Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

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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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15 Top Flickr Pages for Street Photographers

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Belgrade, Serbia 2015

I’ve written some popular posts on 15 of my favorite Photo Collectives for Street Photographers and 15 of my favorite blogs for Street Photographers so I thought I’d share 15 of my favorite Flickr pages for Street Photographers too.

There is an endless amount of amazing flickr pages so this is by no means a definitive list of the 15 best, but it is 15 of my favorite. I’m always looking for new photographers and flickr pages, but I follow all of these and would recommend checking them out if you’re into Street Photography too.

15 Top Flickr Pages for Street Photographers

(in no particular order)

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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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How to Highlight Subjects with Natural Light

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*The “Capture Color Series” covers different tips and lessons on Color Street Photography

The Natural Light & Black Shadow Effect

Some people message me asking how to get the effect where subjects are exposed, while the rest of the scene is in black darkness (Like the photo below). Some even ask if it’s photoshopped to get that effect, which it’s not. So I thought I’d make a post to answer those questions and show you how to do yourself.

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Istanbul, Turkey 2015

This is a popular look in Street Photography today because it adds drama and really makes subjects, colors and contrast pop out at you. It magnifies the intensity of color and contrast too. It also helps your eye focus on specific elements, while taking away any unwanted distractions, like a messy background.

So how difficult is it? 

The truth is it’s easy. There’s no Photoshop, flash or complicated tricks needed. It’s all natural light and it’s very simple.

You only need 3 things. The right natural light, the correct camera settings for exposure, and the subjects in the right spot against the light. 

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Kiev, Ukraine 2015

So if you want to know how to go out and practice this effect in your Street Photography, I’ll break it down in 5 easy steps.

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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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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Athens, Greece

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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, sample walks, 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!

Athens

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How to Zone Focus :
Street Photography 101

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A Comprehensive Guide to Zone Focusing

Capturing life both candidly and in focus is one of the most difficult, yet most important skills to master in Street Photography. Life moves fast, life is unpredictable and life can happen at any moment around you. Other genres and subjects in photography allow you the freedom and time to set up each shot perfectly. Candid life doesn’t. Since it doesn’t get ready for you, you have to be ready for it.

So how can you make it easier on yourself to capture life in focus the moment it happens? By removing the need to focus your camera on the scene before making the photo. And how can you do that? By learning how to zone focus.

In my opinion, learning how to Zone Focus can be one of the most valuable skills you learn in Street Photography. It’s why I use this technique 90% of the time when I’m shooting Street Photography. 

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Istanbul, Turkey 2015

I’ve mentioned Zone Focusing in past articles and it usually brings questions from readers. It can sound more confusing than it actually is if you only give a quick overview. So I wanted to make a comprehensive guide covering all things pertaining to Zone Focusing. The how, why and what of Zone Focusing. Hopefully this guide can answer everyone’s questions and more, but if not, you can always ask me below in the comment section.

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33 Street Photography Photos from 4 Days in Rome, Italy

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I made a stop in Rome for the filming of Street Hunter’s new Street Hunt: Rome episode. While there, I enjoyed so much of what Rome has to offer, from amazing food to overwhelming history. It was a very packed 4 days, but thanks to everything that went into the Street Hunt: Rome episode, I was able to get in a good amount of Street Photography too.

So here are some Street Photos I took in Rome that will hopefully give you a look at what it’s like to shoot there…

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Behind A Photo Project: Taksim Skies

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A Look Behind A Smaller Photo Project

I recently finished a smaller photo project in Istanbul and thought I’d share a more detailed look behind making a photo project like this. The project, titled “Taksim Skies,” wasn’t a large, complex or highly involved project. It wasn’t covering some serious topic or made for deep meaning. It was more of a smaller scale, artistic photo project, while being somewhat experimental and lighthearted. Hopefully describing each aspect of the project can help you see what goes into making a small photo project like this, while also telling you more about the project itself.

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Removing Chaos in Taksim Square

While living in Istanbul, Turkey, I stayed just a five minute walk from Taksim Square. If you’ve ever been to Istanbul, you know Taksim Square is at the center of the city, and always full of life. The largest metro station is here, the busiest pedestrian street starts here, Gezi Park is here, and the famous Republic Monument is here. This is also the place for big events, protests and political rallies. So you get a constant chaos of locals, tourists, commuters, street sellers, and political activists. Even on a slow day.

A day didn’t go by where I didn’t have to walk through Taksim Square. I always had my camera with me and spent plenty of time photographing this active spot too. But with people constantly moving in all directions, you get messy, crowded backgrounds where ever you look. So you’re forced to attempt to organize the chaos when shooting Street Photography here. I’m not a fan of messy streets of people walking in every direction because most photos end up looking the same. A person walking in front of other people walking. 

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So since I had to walk through this square every day, I decided to start a small photo project attempting to capture these people in solitude. I came up with the idea to use the sky as their backdrop and to take a few photos a day, over the summer, and see if anything could come out of it.

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