Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
* “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.
Fred Herzog (1930-Present)
German photographer known for his early color film photos capturing the urban streets of Vancouver, Canada.
After leaving my home in Ho Chi Minh City, on my way to traveling Europe for the summer, I decided to fit a stop in Bangkok, Thailand. It was a chance to meet the many talented local street photographers here, while of course fitting in some time for street photography of my own. Bangkok was a challenge with how many of the streets and neighborhoods can feel empty, but after exploring enough and getting some local advice, I was able to find some spots for photography.
So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Bangkok…
[Read more…] about 33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Bangkok, Thailand
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong. Sorry if this shot turns anyone off, but it makes me laugh. Life isn’t always pretty, but at least it can still be laughed at. Wan Chai is Hong Kong’s famous red light district, where sailors came for some R&R in the old days. Today, much of that has changed with shopping centers, sky scrapers, markets, restaurants, bars and more.
On this day, the bad weather in Hong Kong was only getting worse for me, as it started to pour rain once again. So I took cover under the sidewalk awning of a restaurant in Wan Chai. I was looking at the fish in the tank when all of a sudden a mom came rushing out pushing her child. Just before they made it to the sidewalk, the boy couldn’t hold it in any longer. Needless to say, I didn’t go in for a bite to eat after that review, but I did decide to capture the moment. I doubt this is what Henri Cartier-Bresson was thinking of when he termed “The Decisive Moment,” but those fish do look interested.
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https://vimeo.com/159244856
One of the most common questions I get is “what is my favorite city for street photography?” I find positives and things I like and miss in every city I go to. Cities are different and it’s impossible for me to name one best city. But I do have a few that stick out in my memory and Saint-Petersburg is one of them. It’s also the city that causes many people the biggest surprise when I mention it. While they know all about cities like Istanbul, London or Havana, they usually ask me to explain “Why Saint-Petersburg?”
Well, there’s just something magical about Saint-Petersburg. The canals, pastel colors, incredible architecture, bridges, islands, hundreds of parks, and more give it this atmosphere that has to be experienced. The life and people are full of character too, but it’s a diverse mix of character.
For more details behind some of what I love about this city, here are my first impressions of Saint-Petersburg, from a personal street photographer perspective…
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, 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!
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken around the Goldfish Market in Hong Kong. The Goldfish Market is one of the more unique markets you’ll come across. Goldfish are extremely popular in Hong Kong, partly due to their aquariums containing all five elements of Feng Shui. They’re used to balance the home and bring good luck, while also providing a pet that doesn’t require much space.
Thousands of bagged fish of different colors and shapes line the streets here. Inside the different shops, you’ll find aquariums, equipment and even more fish for sale. For this shot, I was looking at the street reflection showing on the aquarium of fish. I made a couple of photos closer to the reflection, but then noticed the scene inside the shop. So just as the woman took a phone pic of the fish and the man bent over to pick a new pet, I snapped this photo, while including the reflected aquarium. The Goldfish Market can be an interesting place to walk for street photography. There’s probably no other place you’ll see so many businessmen and other characters shopping for goldfish like here.
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With very little to no internet in Cuba, it looks like I’ll be mostly off the grid until the end of the month. After this upcoming week, I should be back to my scheduled posting.
For a quick update, though, through years of travel I’ve yet to have even a cent stolen, but that streak ended here my second day in Havana. I was robbed a good chunk of my cash so since I’m American and can’t use ATM or credit cards here, it looks like I’ll have to forget my planned travel in Cuba and stay right here to make the rest of my money last until my flight out. On the bright side, if I was to choose one city in the world to be “stuck” in with my camera, it would probably be Havana. So here’s a candid photo and a non-candid photo from here, and I’ll see you all once I land in Miami for the Miami Street Photography Festival!
Side story for the non-candid photo: I was walking back from confronting the thieves who stole my money when I snapped a candid pic of these two ladies drinking on their doorstep. They laughed and we started a conversation with my very bad Spanish, eventually touching on me being robbed. That prompted them to invite me for a beer and more good, but mostly lost in translation conversation. This is the second, less candid, but more memorable pic of the two of them by their doorstep before I said goodbye.
If I took a drink for every time I’m offered rum or a beer while out shooting in Havana, I’d be drunk all day. And if I said I often turn down a drink, I’d also be a liar ;) Cheers!
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong. Mong Kok, located in Kowloon, is one of the busiest and most highly populated districts in the world. Its mix of older and newer buildings contain much of the character Hong Kong’s past is known for. It’s also one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong, with some of the city’s most interesting markets and narrow alleys.
I was exploring some of these alleys when I captured this shot. Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s weather has aways been poor for me, but this day was extra bad. It had just finished pouring rain and I was standing under a canopy in the alley when I noticed this woman coming from around the corner. She was hunched over in an interesting position, with her hands behind her back, but what grabbed my attention was how her blue plastic honcho matched the blue rain tarp down the alley.
So I waited for her to walk by the tarp once the neon sign hit her, providing some light. The blues and atmosphere match the wet mood and alley character I remember most from those rainy days in Hong Kong.
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