Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Bride Brigade”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Lviv, Ukraine along a popular shopping street on the way to Market Square. Wedding photography is extremely important in Ukraine. There’s wedding photo shops all over the different cities. It’s a big deal and big business here. Nowhere I went in Ukraine was this more true than in Lviv. The center of Lviv is packed with cobblestone streets, old churches, and beautiful medieval architecture. The atmosphere and scenery are perfect for wedding photos so every few streets you’re bound to run into a wedding shoot. 

I was walking towards Market Square when I saw this bridal party in the middle of the street. The bride was getting fixed up by one of her bridesmaids, while the rest of them were sitting on a bench. I liked the juxtaposition with the bridesmaids sitting on the bench to the left of the bride standing up. I also liked the expressions and gesture of the bridesmaids. It was just before sunset and it looked like they were tired from a long day of shooting. There was something authentic about it, as opposed to the cliche look of wedding photos in Eastern Europe. So I captured this shot and kept on walking towards the square.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 27mm

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Backseat Blonde”

Lviv shooter files-4

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Market Square in Lviv, Ukraine. This is the main square in Lviv, where all the action is centered. Coffee houses, restaurants, chocolate shops and more surround street performers and crowds of people enjoying this lively place. There’s also a popular trolley stop here that I was walking around just as the sun was setting below the walls of old buildings. I liked the sunlight on her blonde hair and there was something nice about the colors and tone of the scene, especially her through the trolley window. So I snapped the shot just as she looked at me, right before the trolley rode off.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/5.6
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 27mm

33 Street Photography Photos from 5 Days in Poltava, Ukraine

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During my time shooting some of the bigger cities in Ukraine, I made a detour to Poltava to visit my good friend there. Poltava has a population under 300,000 so it doesn’t feel anything like a big, urban city. Life is a little slower paced and relaxed. The scenery, while less modern, is beautiful and full of parks everywhere you walk. And while there might be less to do compared to the big city, there was still plenty to see and photograph.

I didn’t have any expectations, but ended up getting a good amount of Street Photography in because of how great Poltava was. It was such a great experience shooting in a smaller city for a change that I even wrote a post about it. 

So here are 33 street photos I took during my 5 days in Poltava…

[Read more…]

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Market Shadows”

Poltava Market Wall-1

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Poltava, Ukraine at the city’s main market. Ukraine is already big on their markets and this is one of the best you’ll come across in the country. You can find anything and everything here. From fresh produce to clothes to pig heads, this large bazaar has it all. I don’t always love markets as much as others because they can be too crowded with messy backgrounds, but this one was special so I spent hours walking around here. One of my favorite parts was an area with rows of colorful metal stalls that are locked up when the seller isn’t around. I really liked how the light hit this blue stall and cast different shadows. So I stood by it waiting for people to walk by to see if I could capture anything interesting. I got a few shots at this spot that I will include in my 33 photos from Poltava post coming soon, but I’m putting this one up for Street Shot Sundays, partly because of his shadow. It looks like he’s wearing a full brim hat when it’s actually his hair bun in the back and there’s something about that shadow that’s almost cartoonish to me.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 27mm

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Train Reflections”

Poltava-2

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken on a train ride just outside Poltava, Ukraine. I was visiting my good friend in Poltava and she was taking me to see some of the smaller villages in the area. It was the type of older, simpler train made for short commutes instead of long distance travel and I decided to walk around to see if I could find anything interesting. In between the cabins, people come to smoke and I noticed this older man watching the rural landscape roll by as he smoked his cigarette. What interested me the most were the multiple reflections going on in the scene. I made the shot through the door window of the cabin so you could see the reflections of different windows, scenery and people, while leaving the front of the man the least affected. The woman to the right looked back at me just as I snapped the photo.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800
  • Focal Length: 35mm

33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Kiev, Ukraine

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My trip in Eastern Europe started in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev. Ukraine became my best travel surprise in a while and Kiev was a big reason why. I lucked out with the weather and saw nothing, but sunshine my whole week in Kiev. It was warm, beautiful and the perfect weather for Street Photography. 

