Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Shot of the Week

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Security Scene”

Colombo Shooter Files-5

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Main Street near the Red Mosque. Main street is one of the busier streets in the city, just east of Fort on the north end of Pettah. There are shops, banks and plenty of traffic here (vehicle, foot and cow). It also leads to Sea Street and the popular gold markets.

As I was walking along a covered sidewalk here, I noticed this interesting looking security guard sitting in his chair alongside an old blue wall. There was also a small cat just around the corner from him and a man stopping along the wall to comb his hair. I saw this scene unfolding ahead as I was walking up so I stopped just in front and quickly framed them all in the photo before it was gone. 

While the security guard’s expression comes off a little unfriendly in this photo, the opposite was true. Colombo has the most camera friendly security guards and policemen I’ve ever met in my life, and he was no different. This photo was followed by a large smile, wave and a “thank you.” 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/4
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

Colombo Shooter Files-5

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Flashing in the Rain”

flash street beginning-2

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey. Last Christmas, I gifted myself a fujifilm flash and cord for some off-camera flash street photography. I have photographer friends that are into flash religiously and I’d been wanting to try it out more. Natural light will always be my main focus, but flash is fun, adds an interesting dynamic and is great when the light out isn’t so great.

When I returned to Istanbul early this year, the city was covered in snow. After spending most of the year under Istanbul’s hot sun, the cold temperature and darkness were a complete change for photography. So it was the perfect chance to start using my new flash.

One evening as I was shooting around Taksim Square, the  snow/slush/rain started coming down. While my camera isn’t weather proof, I tried to carefully get some flash shots in. I saw this man walking with a clear umbrella and an interesting look with his hand around his neck, so I walked over to get the shot. I also wanted him illuminated underneath the umbrella for both effect and so there wouldn’t be a flash reflection on the plastic umbrella. So I quickly lowered the flash underneath and took the shoot just as he was in front of me. 

While flash isn’t very noticeable during the day, it is once the sun goes down. So this shot actually sparked an interesting conversation. After finding out he was from France, moved to Istanbul, and some other quick life facts, the slush turned to heavy rain and it was time for me to call it a night so I’d have my camera working another day.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/16
  • Shutter Speed: 1/60
  • ISO: 400
  • Flash: Fujifilm EF-X20flash street beginning-2

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Medina Light”

61 Photos-54

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the medina near Bab Rcif in Fes, Morocco. In a country full of elaborate medinas, nothing compares to the one in Fes. It’s more like a whole city and you could easily spend days walking around and getting lost in the maze. The medina here is as much for the locals living within its walls as the tourists visiting.

I had just started the day and entered the medina through the Bab Recif gate. Much of the medina is so narrow and packed that the sunlight is blocked out, but along this busy alley, there were some sun rays shining in beautifully. I noticed a large mirror that reflected against an area where one of those beams of light hit. So I waited to see if I could catch someone against it at the right time.

I saw this woman dressed in blue with a yellow bag coming so I got in the right position for the frame to include both her and her reflection, with the alley in between. Luckily, the sunlight hit the lens just right so it added those two sunbeams in the shot too.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/16
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 800

61 Photos-54

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Sidewalk Shadow”

Casablanca Shooter Files-4-2

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Casablanca, Morocco. I was exploring Casablanca’s medina, which is a much more urban medina than other Moroccan cities. There’s an interesting mix of medina life and big city life here and it was one of my favorite spots in the city for street photography. 

It was later in the day, about an hour before sunset, so the light was great and the streets were full of children playing after school. Outlined in shadow, I noticed a mattress and colorful textiles stood up on the sidewalk where people’s shadows hit perfectly as they walked by.

I was waiting to see if I could capture anything interesting when this little boy walked up and leaned against the mattress. At the same time, I noticed another little boy the same size walking towards him. So I waited to capture his shadow facing the opposite direction on the textiles. Since the sun was low, I was able to catch his shadow just as he walked out of the photo and create a slight illusion of the two boys on the sidewalk.  

Stats:

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

Casablanca Shooter Files-4-2

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

Chefchaouen Shooter Files-2-2

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Chefchaouen, Morocco. One of the many attractions to this small city in the Rif Mountains is how everything is painted blue. It’s not my first “Blue City,” but it is the bluest one I’ve been to yet. Everything is painted a vivid blue, including the ground and steps you walk on.

I had just stepped outside in the morning to get some breakfast and start a day of street photography. As I was walking up the steps, thinking more about Moroccan breakfast than photography, I immediately saw this scene unfolding above. The man had just left his home and the children ran out behind calling to him, but he didn’t seem in the mood for responding.

So before the scene disappeared, I walked up the steps a little quicker so I could include them all in the frame. I tried to time and frame the shot so his head would be in the middle of the flower pots before the older woman closed the door above. The children kept waiting for him to turn around and respond, but he just gave me a look and continued on down the stairs without a care. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/5.6
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

Chefchaouen Shooter Files-2-2

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Hash in the Hills”

hash in hills-1

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Chefchaouen is a special little city up in the Rif mountains of Morocco. If you’re looking in travel magazines, Chefchaouen is famous for being painted completely blue, its unique history, and the beauty of its surroundings. For many, though, it’s also known for being the hash capital of the world. Morocco produces nearly half of the world’s hashish, most of it here in the Rif mountains.

