Street photography is often done with one or two focal lengths — at least most of it is. Since the beginning, photographers have loved the 50mm focal length. But many others have also really adored the 35mm. Still, others go even wider at times and recently, photographers have reached for the 85mm lens. But no matter what, it’s really all about how you use the lens. So we’re choosing some of the best lenses for street photography in this roundup.
What is peace of mind worth to you as a photographer? That’s a question that I’ve been asking myself for a while now. In many ways, it comes in the form of prints and not being bombarded by notifications or going down rabbit holes not associated with photography. Sometimes, I really just want to look at photos and interact with other people who care about their images — not reels. Last month, I took all traditional social media off my phone because of it. One of the few apps that I kept doesn’t feel like social media — it feels like a photography community. When I tell you that it’s VSCO, let me further explain to you why.
When we reviewed the Leica SL3, it wasn’t fully supported by Capture One or Lightroom. And now that it is, we’ve had new findings. As far as the high ISO output goes, it has insanely clean high ISO output. So too does it have incredible color depth. But what’s really amazing is just how well it does at both high ISOs and color depth retention. This is something we really haven’t seen with many other cameras on the market.
Panasonic Lumix always ends up surprising me in one way or another. Today, the company has announced new firmware for the S5 II and the S5 IIx that positions it to be the best full-frame camera under $2,000. Announced in January 2023, the cameras have been given a few key upgrades that will be important to photographers. Of course, it’s Panasonic, so there are also some video upgrades that folks aren’t going to gloss over. This adds to the cameras’ many extra features, such as Live Composite, Real-Time LUT, AF Scope, weather resistance, a lightweight body, and access to tons of lenses across the entire L-mount system. In our eyes, it surely beats out the Z6 II, R8, and the Z5.
Mirrorless cameras are fantastic with all the high-end technology they’ve got stuffed in them. But they also encourage us to think a lot less than before. This is one of the reasons why we highly encourage photographers to shoot film. But even so, if you started with a DSLR camera, you’ll find that you made better images when you used one. Why? Well, there are a few reasons — and the biggest one involves simplicity. However, there’s a delicate balance involved here with becoming more a part of the image-taking process.
“In all aspects of my life, I like to own every step, do it all, and it took me a long time to learn how to delegate, rely on other people, ask for help,” says photographer Desiree De Sade to the Phoblographer in an interview. “The process and the learnings that come from it are just as rewarding as the final product, and it definitely makes me protective about my work because genuine passion went into it. Like I can’t imagine outsourcing editing no matter how much time it would save me. I’d feel it wasn’t my work anymore.” Desiree is a photographer that’s been shooting with Sony cameras since they were Minolta. Knowing how they were, we were curious to know how she made these photos without Photoshop.
“Maybe I’m old fashioned but I am just as much in love with the making of the photo as the final result,” photographer Reuben Wu tells the Phoblographer in an interview when asked about AI imagery. “The hiking at night, brunt wind denting my eyeballs, watching the moon eclipse the sun, the passage of time, seeing an image appear after a long exposure, and that ecstatic feeling as the light changes. AI is an awesome tool, but if I could make that same image by prompting, why bother?” For him, he loves the feeling of the finished image and the accomplishment — which hits even harder when you’re working with Mercedes-Benz.
Yup, it’s the Contax 45mm f2! In the month of April 2024, the Phoblographer is giving away vintage gold! We’ve got a Contax 45mm f2 converted to Leica M Mount — and we’re giving it away to one lucky subscriber in our giveaway that’s available exclusively to our members. When we reviewed it, we said …
Like most people switching careers, photographer Grace Chon found herself miserable. She was a stressed-out art director at a large advertising agency. Like someone in wet clothing stuck out in the cold, she needed a change while still being authentically herself. “…I ultimately decided to return to my childhood love of photography and bought an entry-level DSLR,” Grace tells the Phoblographer in an interview. “I started volunteering with a dog rescue by taking headshots of the dogs to help them get adopted, which turned into a side hustle pet photography business. After about 9 months of juggling my full-time job art director gig and the photography side hustle, I went all in on photography and never looked back.” Unlike the myth of Orpheus, she succeeded — clearly.
The way that Mpix’s Framed Textile prints were described to the Phoblographer leads us to believe that they’re a completely different way of displaying your photos. Made from similar material to what you see with trade show banners, Mpix describes them as an “Ultra-soft pigment coated fabric featuring a matte finish and subtle fine art texture.” After this, you use a metal frame. Essentially, it’s like the ultimate version of a canvas print. And when you realize how large these prints are, you really start to understand why this is the case.