Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
Charalampos, who goes by the name Dirty Harrry in the photography world, was born in Heraklion and raised in Rethymno, both cities on the Greek island of Crete. I’ve admired his work for years now and he possesses a very unique and creative vision when it comes to photography.
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Balat neighborhood of Istanbul. I was walking the streets of this colorful neighborhood, away from the more touristic parts of Balat, when I spotted the girl standing in the window. I walked over at the same time as the old man was getting his keys to open the door to the apartment building. I liked the juxtaposition of the man at the door by the girl at the window, but lucked out when the girl started to climb back inside the window just as the man turned to go inside the door. So I tried to capture the scene at the moment they mirrored each other.
I decided to take a break from Istanbul and caught a quick 2 hour plane ride to spend some time in Tbilisi, Georgia. Here are a few first impressions of the city, from a personal Street Photography perspective.
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Tophane neighborhood in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul. There’s a park I walk through when I take this way home. On the street just outside the park I noticed a woman cleaning her window. She was putting noticeable effort into cleaning it and had no fear as she hopped up and walked along the outside edge to clean the outside. I liked the monotone colors of the building and her clothes along with the look of her in the bottom left window’s edge. So I walked over and took a few photos, but liked this one best when she made eye contact with my camera. For me, there’s a little of a surreal, old suspense movie like vibe to it.
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Levent district of Istanbul. While walking across a busy street I noticed a little boy looking at me through the window of a car that was momentarily stopped in traffic. It was dark inside the car, but he was close enough to the window that his face was slightly lit up. His expression caught my eye and there was something interesting about how he looked in the old car window. It all happened so quickly, as I weaved across traffic, that I just reacted and took the shot without time to think. And then just like that, the car and boy were gone.
Last year I had the chance to spend 6 weeks all over India. The country is an experience like none other. The sights, sounds, smells and feeling of the place can put all of your senses into overload compared to most countries. So many things are always happening right in front of you and I loved it.
One thing that really makes the unique experience of India is how everything happens outside. Everybody is constantly outside living their lives. People bathing and brushing their teeth by the street water pumps, street barbers cutting hair on every other block, food and shop stands lining every street, and children running everywhere you look. Life is all around you.
The constant chaos in much of India makes for great Street Photography opportunities too. There’s never a lack of people, sights, moments, action, color or anything else you’d want to capture. Everywhere you look it seems like there’s a photo to be made.
Here’s 33 Street Photography photos I took in my spare time around India.
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was actually taken outside of Istanbul in a smaller town called Bozüyük. I was invited there for the weekend by a local friend to join in some traditional family celebrations. I didn’t get a chance to take many photos while I was there, but I tried to bring my camera along with me most of the time. While we were walking in his neighborhood, I noticed this little girl all dressed up in a fancy white dress and tiara. She was with her mother, who was dressed in a colorful traditional outfit, while waiting for their ride outside of a dress shop. Maybe it was the gloomy weather, but they seemed sad for some reason. Right before their car ride pulled up to take them away, I quickly took this photo of them.
I’m excited to announce a new series I will be working on here at Shooter Files that will cover Street Photographers and their Cities. The series will showcase great Street Photographers based in different cities around the world, with a focus on Street Photography in their own backyard from their individual perspectives. No one knows their own cities in the same way as a Street Photographer that lives and breathes its streets daily.
Some of the topics the series will cover from each Street Photographer on their city:
I’m looking forward to this series as it should bring a nice mix of showcasing individual talent and street photography along with giving unique and knowledgeable perspectives on cities across the world. From the eyes of Street Photographers.
Stay tuned for the first installment coming soon!
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken on the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. I was walking home from Fatih along the bridge and noticed the man working right above the young couple below. I liked the juxtaposition of work and love along with the staircase forming a division of the two worlds in the frame. Istanbul is such a busy city, but here were some people going about their different lives away from the chaotic crowds above.
So now that I’ve been in Istanbul for a few weeks, I thought I’d write down some of my first impressions of the place. From a Street Photography perspective.
