Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Eastern Europe

33 Street Photography Photos From 4 Days in Bratislava, Slovakia

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While working in Budapest, I decided to take a quick 2 hour train ride up to Bratislava, Slovakia to spend a few days in a city I didn’t know too much about. It’s not at the top of most people’s lists to visit when it comes to European capitals, but I’m more than glad I spent some time exploring this unique little city with my camera. It has a relaxing vibe with history, character and a ruggedness that comes without the fast paced chaos of bigger capital cities.

So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Bratislava…

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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Lviv, Ukraine

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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!

Lviv

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7 First Impressions of Bratislava, Slovakia
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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After Belgrade, I decided to work in Budapest for longer than planned. During this time, I also took a quick two hour train ride to spend some time photographing Bratislava, Slovakia. While Bratislava is the largest city in Slovakia, it’s also one of the smallest capital cities in Europe by population. This actually helps give it some of its charm, though.

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The city’s history has been strongly influenced by many nations and religions, which helps pack a lot of character into the smaller capital. There’s still plenty to experience and explore too. And the best part is that it all comes with an authentic and uncrowded city vibe. Exploring the city with your camera is much more relaxing compared to bigger cities, while still giving you plenty to capture.

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

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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Kiev, Ukraine

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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!

Kiev

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33 Street Photography Photos From 4 Days in Belgrade, Serbia

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After my detour to Rome, I made my way back to Eastern Europe in Belgrade, Serbia. The city isn’t known for its beauty, but in many ways it has something more than a pretty picture can give. It’s gritty and real. You can feel its dark past, but see its bright future. It quickly became one of my favorite cities in Eastern Europe.

So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Belgrade…

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7 First Impressions of Belgrade, Serbia
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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After the short detour to Rome to film the Street Hunt episode, it was back to Eastern Europe for more Street Photography. This time in Belgrade, Serbia.

“Belgrade” actually translates to “White City,” but I’d find “Gray City” to be more fitting. Belgrade is not the most beautiful city in the world, but it brings its own character that becomes beautiful in its own way. The city has been somewhat of a battleground over the years and this dark past still shows today. At the same time, you can see the positive transition the city is currently enjoying. 

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It’s also a very walkable city, which is great for exploring this unique Balkan city by foot. So here are my first impressions of Belgrade, from my personal Street Photography perspective…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Happy Valentine’s Day”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats (+ more…)

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Kiev, Ukraine by the Gulliver Building. Since it’s also Valentine’s Day today, I thought I’d pick a photo to go with the holiday. And nothing says Valentine’s Day more than a big red heart.

The Gulliver Building is the tallest office building in Kiev and second tallest in Ukraine. It also holds the popular and trendy Gulliver Shopping Mall. So there’s a lot of foot traffic on the corner where I made this shot. The most noticeable part of the corner is the large “Kyiv” sign that attracts people posing for photos with it. What I liked most was how the sunlight was hitting the sign, intensifying the red heart’s color and making it stand out even more against the shadow.

So I watched this area for a little while to see if anything could come together for a photo. I saw a woman in a black dress standing just behind the heart. The way the sunlight and shadows worked together, it created an effect where you could only see her legs and high heels. Then on the other side of the sign, a girl came up to pose for a picture. Her white dress and red purse perfectly matched the sign.

There were other people walking around the sign, so trying to frame and time the shot so it only included the two women and sign was a little difficult, but I was able to capture this shot.

And as a Street Shot Sunday Valentine’s Day bonus, scroll down after the stats to see a few shots taken in Belgrade, Serbia fitting the theme of love…

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400

Love Atop Belgrade

Love was definitely in the air while taking a walk up above at Kalemegdan Park and the Belgrade Fortress. Here’s 3 shots taken from the walk to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Polka Dot Flats”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Belgrade, Serbia near Republic Square. For a change, I chose a different type of street shot than usual this week. 

I was walking down a narrow street from Republic Square towards Terazije. At one point, I looked behind me and noticed two middle-aged women walking the same direction as me. The first thing I noticed was the flats they were wearing. In the mostly colorless, haggard streets of Belgrade, the baby blue polka dot flats especially stood out. The woman wearing these retro styled flats was also carrying a large bag. There was basically no room on the narrow sidewalk, and the available background was either a car cluttered street or an ugly building. So I decided to try to create an interesting shot of just their shoes as they walked by. 

I sat down on the door steps of a building and waited for them to walk by. Just as they did, I quickly took this shot. I tried to use her bag to help add even more focus to her shoes, while also timing it so I captured three feet spaced apart into almost a triangle. Lately, I’ve been interested in capturing people walking from this perspective against the street. It might not be interesting to most, but something about it is to me. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Belgrade Benches”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Belgrade, Serbia at Kalemegdan Park by the Belgrade Fortress. This area not only has the best views of the city, but also has a unique atmosphere for Street Photography. Plenty of people come hang out around the large park and fortress, including locals. The light is interesting up here too, along with the backgrounds and scenery.

The sun was out and I was walking along the side of the park overlooking the river and city. People were enjoying the views and relaxing at the long row of benches. I noticed three older woman sitting on the benches, all facing backwards. I’m not sure why they were all turned opposite to the view. Maybe the sun was too bright or maybe they enjoy people watching more than views. Either way, I found them interesting, along with the juxtaposition, background, lighting and shadows. 

So I took a couple photos. Two of them gave me a glance on the second shot, which I ended up liking better. There’s something about their natural looks, especially the woman on the far right. I’m not sure what they thought about me taking their photo, but they didn’t seem to care much. So I kept on walking towards the fortress, while enjoying the sunny day on top of Belgrade.

Stats:

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

33 Street Photography Photos From One Week In Krakow & Prague

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I spent over a week in Kraków and Prague, but didn’t get in as much Street Photography as I would have liked, unfortunately. Bad weather and friends visiting kept me off the streets as much as I had planned. So although I didn’t get as much solid Street Photography done as usual, I still wanted to put together a post of some of the photos I made in both cities.

Kraków and Prague are very different from each other, while still sharing similarities. They share an old world, magical vibe and make for some interesting exploration and scenery on foot. Carrying my camera around, with hands fully gloved due to the cold, made experiencing these cities even more enjoyable.

So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Kraków and Prague…

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