Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

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Next Up: Berlin & Rome + Eastern Europe

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Shooter Files is going on the Eastern European Road

So I’m not moving from Istanbul, but I will be on the road for a couple of months. It looks to be a busy couple months too. My trip starts in Berlin, Germany and from there I’ll be going through parts of Eastern Europe on my way back down to Istanbul. In the middle of all that, I’ll also be traveling to Rome.

Since I will be taking you all along with me to each city I travel in for Street Photography and work, here’s a quick overview of where we’ll be for the next couple months!

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Shadow’s Hand”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Istanbul, Turkey at the Fatih Mosque near Çarşamba. The mosque has a large courtyard where people gather and relax during the day. Facing the courtyard, it also has a very long wall of seats and fountains for washing your hands and feet, a Muslim ritual called wudu. On this day, the light was extra bright and casting strong shadows of the people washing there. I noticed this lady, covered in all black, almost matching her shadow and creating an interesting effect. So I got up close and made a few shots hoping to capture her shadow doing something that made it look almost like a separate person. This is the shot I liked the most since it gives the look that her shadow is reaching out towards her. I normally only shoot color, but I had to edit this one in black and white since it fit the image so much better.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/16
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 35mm

A Shooter in Austria
with Enrico Markus Essl

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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 :

Enrico Markus Essl

Enrico was born in Linz, the third largest city in Austria. While he currently still lives in Linz, he has also lived in Salzburg and enjoys spending time shooting the streets of Vienna. So it’s safe to say, he has plenty of experience photographing life in Austria. 

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Side Street Series: The Cable Car City of Chiatura

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

The Cable Car City of Chiatura

One of the highlights of my trip to Tbilisi, Georgia was actually a place outside of Tbilisi. A city like no city I’ve been to before, but one most people have never heard of. 

Chiatura, Georgia

So What’s So Unique About It?

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Garbage Can Selfie”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Istanbul, Turkey in Eminönü by the Galata Bridge. I was walking by the seafront where they sell all the fish sandwiches and just before walking up the steps to the bridge I noticed these three girls taking selfies. They were sitting on the normally crowded steps, but at this time no one was around them. For whatever reason they were huddled together behind a garbage can while taking selfies, which created an amusing scene. I knew as soon as they saw me, they’d probably stop so I tried getting as close as possible and quickly taking the shot before it disappeared. I also tried to get their faces framed inside the garbage can as much as I could and this shot was taken at the exact distance they first noticed me. They quickly stopped their garbage can hidden selfies, but as soon as I was up the stairs above, they were back at it.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/350
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 35mm

Master Profiles: Bruce Davidson

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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:

Bruce Davidson (1933-present)

American Street Photographer known for capturing life in some of the more dangerous places and communities.

[Read more…] about Master Profiles: Bruce Davidson

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “A Long Day”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Istanbul, Turkey by Taksim Square. It was the end of a very hot day in Istanbul and I was walking home by Taksim Square. While walking across the street, out of the corner of my eye I noticed this group of people sitting on the outside steps of an orange-colored bank. What caught my eye was that all five them of them had their hand on their face in a similar look of exhaustion from the long, hot day. So I very quickly walked over and made the shot as fast as possible before any of them changed their gesture. Luckily, I captured it just in time before they did.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/350
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 35mm

33 Street Photography Photos That Will Make You Visit Tbilisi, Georgia

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I had an amazing experience visiting Tbilisi, Georgia a few weeks ago. It’s not a place on everyone’s radar to visit yet, but it’s starting to become one. And for good reason too. The city is unique, the scenery is interesting,  the people are friendly, the food is great and there’s so much more to see and do if you want to venture outside of Tbilisi too. You could easily spend months visiting the beautiful mountain villages all over Georgia, but for Street Photography, Tbilisi is worth a visit on its own.

Tbilisi has cobblestone streets and old churches throughout old town, but you can also capture the more modern side of the growing Tbilisi too around Freedom Square and Rike Park. Then there’s the street markets all over the city that give endless action for photography, especially around Station Square. It’s a city you can just get lost in walking its streets. Georgia is also the reigning birthplace of wine so with that history, you know it’s got to be good.

If you want to capture a city like you haven’t seen before, then Tbilisi would be a great choice. Here are 33 street photos that I took during my visit to Tbilisi, Georgia.

33 Street Photography Photos from Tbilisi, Georgia

Walking the Streets of Tbilisi…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Mickey”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Tbilisi, Georgia by the Freedom Square metro station during my recent visit there. It was the end of the day and the sun was starting to go down so I was about to take the metro back to my apartment after a day of shooting the streets. Since there can be some good photo opportunities by the station, I decided to walk around to see if I could find anything before I called it a day. While walking by the bus stop, I spotted this scene that had to be captured. The two women were deep in conversation while the little boy was completely hidden by his Mickey Mouse balloon, giving the illusion that he was part Mickey. So I quickly got up close and took the shot before he moved the balloon or they noticed.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/350
  • ISO: 200
  • Focal Length: 35mm