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The Fallacy of Focal Length in Street Photography
The conversation frequently revolves around which lens is best suited for street photography. While focal length undeniably influences composition and perspective, overemphasizing it can lead us astray, creating a fallacy that can hinder our creative expression.
The Loss of Context: How Over-Cropping Can Misrepresent Street Scenes.
In the instant photography and social media age, the art of capturing street scenes has evolved immensely. With just a click, anyone can take a snapshot of their environment and share it with the world. However, this accessibility also brings a significant challenge: the tendency to over-crop images. While cropping can enhance a photo's composition or highlight particular details, over-cropping risks stripping away crucial context, ultimately misrepresenting the story behind the photograph.
Ultimate Zoom Lens for The Best Street Photography
I appreciate prime lenses and consider myself fortunate to have an extensive selection. At the same time, I acknowledge the vital role that zoom lenses play in photography, and I find them quite useful. I carry one on my daily outings in Tokyo. It is heavy and old, and I don't always use it, but it does its job remarkably well when I do.
In Tokyo, Colour Is Best For Street Photography.
I love to shoot in black and white. I love it so much that I purchased a camera that only shoots in black and white. That camera is the Q2 Monochrom by Leica. That is how much I love black-and-white street photography. This blog is almost entirely in black and white. Why suggest Tokyo looks best in colour? I think that it does.
Is The 1:1 Aspect Ratio Best For Street Photography?
I frequently use the Leica Q2 Monochrom and Nikon Z9 cameras. They have a common aspect ratio of 24 x 36 mm (3:2), ideal for landscape and portrait photography, appealing to the human eye. This ratio resembles televisions, theatres, computer screens, and most printed materials. Since many designs favour this ratio, why opt for a 1:1 aspect ratio?
Shibuya Crossing: Why Street Photographers Hate It, Why I Love It.
I want a moment. That is what I shoot in street photography. It is what I shoot in all other genres of photography as well. I don’t consider what is popular, what has been done before, just the moment. It must be a fraction of time expressed in a nearly tangible format. I need to be able to taste, smell, almost touch, and feel it. I fail at this all the time.
Tokyo Changes, Shoot It Before You Lose It.
Tokyo Changes
Cities are living things in a constant state of change. Tokyo is one of the biggest and most vibrant cities in the world. Its changes come fast and without warning. That new favourite shooting spot you found can vanish into thin air before returning for a second shoot.
Street Photography Etiquette?
What is street photography etiquette? Is it practiced? When can it go over the line? Who decides that line? I aim to answer all these questions, not based on popular opinion, but on 20 years of street photography in Tokyo. Does that make me right? More correct than you? No. Etiquette is up to the individual.
Working the Scene in Tokyo’s Shibuya
One of the first lessons learned as a new street photographer is to work the scene. That is, to move around the scene you are shooting for the best image to capture. I learned this lesson very early as I only had access to a single lens, a 50mm. I would love to claim artistic instinct, but in truth, I had no other choice.
A Beautiful Night of Street Photography in Shibuya
What constitutes a beautiful night of street photography is italicized below. Though it is written in the formal language required for another publication, the highlighted text provides insight into not only how to approach teaching street photography but also how I practice it.
The Joy of Sharing Street Photography.
Most of my day as a street photographer is spent scouting new locations rather than shooting them. I do this not by choice but through instinct. I spend just enough time exploring an area’s potential, capturing something I am happy with, and moving on. I have many favourite spots in Tokyo. I revisit them often but never consider any particular place to be mine. If anything, they belong to the city, and I have only carefully observed their potential.
The Best Focal Length For Street Photography Is?
What is the best focal length? 28mm-35mm-50mm-wider or longer? A leading question for some is undoubtedly meant to be the title of this article, but what is the correct answer? That answer is simple, yet complicated by the effort required to achieve simplicity. The (simple)correct answer is the one you have with you. You have mastered it or are on the way to mastering it. This focal length matches the vision in the heart.
2025 Content Strategy: Or How I Learned to Trust Myself
In preparing for (setting)my 2025 goals I came to the realization that my approach for writing and sharing my work should mirror the way I create my images. I feel it, then I set to make it. I dont oftetn follow a set plan, finding mediocre results when I do. MY whole cratinve self is wrapped in pre-visualization. Sometimes it comes well in advance, and some days it happens in the moment: this is happening here, this light, that contrast, this background, i want this, yes, this , wait, wait, click. That is my thought process in the simplest form when taking a picture. Things are happening and I see this as the best final result. With decades of practice there is no internal dialouge, just the final image in mind.
Street Photography Silhouettes in Tokyo
I recognize that some perceive silhouettes as clichés associated with beginners or lazy street photographers. However, I've included silhouettes in my list of favourite street photography images. That said, I regard street photography silhouettes similarly to any technique: they're valuable to know, and mastering them can be even more beneficial because you never know when the ideal opportunity will arise on the streets.
Are Monochrome Cameras Necessary?
In photography, monochrome cameras stand out for their unique ability to capture images in shades of black and white, delivering striking contrast and depth. While many photographers opt for traditional colour cameras, the benefits of monochrome cameras cannot be overlooked.
The Definitive Guide: Motion in Your Street Photography
Incorporating motion into any genre of photography adds dynamic layers to the composition. A visual layer encourages viewers to engage more deeply with the image, while a psychological layer prompts them to reflect on its meaning. This is particularly relevant in street photography, which encompasses a wide range of visual styles, techniques, and subject matter.
Is Every Image We Take a Self-Portrait?
Do you take self-portraits? I think we all do. I know we all do. From a certain point of view, we all do. At least, I think we do, don’t we?
Returning to the Scene: Roppongi MidTown
Revisiting a location can yield impressive outcomes, exemplified by this image of a woman hurrying past an LED billboard in Tokyo Midtown.
The Art of Capturing The Walk in Tokyo.
Capturing a person walking by a captivating background is a straightforward and stylish entry point into street photography. I've been practicing this for over twenty years, which enabled me to shoot in manual exposure full time..
Photographing Strangers in Tokyo
Photographing People in Tokyo
The fear of photographing people is real, but it is also the most rewarding type of street photography, from the image created to the experience shared in its capture.