5 Quick-Fire Tips to Make You Even Better at Street Photography

Although street photography takes time to perfect, these five quick-fire tips will help you get to grips with the fundamentals.

Street photography can be as equally frustrating as it is rewarding. It’s not easy creating a compelling photograph out of a scene you seemingly have no control over. That’s why many fall at the first hurdle, deeming it too difficult to do well. But like anything, practice prevails, and if you master the basics, you’ll eventually get to a point where you’re creating fantastic street images. To help you on your path to glory, here are five quick fire tips for better street photography.

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Charlie Lieberman: From Filming “Heroes” to Loving His Leica

All images by Charlies Lieberman. Used with permission.

“A while ago, I found myself getting restless about my career choice,” says Charlie Lieberman to us in an interview. “Since my youth, I had admired good photographs and was envious of those who made them. So, I decided to change everything and see if I could teach myself how to make good photographs and prints.” The photographer who became a cinematographer then came back to photography earned a big break after teaching himself how to make what he calls “good photographs and prints.” His work leads him to photograph indigenous cultures for Anthropology books. Crazy, right? It’s not the first thing you think of when you talk about being a successful photographer, but it’s undoubtedly a dream for many, whether they realize it or not. After being discovered by a documentary filmmaker and tasked with shooting production stills, Charlie moved entirely into cinematography and worked on the show Heroes. With that past him, he returned to the world of the still photo.

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Fujifilm: ACROS II Had a “Steadily Increasing” Pro Photographer in Mind

Fujifilm ACROS II is likely to excite photographers as much as the growing market of professional photographers that Fujifilm sees.

“The Professional segment has been steadily increasing for the last couple of years. Usage of professional film in this segment is primarily driven by wedding and portrait photographers. This is not novelty use,” says Manny Almeida, Division President, Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation in an interview with the Phoblographer regard the development of the Fujifilm ACROS II 100 film. The emulsion is $12 a roll in either 35mm or 120. Indeed, if you look around the web, you’ll see lots of photographers either embracing the film look or probably shooting film. In fact, one of them won a World Press Photo Award in 2020. Now don’t get us wrong; film isn’t as strong as digital by a long shot. But, it’s a growing market in some ways. Otherwise, why would Kodak, Lomography, and Fujifilm come out with new emulsions?

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A Theory on Why Asian American Photographers Are Being Held Back

While Asia is very much the home for most of the modern photography industry, Asian American Photographers are rarely seen in the limelight.

Asian Pacific Americans (APA) are poorly represented within our industry. Considering much of today’s photography industry bares Asian roots, the amount of recognition received by photographers of APA descent feels disproportionate. Why aren’t more prominent Asian Pacific American photographers being featured?

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Alessio Trerotoli Delivers Needed, Refreshing Take on Street Photography

All images by Alessio Trerotoli. Used with permission. 

“This series is a sort of art therapy to me,” says Italian Street Photographer, Alessio Trerotoli. He adds, “…I’m a guy full of joy, irony, and love, but I know I have a dark side somewhere, and I need to accept it and to live with it.” He’s talking about Raindrop Blues, his series that mixes street photography and fine art to create a set of compelling and emotional images. It’s a refreshing twist on a genre that has risked becoming stale over the years. And when The Phoblographer first saw the work, we were excited at the thought of sharing it with our readers.

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5 Asian Pacific American Photographers Share Their Journeys as Artists

All images used with permission, lead image by Andrew Kung.

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we spoke with five of the top photographers of APA descent working in the industry today. Their specialties range from automotive, commercial, documentary, lifestyle, music, and weddings. We asked them one simple question, “How far have you come as an artist since you first began your journey as a photographer?” Here are their stories:

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Missing Street Photography? Here Are 5 Things You Can Do Indoors

If you love street photography, being quarantined is likely to be your worst nightmare. Here are some things you can do.

Street photography doesn’t exist unless you have streets full of people. Right now, those streets are empty, as all of us remain indoors during the current epidemic. If you practice street photography, there’s a good chance you’re feeling a little forlorn right now. But you shouldn’t. At this moment, you have the opportunity to focus on other areas of the photographic practice while keeping it linked to the genre of photography you love the most.

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Weird Stock Photos: We Have No Idea What’s Happening but These Stock Photos Are Hilarious

These stock photos will serve as your potent dose of humor or oddity — we’ll let you take your pick.

