Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
I don’t hide my love for Saint-Petersburg, Russia. If you asked me to pick 3 cities anywhere in the world that I’d like to return for street photography, Saint-Petersburg would make the cut without hesitation. So much so that I do plan on returning for a longer stay this year.
While I’d been before, this last visit was my first time during the summer. The 20+ hours of sunlight and warmer weather really brings the beautiful city to life, and all the character it contains. I could go on and on about all the things I love about the city, but I’ll save that for other posts. This one is about the photos.
So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Saint-Petersburg…
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. Hanoi’s Old Quarter is not only its historic district and major tourist area, but also the center of the city’s downtown life. The Old Quarter is how you picture Vietnam many years ago. The French-colonial architecture and shop-houses are preserved from centuries ago, while still showing their age. Most of the buildings are narrow and low to the ground, and with activity moving in every direction around you, there’s a feeling of life compacted around you where ever you go.
I was walking around the busy center of the Old Quarter near Bia Hoi Corner when I noticed the bright yellow dress of a woman walking into a messy street corner market. Looking down, I also noticed a small dog tied up outside. The dog’s face had a natural smile and decided to walk up for a photo. The yellow dress and high heels, the sidewalk mess of boxes and the little smiling dog all came together into an interesting, slightly humorous scene for me. So I took this shot just as the dog looked at me with that smile. I was even able to include some more yellow from a case of Larue, my favorite cheap local beer in Vietnam :)
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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, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, 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!
*An 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.
While living in Ho Chi Minh City, I made a week trip up to Hong Kong for photography. While the weather wasn’t the most cooperative, I left the city loving it. Hong Kong is such a unique city with so much to offer that I’ll definitely return. Hong Kong is also home to photographer Edas Wong, who thankfully agreed to take on this city’s installment of 20 Questions.
Edas’ photos have a dreamy, slightly surreal feeling to them. He finds surrealism and humor, or even the strange, from day-to-day life using juxtaposition and a curious eye. His captures make you look and think about what you’re seeing. He’s a dreamer that uses the camera to capture his imagination onto a photograph, using everyday life to do so. Which usually occurs right here in his city of Hong Kong.
So now to learn more about him, it’s time for 20 Questions in Hong Kong with Edas Wong…
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken at the Đồng Xuân Market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Chợ Đồng Xuân is the largest covered market in Hanoi. Its multiple levels are filled with wholesale traders selling clothes, household items, food and more. While you can have fun shooting inside, I much prefer the area surrounding the market. It can get pretty busy and you can find some colorful backdrops to play with along the market complex.
I was walking around the parking lot side of the complex where locals keep their motorbikes. There’s a lot of foot traffic here with the bright blue and purple tarps covering the market stalls adding color. The parking lot attendee was moving a woman’s bike out for her when I noticed the reflections showing on the bike mirrors. The woman’s bright red outfit added even more color to the scene and I tried to see if I could compose a shot out of it all.
Everything in the frame was constantly moving, with people walking by, the bike being moved, and the angle of the mirrors constantly changing the reflection. So I had to constantly move and rearrange the composition to keep the mirrored reflections, while also timing the active scene. It took a few shots, but with this one I was able to put something together.
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2016 was my busiest year of photography yet working on my 100 cities project. While I’ve been based in Vietnam this year, I spent most of it away traveling, working and photographing. After moving from my home in Istanbul at the start of 2016, I focused around Asia with an extended summer around Europe, finishing the year in Cuba.
Other than the traveling, some highlights for the year were being a finalist in three international street photography festivals (Miami SPF, Brussels SPF, and StreetFoto San Francisco) with four photos, while being able to attend two of the festivals. I also joined The Street Collective and have an upcoming book I’ll be published in. And funny enough, I unexpectedly found out I made it into the Huffington Post (Maghreb Region) for my post on being Arrested for Street Photography in Morocco. But the biggest highlights of the year came from all the photographers I met and friends I made during my travels.
After looking through my photos from the year, I put together 50 for this post to say goodbye to 2016. They aren’t necessarily my best or favorites, but some picks spread across all 29 cities. The new year promises to bring even more photography and content for the blog, but here are 50 street photos from 2016 to welcome in 2017:
(in order of capture date) [Read more…]
At over 12 million people, Moscow is the second largest city in Europe by population. It’s an urban, cosmopolitan city of the highest level, with more than enough glitz to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of European and Russian that makes it stand out on its own. And the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen.
So here are my first impressions of Moscow, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
It’s that time of year again so I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! In honor of the season, here’s a few of my photos from the year all fitting a Red and Green Theme. And if you missed last year’s Christmas themed post, check out 7 Famous Street Photography Photos To Wish You A Merry Christmas :)
Cheers!