While the light was amazing, there was plenty more that I loved about Kiev for photography. It was one of the most photography friendly places I’ve been to, there was so much life to capture, it had its own unique atmosphere and while very walkable, the metro was great too. On top of that, Kiev is a beautiful city that costs a fraction of any other large European city right now.

Kiev-1

Outside of photography, there’s plenty to do and see, amazing food, culture, architecture, and a great vibe. I could imagine spending a lot more time in Kiev and loving every minute of it. I can’t recommend the place enough.

For more on my impressions of Kiev, check out the post I wrote about the city from my Street Photography perspective here.

And for 33 Street Photography photos I captured during my week in Kiev, just start scrolling… 

[Read more…]

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Currency Exchange”

Kiev-25

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Kiev, Ukraine at Kontraktova Square. It was starting to get dark, but there was still a lot of activity going on since the square is by a metro, tram and bus stop. I was walking by the long line of mini-market kiosks and fast food joints when I noticed this bright yellow currency exchange store in the middle. I also noticed a small boy standing in the doorway holding a paper bag and wearing what looked to be a school uniform. His blonde hair and the way he was dressed added to the colorful scene. His expression also showed he wasn’t too happy waiting there, which makes sense considering Ukraine’s current currency problems :) So I made the shot just as he looked at me, while keeping his solemn expression.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800
  • Focal Length: 35mm

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Yellow Balloons”

balloon lady-1

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Kiev, Ukraine by Independence Square. On Sundays, they close down the street by the square so people can walk freely everywhere. This attracts plenty of people and activity. I didn’t understand what the event was, but for some reason a few people were holding these gigantic nets of yellow balloons, waiting to release them into the air. This woman stood out in her pink shirt and bucket hat. She was very stoic and didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything, just tightly holding the balloons. I also liked how the sunlight really made the yellow of all those balloons stand out and how it left a shadow around her eyes. I made the shot, trying to show just how many balloons she was holding, while also keeping her expression and character unchanged. She never paid me any attention, just kept holding those thousands of balloons.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/11
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 35mm

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week: “Headless Hand”

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 Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Istanbul, Turkey along the Golden Horn. Parks and grass line the shore in this area and I was walking to Balat when I noticed a man in a gray suit sitting against a tree. A couple of things stood out about him. The tree perfectly hid his head, creating a funny illusion, and he was talking with his hand while on his cell phone. So I walked up just behind him and captured this shot just as he put his hand up, almost like he was saying hello to nobody.

Stats:

  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/350
  • ISO: 400
  • Focal Length: 35mm

33 Street Photography Photos from 10 days in Athens & Rethymno, Greece

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While living in Istanbul, I wanted to visit some bordering countries for a few shorter trips. The first country I visited was Georgia, mostly in Tbilisi. Then after a couple of weeks back home, I took another quick plane ride to the island of Crete in Greece. There, I spent a week in Rethymno and then took the ferry to Athens to spend a few more days before returning to Istanbul. 

So in all, I spent around 10 days in Greece, keeping it relaxed by only focusing on two cities. The weather was extremely hot and the sun was out pretty much the whole time so I, of course, spent most of my free time outside with my camera.

Since Rethymno life, especially in the summer, is centered around its beaches, I tried focusing on this aspect of the city while I was there. It was an interesting experience shooting Street Photography on the beach, but Rethymno was a great place for it because of how relaxed the vibe and people are. As far as Athens goes, I had to check out the historic spots of course, but I still managed to mix in some street photography inspired shots even there too. 

So here’s 33 photos from my 10 days in Greece, starting in reverse with Athens and finishing at the beach in Rethymno…

33 Street Photography Photos from Athens & Rethymno, Greece

Starting in Athens…

[Read more…]

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