We’re no strangers to the fact that Reddit is a repository of all things weird and wonderful. We’ve seen our fair share of the wonderful of late, so today’s find is all about the weird (or the wonderfully weird side of the Interwebs, as we think some of you may find it). Whether you’re in the stock photography business or are starting to grow an interest in it, we bring you the strangest collection of snaps that have ever been submitted — or sneaked — into some of the leading stock photography websites out there.

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How Fujifilm X Photographer Jens Krauer Explored Bed-Stuy

Through his ongoing Bed-Stuy Project, photographer Jens Krauer explores the history and culture at the heart of a historic Brooklyn neighborhood.

The people and history behind the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant are deeply entwined with Hip-Hop and African American culture. It is a rich tapestry that kept Zurich-based photographer Jens Krauer coming back time and time again. Through his long-term documentary series, aptly named Bed-Stuy Project, Jens explores the human stories behind the neighborhood’s rich history.

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Jared Gruenwald Provides a View Through the Lockdown Glass

In this interesting project, Jared Gruenwald shares how his side of the world is holding up in this time of global lockdown and quarantine.

With much of the world reeling from the spread of COVID-19, the anxiety, panic, and isolation has been creeping upon us. Of course, we want to check up on our friends and family and see how they’re doing. For Philadelphia-based commercial photographer and owner of Left Eyed Studios Jared Gruenwald, it’s also an opportunity to document his rounds and show how his side of the world is holding up. With this, he began a photo project titled Through the Lockdown Glass.

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Tips for Introverts: Photographers Share the Secret to Better Networking

One of the biggest challenges for many photographers is networking, and it starts with taking the first step.

If there is one thing that eludes many photographers, it’s networking. Marketing yourself and even simply talking to people can seem difficult for lots of folks, but it’s even more difficult for folks who are introverted. So, we talked to a number of successful photographers about how they network and what they’re doing right now.

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Opinion: Olympus Can Set the Tone for the Future of Photography

compact cameras Olympus Pen F

Olympus knows the limitations of its chosen platform, but they have the ability to innovate and incorporate computational photography into their cameras.

Olympus has a track record of being able to achieve the seemingly impossible. Over the last 12 years, Olympus has developed technologies that have still made the Micro Four Thirds platform relevant today. They have developed class-leading IBIS, started to incorporate AI into their cameras, and their weather sealing technologies are some of the best in the business. But let’s not think all is rosy in M4/3’s world. APS-C and Full Frame platforms are pulling away at an alarming rate when it comes to sensor technology, and pricing continues to draw people away from the Micro Four Thirds platform. If anyone can make M4/3 relevant again, it’s Olympus. They are crazy enough to try new things that can make the platform fun for photographers. After the break, we will take a look at what Olympus needs to focus on if they want to keep up with Sony and the rest of the gang.

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Video: An Autofocus Test. Canon vs Panasonic vs Sony vs Fujifilm

Which one: Canon, Panasonic, Sony or Fujifilm for Autofocus?

In response to comments we’ve gotten regarding our complaints about Panasonic’s autofocus, we created a video putting four systems against each other. We put them all in the same situation and had them autofocus on a moving subject. In this case, it was a subject that wasn’t moving very fast. The results? Check out our YouTube video to find out. The results confirm what we’ve known with Panasonic and the L mount alliance in general. Also, Sony is still king.

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60 Seconds: The Human Form And Psyche in Long Exposure (NSFW)

All images by Mark De Paola. Used with permission.

“I think what makes good art is to engage people and not dictate to people what to feel,” says Mark De Paola. He’s a multi-disciplined creative, working across many industries, inclucing television, art, and photography. His photography series, 60 seconds, is a detailed look at what makes us human. He created the work over eight months, using long exposures as the core technique of the creation of the images. Through the series, De Paola breaks all the rules of traditional long-exposure photography. He holds the camera in his hands, rather than placing it on a tripod. And he doesn’t ensure his subjects are in focus. The result? A series of photographs that depict the natural flow of being human. It’s an extremely compelling project and we wanted to dive in deeper to understand it.

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Opinion: 5 Things Fujifilm Must Do to Keep the X and GFX Platforms Growing

Fujifilm has become a shining example of how to do things the right way, but they can’t rest on their laurels.

