are not on the street frequently. Being on the street allows me to see if the camera I brought along is worthy of what I am trying to capture. Or, the lens I have…. I know for a fact that when I go into a ‘parade’ situation or busy streets, that many times it is best to have at least a 50mm lens, and sometimes a 75-85mm. How did I figure that out? I know the way I prefer to shoot; I know what I am trying to capture….and by trial and error, I fknow my optimum focal length depending on the situation.

Without being on the street frequently and putting my time in, how do I learn how to gain access to some very tricky situations? How to shoot in a dark alley and be safe? How to be around groups of people at night? How to shoot pretty girls and not offend them? How to shoot candid shots and less reliance upon posed shots? All of that begins with and ends with; yes…you guess it….putting the ‘time in’ your photography and learning what there is that needs to be learned.

So time….such an easy thing. Now, I also hear photographers who tell me that they are burned out and don’t feel like going into the streets. Well, perhaps….. Perhaps also that street photography isn’t for you. Or, perhaps they fail to realize that it isn’t always easy to build up motivation to ‘put in your time’. I suffer from that as we all do. This isn’t any different from a painter, or sculpture or any artist at work. Sometimes you don’t want to put in the time. I get it….but I also know that when those unmotivated days show up, the only way to get around them is simply to take camera+ lens + film and go out on the streets. Admittedly it is easy for me to do this while in Philly since my condo there is downtown, as opposed to getting into a car and driving to your destination. Still though…..ask yourself. Do you want to be a good street photographer and if the answer is yes, well….you know what is required of you.

Confused

There are times when we all just ‘fumble’…. well, I had that time the other day, so let me explain.

For the past 6-7 months my photography has been concentrating on a ‘project’ that is a soon to be photo book. One of the guidelines I instilled within my self was that I was looking for symbolism, which, meant that I wasn’t looking for any humanity, just objects. To boot….I shot exclusively with a 55mm lens and with my Olympus Om2-SP.

But last night….I went out with a Leica MA plus a Voigtlander VC11 light meter attached to the hot-shoe. Normally not a problem. But given my past 6-7 months I found myself stumbling along just doing mundane street photography in downtown Tucson with nothing explicit to shoot.

Exactly now where did I stumble? To start off the bungling….take the focal length. Instead of 55mm I was now using a 35mm. Not a lot of difference but enough. One thing I have learned is to take out one lens…..only one lens. Concentrate on that focal length so one’s eyes and brain become in sync and what I ‘seek for’ is what I find; all based upon the focal length I go out with. So shooting for months with a 55mm lens kind of spoiled me a bit too much as my mind sought out photos more attuned to a 55, rather than a 35.

To move on…… in my project I purposely selected ‘no humanity’….only objects. But yesterday I became torn between a combination of both people and objects and I feel…looking back at my shots (on film, so I have no idea what they look like), I feel I missed on both accords. Now did I? not sure….

Moving on some more…..I found myself shooting with a Leica MA where I was experimenting with the Voigtlander VC11 light meter for the first time in the field. This particular model of camera doesn’t connect to the light meter so I have several steps here. First….attempt to adjust my camera settings so they come pretty close, based upon the sunny 16 rule. Second….take a reading on the VC11 after setting what I feel is a good aperture. Third, read the reading…..and move my settings on VC11 to my camera lens and camera. Then shoot. …. This is a bit more time consuming than thought considering I need to wear reading glasses.

With my reading glass issue…..I find myself in a process within itself. My glasses are a top my head while I scan looking for a shot. Then I pull my glasses down to take readings on the light meter. I keep them down as I adjust my camera settings. Then I raise my glasses and take a shot. Then…repeat performance. Seemingly now, not all difficult but remember that street photography requires a bit of quickness to not miss a shot and that entire process with my glasses simply slows me up, thus….I fumble and stumble.

How to move forward…? First..get bifocals. The lower half will be my reading cheaters while the upper half will be essentially clear glass as I am not near-sided. Then, practice, practice and practice on the procedure of using the light meter and making sure I properly transfer said readings to the camera…

Sounds easy….is it?

journaling

I like project photography….as evident by a few blogs uploaded. To compliment that I want to addressing the concept of ‘journaling’… It is a simple process but one that adds to your overall result.

In life….we meander, don’t we? Today we do ‘this’, yesterday we did ‘that’….two weeks or a month or 6 months ago we did ‘this and that’…. It all adds up, but usually our ‘this’s and that’s ‘ run together and we forget what we did. Like a snake crawling in the grass, we meander, we eventually get someplace but in the process we fail to record in images alone; the big picture.

That is where journaling comes into play. I started to journal about my photography 8-9 years ago when I was leading a group of birders into the jungles of Ecuador to bird. I journaled where we were, what Tom saw, or how Pete tripped on a log etc . Since that adventure, and not so soon after, I began the journaling process for my street photography.