Once in the city, it doesn’t take long for someone to come up and offer you hash or a guided hash farm tour. While it technically isn’t legal, around 800,000 Moroccans work in the industry, mostly problem free from authorities. While exploring the narrow blue alleys of the old city, I climbed to the top where it opened up to a nice view of the city and mountains.

By the edge, there was a small den where I saw an older boy lighting up some homegrown hashish outside. With the mix of blues and orange in the scene, I decided to walk up and make the shot. I didn’t know how he’d react, but he just gave me a look, without showing any reaction at all. After taking the shot, I gave him a nod, but he just turned and kept puffing away, enjoying the view, and the hashish.

Stats:

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

hash in hills-1

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Fes Sky”

Fes Shooter Files-7

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken by Bab Chorfa in Fes, Morocco. Bab Chorfa is one of the largest gates in Fes’ elaborate medina. It’s also right by Bab Boujlad, Fes’ most popular gate due to its busy location and beautiful blue color. This whole area was one of my favorite parts of Fes to spend time for street photography. There’s lots of open light, interesting backgrounds, nearby streets to explore, and plenty of activity everywhere. 

In front of Bab Chorfa is a large open space where a market sets up selling mostly clothing. With all the space, it doesn’t get as crowded as inside the medina so you can really move around and use all the sunlight.  I was returning to the medina, while walking just outside this open market, when I took the above photo.

The first thing I noticed was the man sitting down with his pointed berber hat mostly covering his face. Then when I looked at the background of the gate wall, I noticed the black birds and interesting white clouds in the sky. So I took the shot framing it all together, trying to leave a little mystery with the hooded man included in the scene below the black specks in the sky.

Stats:

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

Fes Shooter Files-7

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

Marrakech Shooter Files-43

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken by the Bahia Palace in Marrakech, Morocco. While not all of the elaborate palace is open to the public, it’s still one of the biggest draws for visitors to Marrakech. The Bahia Palace is on the edge of the Mellah district too so there’s always plenty going on in the area.

Along one of the main roads to the palace, there was a long wall of aluminum siding due to construction (which I believe is for part of the largest photography museum in the world opening this year in Marrakech). The aluminum wall provided an interesting reflection while also narrowing the road for the all the motorbikes and foot traffic going by. 

I was out here trying to capture the unique mixture of local traffic with the interesting reflection from the aluminum wall when I saw these two men pulling towards each other. I liked how the color blue stood out among the monotone scene and how they were pulling their different work wheels, so I decided to captured them just before they passed each other. While the rest of my shots from this congested street were busy and crowded, this one caught a slower, less chaotic moment.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/400
  • ISO: 800

Marrakech Shooter Files-43

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Mellah Salon”

Marrakech Shooter Files-10

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Mellah in Marrakech, Morocco. The Mellah is a walled jewish quarter, similar to European jewish ghettos where the jewish population was confined. While it’s no longer jewish only, it still gives an interesting look at the city’s past. 

There’s a lot of shops and narrow alleys that you can explore and get lost in. While it does have its fair share of tourism in parts, it’s nothing to the degree of the medina, and feels a little more authentic and preserved too. It’s also easier to get away from the crowds and find yourself with only the locals. Which is what happened when I captured this shot.

I had been walking around the Mellah for a while, past all the shops and into a much more quiet maze of smaller alleys. People seemed curious to see a foreigner this far into the Mellah, but at the same time, the street hustlers weren’t around to hassle me so it was a little more relaxing to shoot here.

I was noticing an ad of a woman on the window of a hair salon, when all of a sudden I heard a very loud voice coming from behind the curtain door. I had my camera ready and as soon as she came out, I snapped this photo. I’m not sure what she was talking loudly about, but her facial expression here matched her tone. She actually never even noticed me and after quickly popping out to look down the street, she turned back inside, and continued on with her verbal tirade.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

    Marrakech Shooter Files-10

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Marrakech Colors”

61 Photos-47

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken by Place des Ferblantiers in Marrakech, Morocco. This square is in the heart of the Mellah, the old jewish quarter, and just north of the Bahia Palace. It’s also known as the tinsmith’s square due to all the artisans that hand make items out of tin sheets. In addition to these craft shops, there’s a few restaurants too that make it a popular spot to stop.

You also have some busy streets intersecting here, which combined with all the other attractions in the area, make it one of the busier spots to capture life in Marrakech.

For this shot, I had just finished shooting most of the day around the Mellah and was making my way back up to Jemaa el-Fnaa to catch it before sunset. While carefully walking across traffic at the chaotic intersection here, I noticed how nice the light was hitting a collage of colors across the street. The complementary colors of the orange signs and building next to the blue sky, and the purple cloth against the yellow door caught my eye.. 

Just as I noticed the beautiful light and mix of complementary colors, I saw a pale man dressed in matching off-white coming towards me on a bike as I was crossing the street. So while trying not to get hit by any motorcycles, I quickly lowered down and captured the shot as he rode by against the colorful background. The great light and abundance of color within the desert make Marrakech one of the most photogenic cities I’ve been to yet.

Stats:

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

61 Photos-47