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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Market Shadows”

Poltava Market Wall-1

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Poltava, Ukraine at the city’s main market. Ukraine is already big on their markets and this is one of the best you’ll come across in the country. You can find anything and everything here. From fresh produce to clothes to pig heads, this large bazaar has it all. I don’t always love markets as much as others because they can be too crowded with messy backgrounds, but this one was special so I spent hours walking around here. One of my favorite parts was an area with rows of colorful metal stalls that are locked up when the seller isn’t around. I really liked how the light hit this blue stall and cast different shadows. So I stood by it waiting for people to walk by to see if I could capture anything interesting. I got a few shots at this spot that I will include in my 33 photos from Poltava post coming soon, but I’m putting this one up for Street Shot Sundays, partly because of his shadow. It looks like he’s wearing a full brim hat when it’s actually his hair bun in the back and there’s something about that shadow that’s almost cartoonish to me.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 27mm

7 Reasons to Photograph Smaller Cities : in Poltava, Ukraine

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*Side Street Series ventures off the beaten city streets. Many times, the photography ventures away from Street Photography too.

Shooting Smaller Cities in Poltava, Ukraine

So while shooting some work in Ukraine, I made sure to visit my good friend Rita in Poltava for a few days (that pretty girl pictured below).

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My friend Rita walking in her city of Poltava, Ukraine

Poltava isn’t a city that attracts tourists or is known much outside of Ukraine. With a population under 300,000 it’s no village, but it’s not the big city either.

Many times, in the world of Street Photography, we are looking to shoot in the biggest and most famous cities where the streets are always full of life. This makes sense since it provides so many opportunities to capture people in everyday life, but sometimes we neglect all the life that happens in smaller cities around the world.

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While the big cities bring their own perspectives on life, smaller towns can bring other perspectives that are just as important and interesting. Visiting and shooting in Poltava provided a great example of how true this can be.

So I’ve compiled a list of reasons to photograph smaller cities too, with a bit of my experience in Poltava mixed in.

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A Shooter in… Marseilles, France
with Yves Vernin

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*A Shooter Files interview series featuring photographers from around the world with a focus on capturing Street Photography in their own cities and countries 

The Shooter :

Yves Vernin

Yves has lived in Marseilles, France for most of his life and knows it well. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Yves while he was visiting Istanbul last August, though. We met through Spyros Papaspyropoulos and StreetHunters.net when they came to Istanbul for a filming of their Street Hunt series.

It was great meeting him and talking about photography. He’s not only an amazing photographer himself, but he’s also very interested in learning about and looking at other amazing work from photographers around the world.

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“River Relaxing”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Poltava, Ukraine by the Vorskla River. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday in Poltava and my friend took me on a walk to a small beach on the river. I had no idea Poltava’s Vorskla River had a beach access like this and when we walked down from the bridge I saw people sunbathing all over the small stretch of sand. Being in Poltava, it was all locals who seemed to know each other. I definitely got some funny looks walking around the beach. I don’t think they’d ever seen a foreigner find this hidden getaway. By the beach there was a small little store stand where people were hanging out at. The bright sunlight shining on the old man and boy in front of the inside shadow captured my eye. I also liked the contrast of the boy crouched down facing inside the store while the older man stood up facing the opposite direction. It was an interesting scene in their swimwear and the old man’s bearded expression too so I quickly snapped the shot, smiled and kept walking along the beach.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 28mm

Master Profiles: Vivian Maier

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* “Master Profiles” is a series profiling all the great photographers of uncontrolled life. Unlike the rest of the blog, I’m doing these in a straight profile format to make it easy for quick access to facts, quotes and knowledge on all the masters. I’ll also group them together here every time I add a new one.

Profile:

Vivian Maier (1926-2009)

Street Photographer known not only for her photos, but also her unique story of being completely unknown until after she passed away.

[Read more…] about Master Profiles: Vivian Maier

15 Top Photography Collectives for Street Photographers

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I’ve compiled a list of 15 of my personal favorite photography collectives. These collectives aren’t limited to one genre or style, but should appeal to anyone who loves Street and Documentary Photography. 

These collectives are filled with some of the most talented photographers from around the world. Hopefully, after going through these amazing collectives you can find some new photographers and work to follow too. 

15 Top Photography Collectives for Street Photographers

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

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken on a train ride just outside Poltava, Ukraine. I was visiting my good friend in Poltava and she was taking me to see some of the smaller villages in the area. It was the type of older, simpler train made for short commutes instead of long distance travel and I decided to walk around to see if I could find anything interesting. In between the cabins, people come to smoke and I noticed this older man watching the rural landscape roll by as he smoked his cigarette. What interested me the most were the multiple reflections going on in the scene. I made the shot through the door window of the cabin so you could see the reflections of different windows, scenery and people, while leaving the front of the man the least affected. The woman to the right looked back at me just as I snapped the photo.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800
  • Focal Length: 35mm

33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Kiev, Ukraine

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My trip in Eastern Europe started in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev. Ukraine became my best travel surprise in a while and Kiev was a big reason why. I lucked out with the weather and saw nothing, but sunshine my whole week in Kiev. It was warm, beautiful and the perfect weather for Street Photography. 

While the light was amazing, there was plenty more that I loved about Kiev for photography. It was one of the most photography friendly places I’ve been to, there was so much life to capture, it had its own unique atmosphere and while very walkable, the metro was great too. On top of that, Kiev is a beautiful city that costs a fraction of any other large European city right now.

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Outside of photography, there’s plenty to do and see, amazing food, culture, architecture, and a great vibe. I could imagine spending a lot more time in Kiev and loving every minute of it. I can’t recommend the place enough.

For more on my impressions of Kiev, check out the post I wrote about the city from my Street Photography perspective here.

And for 33 Street Photography photos I captured during my week in Kiev, just start scrolling… 

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Currency Exchange”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Kiev, Ukraine at Kontraktova Square. It was starting to get dark, but there was still a lot of activity going on since the square is by a metro, tram and bus stop. I was walking by the long line of mini-market kiosks and fast food joints when I noticed this bright yellow currency exchange store in the middle. I also noticed a small boy standing in the doorway holding a paper bag and wearing what looked to be a school uniform. His blonde hair and the way he was dressed added to the colorful scene. His expression also showed he wasn’t too happy waiting there, which makes sense considering Ukraine’s current currency problems :) So I made the shot just as he looked at me, while keeping his solemn expression.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800
  • Focal Length: 35mm

7 First Impressions of Kiev
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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My Eastern European Street Photography Road Trip started in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev. I spent a few weeks total in Ukraine and to say I liked the country would be a major understatement. I loved Ukraine and it was one of the best travel surprises I’ve had in a while.

I’ll have a few posts covering the places I visited in Ukraine, with a focus on Street Photography and the many reasons I liked Ukraine so much. 

I’ll start with Kiev, though, and a few first impressions of the city, from my personal Street Photography perspective.

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