Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

15 Top Instagram Accounts for Street Photographers

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Following popular posts like 15 Top Photo Collectives for Street Photographers and 15 Top Blogs for Street Photographers, comes 15 Top (Active!) Instagram Accounts for Street Photographers.

When it comes to the most popular social media platforms for photographers, Flickr has its own pluses, but Instagram keeps it simple, mobile and can be used in different ways. Instagram is so big now that there are too many great accounts to make a definitive list, but I wanted to create a list of some of the best that clearly put focus on Instagram.

This list was heavily influenced by how active the Instagram accounts are. So they had to have a minimum of 200 posts with regular posting continuing today.

So if you’re looking for active accounts to follow, here’s 15 top picks worth checking out if you’re into Street Photography too!

15 Top Instagram Accounts for Street Photographers

(in no particular order)

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Train View”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the local train. I was taking the train from Fort Station to Mt. Lavinia, a close suburb of Colombo to the south. Many people stay in Mt. Lavinia when they visit Colombo, but the main reason I was going there was to ride along the coast line. It’s a cheap and quick 15 minute trip each way that I’d recommend doing just for the scenery and experience.

I was hanging out the side door looking for photos and enjoying the ocean view when we stopped at a station. As we started to leave, I liked how the light was hitting the man across from me. The colors in the background were nice too with the yellow station and blue ocean. I noticed a man off in the distance looking at the water and a bird in between. There was something about the different angles of shadows and other parts of the scene I liked too. So I snapped this shot just as I could fit it all in the frame, and as the local trained gained steam and headed back down the coastline.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800

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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Marrakech, Morocco

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*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

Marrakech

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20 Questions in Chennai, India with Gurunathan Ramakrishnan

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*A new interview series with a play on “20 questions,” where I try to mix it up with different questions. Some serious, some not so much. I’ll also be focusing the series on some of the best street photographers from the cities I visit around the world during my 100 Cities project. 

My recent month in India started in Chennai, home to the most interesting and chaotic urban beaches I’ve ever been too. And also home to the talented photographer, Gurunathan Ramakrishnan, who thankfully agreed to take on this edition of “20 Questions.” 

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Gurunathan’s photographs really bring you into the life of the scenes he captures. Not only can you feel what’s happening, but he’s able to put his own touch on what you feel and see. Often times there’s a little mystery and surrealism, or even humor, added to the complex scenes he’s able to find within ordinary life. His eye for observation, color, and contrasting scenes help make the ordinary look extraordinary. And Chennai provides a perfect environment for this talent. 

So now time for 20 Questions in Chennai, India with Gurunathan Ramakrishnan…

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Announcement: The “All Day White Night” Street Photography Walk in St. Petersburg, Russia

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I will be in St. Petersburg, Russia this week through the end of June during “White Nights,” when the sunlight and city stays alive day and night. St. Petersburg is the world’s most northern city with a population over one million and no other city takes advantage of their latitude and endless light during the summer like this beautiful city does.

So since I’ll be here during “White Nights,” I’ll be leading a Street Photography walk this Saturday, June 25th that will go through the day, and night! Everybody is welcome to join up if you’re in the city. With the short notice, it’s likely to be a small group, but please tell anyone that might be interested. It’ll be a great way to meet other street photographers, have some fun, and take part in a unique street photo walk with endless light. 

This free walk will start in the morning at 8am near Nevsky Prospekt Station and go through the night, but you’re welcome to join anytime. We’ll of course have multiple stops for food and drinks too :)

The “All Day White Night” Street Photography Walk

City: St. Petersburg, Russia

Date: Saturday, June 25th 2016

Starting Time: 8:00am at the Coffeeshop Company on Nevsky Prospect, 22/24 (Near Nevsky Prospekt Station across from Kazan Cathedral)

(If you can’t make it at the starting time, you can contact me via facebook to find out where we are.)

Please share and tell anyone who might be interested and I look forward to meeting some of you! I’ll update this post with any new information leading up to the day of the walk too. Please comment any questions below and to contact me about meeting up, you can email me or message me on facebook.

Email Me at: hello@fdwalker.com

Message Me at: www.facebook.com/fdwalkerphoto 

 

And Please Tell Me If You Plan On Coming!

Cheers!

f.d. walker

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Security Scene”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Main Street near the Red Mosque. Main street is one of the busier streets in the city, just east of Fort on the north end of Pettah. There are shops, banks and plenty of traffic here (vehicle, foot and cow). It also leads to Sea Street and the popular gold markets.

As I was walking along a covered sidewalk here, I noticed this interesting looking security guard sitting in his chair alongside an old blue wall. There was also a small cat just around the corner from him and a man stopping along the wall to comb his hair. I saw this scene unfolding ahead as I was walking up so I stopped just in front and quickly framed them all in the photo before it was gone. 

While the security guard’s expression comes off a little unfriendly in this photo, the opposite was true. Colombo has the most camera friendly security guards and policemen I’ve ever met in my life, and he was no different. This photo was followed by a large smile, wave and a “thank you.” 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

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Street Photography from 5 Days in Colombo, Sri Lanka

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Marco Polo called Sri Lanka the finest island in the world and before the Sri Lankan Civil War, it was a top tourist destination in the world too. Since the civil war ended in 2009, it’s regaining all those visitors too. While most come for the beaches, rain forests, ancient sites and more, Colombo is the biggest city and main way on and off the island. 

