Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

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7 First Impressions of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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After traveling around Sri Lanka, India and Nepal, it was finally time stay in one place for a little while. That place was Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, or better known as Saigon. Honestly, everyone and everything in the city still refers to Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon so for this post we’ll go with the much shorter (and quicker to type) name too.

For my time in Saigon, I had my own apartment right in the heart of the city in District 1. Currently at 19 districts, Saigon uses this numbered system to section off different neighborhoods, many of which have their own character and what they’re known for. While District 1 is the heart of the city, and where most of the attractions are located, there’s a lot more to see if you have the time. Luckily, I had plenty of time to explore the many districts. 

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So here are my first impressions of Saigon (HCMC), from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

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33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Kathmandu, Nepal

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After spending a month in India, I stopped in Kathmandu, Nepal before my full move to Vietnam.  I had no trekking planned so I devoted all my time to exploring the city with my camera. After walking plenty of dusty dirt roads, narrow streets, and river banks, I was able to find some of the more interesting spots that you can’t find online. Kathmandu is a unique city with its own atmosphere of Nepalese culture, architecture, crumbling buildings, and dusty skies. 

You need a little time to really discover the city outside of Thamel’s hippy tourist section, but it was worth all the walking. So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Kathmandu…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Strange Surprise”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken by Ring Road in Kathmandu, Nepal. While walking around Kathmandu looking for interesting places for photography, I came upon this small mobile fair set in the middle of a dirt landfill. Next to piles of garbage, cows and an outside market was this set-up of old fair rides and food stands. The scene was a strange surprise, but in a very interesting way. Perfect for photography. 

The mobile fair also attracted plenty of locals so I looked to see what I could capture. While photographing the scenes around the colorful, broken down rides, I saw a man taking photos of it all from a distance. He was by himself in front of a background of garbage, cows, dust and the city above. He had his phone held out in front taking endless pics. I walked over closer and he didn’t seem to notice me, as he focused intently on his phone screen. It was a strange scene fitting for the strange place I had randomly come upon. So I took a photo just as the phone light went on for another pic. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

     

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7 First Impressions of Kathmandu, Nepal
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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After a month in India, I flew from Mumbai to Kathmandu, Nepal. Outside of temples and a starting spot for mountain trekking, I was going in without much real knowledge of the city, especially for street photography. The internet was no help and I’d yet to meet a photographer that had shot there. So that was an experience in itself, but mostly a good one. Kathmandu is unlike any city I’ve been to, filled with culture, scenery and a unique atmosphere. With enough time spent exploring on foot, there’s plenty to find.

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

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Marine Blues”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken by Marine Drive in Mumbai, India. Marine Drive is a 3.5 kilometer C-shaped boulevard along South Mumbai’s bay. People come here for morning exercise, evening walks, young romance, to relax by the ocean, enjoy the skyline, hang out and more. A great place for people watching, it’s one of the most popular spots in the city and my favorite to come for a more relaxing street photography walk. While Marine Drive can be touristy, you still get plenty of local life and interesting scenes, all within an enjoyable atmosphere by the bay.

I got up early one morning to catch the sunlight facing the water so I could capture the people in the light.  While the morning is more quiet, it can be better for photography. People aren’t back lit, the boulevard isn’t as crowded with tourists, and all the morning exercise can create some interesting scenes. Since Marine Drive has been photographed so much, it can be a challenge to capture something different. Luckily, if you spend enough time here, opportunities can still arise. 

On this morning I noticed this group of young men all wearing matching blue dress shirts. They were walking towards the end of the drive where you can walk on tetrapod shaped concrete blocks. I decided to sit down on one of the blocks and watch for a while to see if I could capture them all spaced apart. I liked the pattern of matching colored outfits they created against the backdrop of sea and skyline. After waiting a while, they finally separated and I captured this shot. Almost like a skyline of people against a skyline of the city.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/14
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800

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The Friday 5
(September 9th, 2016)

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5 Photographic Links for Your Weekend

Discover

Photographer of the week: Graciela Magnoni

Watch

Video of the Week: Henry Wessel: Acclaimed Photographer Marc Riboud – A Film by Phil Putnam Spencer

Read

Article of the Week: Men Through the Lens of a Legendary Female Street Photographer

Travel

Photography Destination of the Week: Prague, Czech Republic

Look

InstaGram of the week: @zisiskardianos

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Master Profiles: Gordon Parks

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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:

Gordon Parks (1912-2006)

American photographer, film director, writer and musician known for his documentation of civil rights issues and poverty during the 1940s-1970s, while also being a pioneer among African-American photographers and filmmakers.

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33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Mumbai, India

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Mumbai was my last stop on my last trip to India. Not only did I spend some extra time here, but I was able to meet up with some talented local street photographers who helped show me around. Mumbai is so big and full of life that it feels like there are endless places to explore, but I packed in as much of the city as possible. For street photography, it’s as concentrated with action, character and variety of life as any city in the world. 

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

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Taxi Driver”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Fort district of Mumbai, India. Fort is a primary business and financial district in Mumbai. It was the heart of the city for centuries and has become a popular area for tourists to stay due to its convenient location. 

I stayed in this district and after stopping for some chicken tikka masala (even for breakfast), I headed out for a day of shooting. In Mumbai, I try to stick to walking, or using the local train if I need to go a long distance. Sitting in traffic wastes too much time and in Mumbai you can find so much just exploring on foot. There aren’t many areas you can walk through that don’t contain interest and activity. It also saves me the hassle of bartering a taxi driver :)

So as usual, the traffic was at a standstill. While walking through the stopped vehicles, I noticed how the light was hitting a taxi driver. He looked serious, while sitting through another day of dealing with Mumbai traffic. He had one hand resting against his face while the other hung out the window. The light hit both nicely against the shadows, while also revealing only part of his face.

I decided to include the biker on the phone in the background to emphasize the stopped traffic and add a little more interest to the scene. I also waited until the taxi driver looked at me so I could get that initial eye contact of his one eye revealed by the light. Then I snapped the photo and continued walking through the traffic, onto another hot, chaotic day of street photography in Mumbai.

Stats:

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

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