Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Street Photography

20 Questions in Bangkok, Thailand with Rammy Narula

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*A new 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.

Between leaving Vietnam and some work in Russia, I decided to stop in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok has become a hotbed of talent in the street photography genre and fortunately I was able to meet much of this talent after guest speaking at the Street Photo Thailand Workshop. Photographer Rammy Narula, who is part of the Street Photo Thailand team, was kind enough to not only show me around Bangkok, but also to thankfully take on this edition of “20 Questions.”

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(From Rammy Narula’s new book, Platform 10)

Rammy is a member of the APF Collective and a very involved member of the street photography community. Light, shadow and color play a noticeably important part in many of the scenes he captures, as he uses them to not only enhance his photos aesthetically, but also to enhance the strength and focus of what he captures. His work is clean with every detail in the frame flowing together, while blending the candid humanity of everyday life into photos that are visually pleasing too. Rammy recently finished his first book, Platform 10, which really showcases his style using light and shadow in an artistic way.

So now to learn more about him, it’s time for 20 Questions in Bangkok, Thailand with Rammy Narula…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Magazine”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken around KR Market in Bangalore, India. KR Market is probably the most active area in Bangalore, with multiple markets, each with their own specialty. There’s not really a time of day, or night, that it completely shuts down. It’s the beautifully chaotic India that you envision, surrounding you with a variety of activity wherever you go.

For this shot, the sun was setting so I was finishing the day shooting in the market’s outside bus station before catching a ride back home. While walking, I noticed a magazine on the ground with its pages ripped in an interesting way, putting a woman’s face on top of another (as seen above). So I started taking a few photos of it framed amidst the dirt and trash covered ground.

While shooting, I had a few people watching me curiously wondering what I was doing, probably thinking I was crazy. One of the most curious, a small girl, came up close to watch me. Then suddenly she kneeled down and touched the magazine during one of my shots. After looking back at these photos, it ended up being the one I liked the best. It added a little mystery and human touch.

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/3.6
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 640

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33 Street Photography Photos from 5 Days in Bangalore, India

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During my recent trip to India, the rapidly growing city of Bangalore was my second stop after Chennai. For an Indian city, Bangalore brings a unique mix of cosmopolitan big city and the colorful, chaotic charm India is famous for. Parts of it are rivaled only by Mumbai for its development and the rapid growth you see and feel is unmatched. For street photography, it gives a variety of places to explore that can differ greatly in atmosphere too. 

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

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7 First Impressions of Bangalore, India
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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After Chennai, I took a train over to Bangalore, India. Now, like many of India’s cities, the name has recently been changed. I understand the reasoning, but names like Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Bangalore were seriously such good names. So since Bangalore’s change is much more recent and I didn’t meet one local that referred to their city with the new name, Bengaluru, we’re still going to refer to it as Bangalore for this article :)

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In a country full of rapidly developing cities, Bangalore is at the front. One of India’s more cosmopolitan big cities, it brings comforts to visitors that you don’t find yet in most of India, from hip hangouts to its more temperate climate. There’s still multiple sides to the city, though, if you want to find the more chaotic India of old. 

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

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Avenue”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken on Avenue Road in Bangalore, India. Avenue Road  is one of the busiest shopping streets in Bangalore and stretches from the popular KR Market all the way up to KG Road. When in Bangalore, this is a great street to include in a photography walk because you can spend hours shooting around the market area and then slowly head up Avenue before exploring the Majestic area. 

Avenue Road is always packed with people, covering the sidewalks and street the whole length. The mix of shops, restaurants, and prime location keep the activity coming. During one of my days walking this street, I saw a group of people ahead that looked even more packed than normal so I went to check what was going on. It turned out a small film crew was shooting a few actors inside a blocked off area. So everyone was curiously trying to see what was going on through the makeshift barriers put up by the crew. 

I noticed these four men all trying to peak in, with three of them using the pole for help. A few things grabbed my attention. First, was how I could fit them all together into four separated layers. Another, were the different gestures of their hands. And a third, was how I liked the different colors of yellow, blue and red shirts they were wearing. So I framed them all together to get these pieces separated as much as possible, while making sure to snap the photo while they were still intently looking in that same direction. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 640

Bangalore India-14

City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Casablanca, Morocco

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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!

Casablanca

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20 Questions in Hanoi, Vietnam with Chu Việt Hà

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*A new 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.

During my time living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I made sure to visit the capital of Hanoi too. I really enjoyed how full of character Hanoi is, and the older feeling it gives you compared to Saigon. While in Hanoi, I was lucky enough to meet and shoot with local photographer Chu Việt Hà, who really knows how to capture that character and discover the moments this city has to offer.

Chu Việt Hà’s work shows how important a good eye is in street photography. He’s able to find interesting, and sometimes surreal, scenes and moments within day-to-day life that most would never notice. He gets up close and brings you into what he captures. Seeing the world through his eyes shows you how unique all that life around us really is.

So now to learn more about him, it’s time for 20 Questions in Hanoi, Vietnam with Chu Việt Hà…

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33 Street Photography Photos from 5 Days in Chennai, India

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On my recent trip to India, Chennai was my first stop. Coming straight from Sri Lanka, I’d been shooting around beaches a lot lately, but Chennai took it to another level. I really enjoyed shooting within the city too, but Chennai’s massive urban beaches were something special with the unique atmosphere and scenes they provided. Each day of shooting, I made sure to finish off at Marina Beach. So here’s some street photography I was able to capture during my time in Chennai…

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