Fujifilm has become a significant player in the Mirrorless camera space over the last seven or eight years. While they hit a few bumps in the road along the way, they actively listen to their users and have made improvements to their APS-C X line of cameras, which thrust them into the spotlight. On top of their success with cameras like the X-T3, X-Pro 3, and the X-H1, Fujifilm has revolutionized the Medium Format market with their GFX cameras. All might look rosy for Fujifilm right now, but they can’t afford to let their guard down. After the break, we will take a quick look at five things Fujifilm needs to do to make sure they retain or improve upon their current standing.

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The Leica M4: A Camera for the Thinking Photographer with Skill

Leica was serious when they took pride in the M4 as a no-frills, no electronics, “think camera” for pro photographers.

Leica cameras have come to mean many things to photographers, but one model in particular was dubbed as the camera for the thinking photographer by the company itself. In a vintage print ad, the Leica M4 was marketed as the camera for pros who want to take full control of their camera settings and put their full creativity to work. None of those electronic functions like auto exposure and autofocus were included in the M4 — just pure photography skills at work. Of course, the all-mechanical Leica M4 remains one of the most coveted classic Leica models today, and perhaps this nostalgic ad tells us a little bit about the pride that goes into owning one.

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Opinion: Sony Needs to Innovate Again If They Want to Remain Top Dog

Sony has been blazing a trail ever since it purchased Minolta, but needs to change a few things if it wants to stay ahead of the pack.

Back in 2006, when Sony purchased Minolta, we weren’t sure what Sony would bring to the table. They had dabbled with point and shoot Cyber Shot cameras, but moving into the camera market proper was a big step, and many wondered if Sony would be able to make the move successfully. Sony showed us exactly what they could do, and the rest is history. Since that time, Sony has rarely had to look over its shoulder, but now, Canon, Nikon, and others are waking up and are getting closer one again. Sony seems to have reached peak camera, so if it want to widen that gap once again, it will need to dig deep and innovate as it did at the start of the Mirrorless age. After the break, we’ll take a quick look at what Sony needs to do to keep moving forward.

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He Made His Own Large Format Camera and Old School Flash Powder

Nikolai Nielsen’s passion for building his own cameras, including large format cameras, was something he discovered by accident.

Most photographers who build their own cameras, especially large format cameras, started out driven by an interest in traditional photographic processes. For South Africa-based Nikolai Nielsen, however, discovering camera building was a fortunate accident. Anyone who knew of his passions — mainly chemistry, pyrotechnics, and rocketry — would be surprised that he took up making cameras for what he calls “from scratch” photography. However, motivated by his DIY spirit and a chance event that introduced him to traditional photography, it was only a matter of time before he was building his own cameras.

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How Professional Photographers Are Getting More Instagram Followers

If you’re looking to ace your Instagram game, then it’s worth listening to photographers who have made a success of the photo-sharing platform.

Most photographers want to build a popular Instagram feed. From adoring followers to professional opportunities, they are many perks to having a successful account. But it’s not easy, especially when you’re up against a billion other users. Gone are the days when the first wave generation could rise to the top simply by having an account before the masses arrived. Today, you have to be clever and calculated to succeed at Instagram — we’re going to learn exactly what that means.

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Hard Facts: There’s a Real Need for a New Micro Four Thirds Sensor

Current Micro Four Thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic are great, but they seriously need a new heart to keep them competitive.

There has been a lot of talk over the last few years about new sensors for Micro Four Thirds cameras, but to date, we have not seen anything come from all the noise that surrounds the platform. With technology continuing to push forward, the need for a new Micro Four Thirds sensor is becoming more apparent with each passing day. If Olympus and Panasonic want to continue on their M4/3 journey, they will need to figure something out sooner than later. Otherwise, they run the risk of falling too far behind. Let’s talk about this after the break.

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Leotax TV 2: The Leica Copy You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

If Leica copies are part of your collection of vintage camera curiosities, the Leotax TV 2 could be worthy of your interest.

Whenever the topic of Leica copies come up, most film photographers immediately think of Soviet Era cameras like the FED and Zorki cameras. However, there are also some lesser known copies from Japan, as strange as that sounds for most of us. Among them are the Leotax 35mm rangefinder cameras which were introduced prior to World War II. For today, let’s take a look at the Leotax TV 2: one of the last few models in the series.

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