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On some recommendations, I made sure to stay longer than most so I could really get a feel for this city, and I’m glad I did. It was one of the better street photography experiences I’ve had. I loved the mix of urban city, island life, chaos and friendly people. You can check out my 7 first impressions of Colombo from a street photography perspective and stay tuned for an in-depth street photography guide to the city, but in the meantime, here’s some street photography I was able to capture during my time in Colombo…

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50 Tips I Would Tell My New Photographer Self

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I remember my first college photography course years ago. It was taught by a photographer with over 40 years of experience. Unfortunately, those 40 years didn’t seem to teach him much valuable advice to give aspiring photographers.

For perspective, the instructor’s most repeated piece of advice was that “No great photos have been made without a tripod!” Not joking.

Most of what I’ve learned since has come from experience, time, plenty of photos, studying great photographers’ work and finding valuable information on my own (thank you internet). A lot of time could have been saved if I’d been told a few valuable pieces of simple advice at the start, though.

So here’s 50 things I wish that teacher had told me instead, years ago. And feel free to add any of your own tips in the comments below! 

50 Tips I Would Tell My New Photographer Self

1. Photos are Images of Light. Learn Light As Much As You Learn Anything.

2. Focus on the Whole Scene, Not Just One Element.

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3. Try Everything, Pick Something. 

4. Don’t Waste So Much Time Looking at Gear.

5. Listen to Criticism, But Stick to Your Vision.

6. Learn How to Zone Focus.

7. Don’t Just Show What Something Looks Like. See How You Can Capture More.

8. Your Photos You Think are Good Today, You Might Realize Aren’t Tomorrow. That’s OK, You’re Improving.

9. Learn Three Things Inside and Out: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

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10. Be a Photographer First, Then You Can Think of a Career.

11. Don’t Compete or Compare With Others. Focus on Your Own Improvement.

12. Always Have a Camera With You.

13. Photo Books are a Visual Teacher. Buy Many.

14. Worry Less About Technology and More About Photography.

15. Take Risks at the Beginning, Don’t Jump into Constraints From the Start.

16. Don’t Spend So Much Time Tweaking Edits and Pre-Sets. Take Your Camera and Go Outside.

17. Force Yourself to Learn How to Shoot Manual from the Start.

18. Don’t Listen to Everyone. A Photo of a Flower Would Get More “likes” than Most of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Work.

19. Do Listen to Someone, Though. Find Honest Photographers to Critique Your Photos With.

20. Curiosity & Instincts Work Well Together in Photography.

21. Shooting Wide Open is Not Mandatory.

22. Shoot Every Day.

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23. Don’t Give Up. Most People Stop at the Start.

24. Learn One Focal Length Extremely Well.

25. Do What You Can With What You Have.

26. Shoot RAW.

27. Bokeh Can Look Nice, But Only in Certain Instances. 

28. Slow Down. Taking More Shots Doesn’t Equal More Keepers.

29. Don’t Worry About Taking Too Many Shots, Though. Take Another Shot, or five, If You Feel It.

30. If It Doesn’t Say or Show Anything Interesting, Then It’s Not a Good Photo.

31. Just Shoot It. If It Grabs You, Capture It. Hesitating Out of Fear Loses Your Best Shots.

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32. Get Closer. But Not as a Rule.

33. Substance Over Polish. Substance Will Last the Test of Time, Amazing Photoshop Won’t.

34. Most Camera Features Just Get in the Way.

35. Study the Work of Great Photographers.

36. Photography Looks Much Better in Print than on Screens. Study Prints.

37. All You Really Need is a Camera.

38. Look Longer at the Things Most People Ignore.

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39. Write Things Down. Ideas, Thoughts, Goals, Etc.

40.  Stop Waiting and Just Do It. It Won’t Go Perfectly, But You Have to Take the First Step to Go Anywhere.

41. Always Believe in Yourself Sounds Cliche. Don’t Listen to Yourself When You Don’t Believe in Yourself Sounds Realistic.

42. Choose Your Own Life. Don’t Let Others Dictate It.

43. Your Eyes Will Always Be More Important than Your Camera. Train Your Eyes to See.

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44. Question Yourself & Your Photography. Push Yourself.

45. Don’t Worry So Much About What Others Think.

46. Fear and Failure Come with Success.

47. Shoot What You Love. Photograph What Interests You, Don’t Force What Doesn’t. 

48. Walk Everywhere.

49. Don’t Overthink Photography. Capturing a Great Photo is Difficult, But Overthinking Only Makes it More Difficult.

50. There’s Always More to Learn. And to Capture.

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7 First Impressions of Colombo, Sri Lanka
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city in Sri Lanka, but most people don’t come to the island for city life, they come for the beautiful beaches, nature, and “Cultural Triangle.”

Before coming to Sri Lanka, I talked to some photographers who found Colombo had plenty to offer itself, though. Maybe it’s more worth it for street photographers, but I ended up staying almost a week in Colombo because of how much I liked it. If you enjoy cities in India, then Colombo shouldn’t be disappointing, but it also has its own character that makes it different too.

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So here are my first impressions of Colombo, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

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-f.d. walker

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