Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Travel Photography

33 Street Photography Photos from Two Weeks in London, England

After Paris and a quick flight, came City #36 London, England on my 100 Cities Project. Following Paris with London provided the two most visited cities in the world back to back. And maybe the most photographed too, especially for street photography. Fortunately, London is so packed with a variety of neighborhoods full of their own character and a blend of antiquity and urban vibrance, there are still endless places to shoot. From the West End to the East End, London provides one of my favorite cities to visit for photography.

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

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7 First Impressions of London, England
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

London regularly tops the list as the most visited city in the world, but even with all my travel, I had yet to be one of those many visitors. I made sure to change that in 2016 so during the summer I gave London an extended stay to get to know the city as much as possible. With so many street photographers in London, and the power of social media and this blog, I was able to meet up with more locals than any city to date. One of them, talented local photographer Dmitry Stepanenko, was especially kind enough to show me all over his city multiple days. London is packed with things to see and places to explore for street photography so it was great having some local guidance to maximize my time here.

From the West End to the East End, London has something for everyone. The city is filled with familiar landmarks, but it’s also filled with a variety of neighborhoods, each with their own character. It’s a diverse, multicultural working city with a blend of the past and present. As large and populated as it is, it doesn’t have the overwhelming feeling of a New York or Tokyo, yet has just as much to see and experience. London is immersed in history and antiquity mixed with a young, urban vibe. It’s London and there’s no place like it.

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

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Kidnapping, Caucasian Style”

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken at Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia. Unless you’re from anywhere around Russia, odds are you’re wondering what is up with that post title. Well, “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style” is the name of a 1967 Soviet comedy film that revolves around bride kidnapping, an old tradition that used to exist in the Northern Caucasus. And that backdrop is from the movie. None of these details I knew at the time, but have since been informed thanks to the power of social media photo sharing.

When I took this shot, I was walking through Gorky Park and noticed this strange and somewhat randomly placed backdrop in the middle of the park. Gorky Park is the most famous park in Russia and was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. It’s gigantic and contains everything you could imagine and more, from fair rides and food stands to lake boat rides and a skate park. It attracts mostly locals too so it’s a good spot to capture some of the non-tourist side of Moscow life.

I first noticed a couple of workers planting in the garden by this humorous back drop and walked over to take a few photos. As I walked over, a small group of older women came over and started laughing at what they saw. One of them excitedly ran over to have her photo taken with the two cut outs and as she began to walk away, it almost looked like she was walking out of the scene. Her outfit even went along with it, while the vegetation in the fake background blended with the park background. So I took the photo just as she stepped off and the gardener came into the scene with more plants. I later saw the woman’s eyes were closed, which is usually a bad thing, but in this case it kinda works for me with a similar expression to the man behind to her left, and an unreal look.

Now that I know about the movie, though, I guess it would have been better if she had been dressed as a bride. Something that really isn’t too uncommon to find walking around Moscow :)

Stats:

Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
Aperture: f/10
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 1600

City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Stockholm, Sweden

stockholm-guide-cover

*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!

Stockholm

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33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Paris, France

After Amsterdam and a short train ride, came city #35 Paris, France on my 100 Cities Project. Commonly recognized as the birthplace of street photography, there’s no city as romanticized and photographed as Paris. The truth is there are plenty of sides to the city that you don’t see in most of the photos, though. With so much character, Paris still manages to give you plenty of material to capture. 

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

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7 First Impressions of Paris, France
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After a week in Amsterdam, next on the 100 city project list was a train down to Paris, France. After an easy 3 hour ride, I was in the middle of the most romanticized city of all. For many, Paris is the ultimate city. Full of beauty, history, culture, romance and style. For some, though, finding out that Paris isn’t always the beautiful city they imagine can give different impressions. For me, I appreciate that edgier side of Paris mixed in with its famous atmosphere. It is touristy, crowded and as photographed as any city in the world, but all that Paris brings more than makes up for it. Long been a center for artists and writers, in addition to tourists, it draws people in for a reason and is a city everyone must visit, including photographers.

Paris is also considered the birthplace of street photography, conjuring the classic black & white street photos of the past. With so much timeless and recognizable scenery in the city, you do have to watch out for the cliché. But luckily, Paris is so rich visually with street photo opportunities that there’s still plenty to capture. And beyond the romantic exterior, there’s a different side to the city that provides even more opportunity for something different.

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

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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Moscow, Russia

moscow-guide-cover

*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!

Moscow

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Raised Bridge”

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken at the Troitskiy Bridge in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. It was the day of the Scarlet Sails celebration during the White Nights Festival and I was walking to Hare Island to be in the middle of it all. The White Nights Festival is many weeks long, but on the Saturday nearest the longest day of the year, the biggest celebration happens. It’s also become the day of celebration for graduates and at night, they shoot off fireworks with a massive water show that includes an old ship with scarlet red sails.

Unfortunately, when I walked to Troitskiy Bridge to cross over to the action, they’d raised this bridge all day in anticipation of the ships. Little did I know, after walking multiple kilometers over to cross the next bridge, I’d soon run into a large graduation party/drunk fight that would pull me into the river and end the rest of my day with a wet camera (which did luckily dry 2 days later). More on that here, but the one positive from that raised bridge detour was it gave me this photo above. 

After initial disappointment from seeing the bridge raised, it did give an interesting backdrop, reminiscent of the movie “Inception.” Then below, I saw this woman getting out of her oddly parked van. I noticed her dress matched the other van in color, which stood out nicely with the blue and gray tones from the rest of the scene. So when she put her foot up to fix her shoe, I captured this shot. An hour later I was fully submerged in the river, camera and all, but at least I got a photo out of it all.

Stats:

Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
Aperture: f/13
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 800

33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Amsterdam, Netherlands

After stopping in Stockholm and Copenhagen, I made my way out of Scandinavia and down to Amsterdam. The city is known for its free and sinful side, but I also enjoyed it’s more peaceful side walking the many canals with my camera. For street photography it’s a unique experience and wide mixture of character. From canal parties to picnics, bicycles and flowers to coffee shops and red light windows, there’s no place like Amsterdam.

So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Amsterdam, Netherlands…

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Bathing Suits”

Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken at Zayachy Island in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. I’ve already written about Zayachy Island, also known as “Hare Island,” and even put together a photo series from it here. In the summer, this is one of my favorite places to come shoot because of all the interesting activity it attracts in a unique setting.

A section of the small island is covered in grass and this is where many people come to lay out in the sun. It was the peak weekend during the White Nights Festival, when the days last the longest and the celebration is the biggest. It’s also become the time for graduates to celebrate. You’ll see university students all over the city dressed up in suits and dresses partying and celebrating from day to night. 

I was walking through this grass field when I noticed this couple laying under the sun. Due to the day, his outfit, and her flowers, my guess is they were a young couple that had been celebrating their graduation. Of course, what interested me in the scene was him being dressed in a suit, while she lay next to him in a bathing suit. The old, soviet era blanket and her flowers added interest too. So I walked up and quickly captured the shot. There’s a timelessness you find in Eastern Europe that you don’t find elsewhere and it’s one of the many reasons I love coming here for photography.

Stats:

Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 800