So what is in the box? I journal about the mechanics, the light….what I captured and where. I journal about my thoughts and what worked or what I needed to return to. I journal about my reflections too. For you see, since I enjoy social documentary and I couple it with photo-projects, my journals become one element to the finished product. I carry around a small notebook and make a point to record the day. When my images come to life, not only do they speak to the event recorded on the negative but the journal adds a new dimension to how that shot was taken and why.

I enjoy it….

Shoot with a Purpose...

I have evolved as a photographer….. and I like that. As a former educator, this shows me that I continue to be a life-long learner…. I evolve, adapt and adopt….

I won’t get into the ‘evolution itself’…as why bore you? But I will state my intent now…. While I still shoot street and still shoot Black and White and still shoot Analog, my evolution has taken me beyond from just shooting street photos. I now shoot with a purpose, a social documentary one.

For instance…… I have a ZINE out entitled “No Eye’s Upon Me’….where I sat on the streets of Philadelphia like a homeless person and shot from the pavement/cement….with my butt sitting on the sidewalk and my eyes looking “UP”… I wanted to take photo’s from that angle and document what ‘that person’ viewed.

I did it…. I took my camera out and knew that no one would really look at me (which they didn’t do) so my camera was not a problem. I shot…. I framed and shot by guess. I succeeded in gathering images of people staring away, busy on their phones…looking up, down…across….over, under…anyway but ‘at me’…. You can purchase a copy of my Zine for $10….just email me at lehmannmath@yahoo.com

Other ZINES to Purchase:

Urban Life: Philadelphia Street Photography Series 1
Off Season: Life on the New Jersey Coast in the off season
Caressing Light: Shots of light ‘borrowed’ as it caresses off scenes/people.

Well, that is just one of my ‘purposes’ and I have more. But the point I am making is to challenge yourself and go beyond a postcard-like shot. Go beyond returning home with your digital camera and having a 1,000 images to sift thru. What are you going to do with them all anyhow?

Find a purpose…..stick with it and shoot it. Go out with that purpose in mind and let your eyes wander the streets for that image that relates to your purpose. Be selective…. Shoot with style and art. Be creative. Evolve as a photographer.

Barnacks Down Under

“Been Down’ a week….have shot about two complete rolls using my Barnacks Model 1 and Model 2. They differ slightly so I have decided that I need to only take one of them with me on a shoot. When I brought both along, to compare…..all I did was confuse myself as the ‘set-up’ of each differs slightly.

Never-the-less….. I do miss my MA but these two are well worth it. In my part of Melbourne, I must admit…..it lacks a certain flavor that begs for street photography, hence perhaps why I have only shot two rolls in a bit over a week. I intend to venture to downtown Melbourne where I have shot prior and know the lay. I am looking forward to that. In neighborhood’s such as I am in now, I walk…I find…I have to be very creative in my approach and then, well……will see once I develop these rolls in a few months from now.

Yes, a few months….. I can live with that. I think of it as Christmas…… I have a present to open in terms of rolls of film, and I will get there. One day, sometime…eventually, soon, down the road…. Yes, at not too distant future.

Candid or Posed?

Recently on a forum of distinguished photographers …..I have been having this debate about why street photographers should clarify if a particular image was shot ‘candid’ or ‘posed’….. Most on the forum do not agree with me that we should distinguish the two, but wait….think about it.

I will go to a photo that someone took and ask; how did you get that shot….. their immediate reply is that they had someone (model or whatever) pose for the shot. Sure, the shot looks great but is that really street photography or is that just street portraits or posed street or street modeled …etc etc ? It makes a huge difference.

When I shoot candid photography and I ‘nail my shot’……it is because I have taken the time to analyze the scene and then wait for the shot, if it comes at all. Shooting ‘candid’ implies that I shoot without the subject being aware, although admittedly, like yesterday, awareness might come ‘after the shot’. …When shooting I need to determine based upon the scene, the light….patterns and colors etc…what or who might best fit in a photograph.. One can argue that the same applies to a posed shot but when shooting candid, all of this is done ‘now’…. not pre-planned. A quick decision is needed. If I shoot film, and I do so 100% manual or even digital shots I shoot manual focus… but camera settings change as I passively sit and wait. The sun moves, people or things come into the scene etc. Again, those changes require split thinking too accommodate.

The point is, that shooting candid and getting a good shot is more difficult in ‘it’s own way’ than a posed shot which also requires ‘it’s own way’. But those ways are different. While the end result might look the same (if both are great shots), the process of getting from A-L varies.

That ‘aspect of ‘what varies’, is what needs to be distinguished. There are certain things that simply can’t be captured in the same manner between the two and to pass them all off as ‘street photography’ is not right. Photographers should state their process.

A good example is where I recently saw a photographer take posed shots and represent them as candid shots, or ….implied by the subject matter and the end result. His work was published and everyone stated how great of a photographer he was as he captured the scene. Perhaps…..but if capturing a scene means you bring people into your studio and place them against a ‘green board’ and tel them how to stand and hold their arms and instructs them on their expressions; well…..that is not and should not be considered street work.

Just my two cents…..