Smartphone or camera?

Bruce Springsteen Concert

Smartphones are ubiquitous and virtually always within arm’s reach. And isn’t there the saying that the best camera is the one you have with you? Smartphone cameras allow spontaneous capture of moments without the need for carrying a large DSLR or mirrorless camera. Whether it’s a stunning sunset or a spontaneous social gathering, your smartphone is there to capture it instantly. Smartphone cameras are evolving rapidly, with each new model boasting better sensors, improved image processing, and more advanced features than most “real” cameras. But would any serious photographer accept a smartphone as a legit replacement for a “big” DSLR or mirrorless camera? The answer, at least from my point of view, is “it depends”…..continue reading after the jump for some more insights about the question smartphone or camera?…

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10

Say Boo

Seeing Ghosts
Say Boo

Are you ready for the creepiest night of the year? Ready to give anyone ringing at your door for some trick or treating a good scare? Say Boo!

Unlike last year’s Halloween, when we enjoyed a late night ghost tour through Genoa’s historic center, we’ll most likely spend the evening at home. Maybe I can convince The Significant Other to watch a good horror movie. Knowing her for the good part of 37 years, there is not much chance of success 😉

Click below if you are in the mood for some visual halloween treats I’ve captured over the past years.

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13

Go out and shoot

Lady in a backlit orange dress walking in genoas Porto Antico
1/160 sec | f/22 | ISO 400

Go out and shoot – something I need to keep telling myself these days. Which is totally ok, I guess, as photography doesn’t always have to take center stage in life. But then there is the sudden itch to grab a camera. In this case my vintage Olympus PEN-F with the mZuiko 25mm f/1.8 prime lens (50mm full frame equivalent with the m43 crop factor of 2). And heading out into the streets for a late afternoon stroll, capturing life that happens in front of my lens.

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24

Contrasts

Life contrasts
Contrasts | Verbania-Intra | 2023

Yesterday I was doing some street photography while strolling through the alleys of Intra at Italy’s Lago Maggiore. It was really too hot and humid to get the creative juices flowing. This is the only shot that is a keeper from the outing. I saw that mural and what message it seems to convey, and the luxury coffee store across the street. Then I saw the approaching sunlit family of casual Saturday shoppers. More contrasts. I snapped away with my iPhone.

In post I debated whether to convert to monochrome. But I like how the colors work together in this image. One photograph I like is enough to be happy with a day of otherwise energy-less shooting.

If you feel energized to head out with your camera (or smart phone) to capture some street photography, check out my free Learning Center for lots of tips and inspirations around shooting in the streets.

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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0

Man Ray (NSFW)

Four man rolling out a red carpet in Genoa's Palazzo Ducale
Red Carpet | Genoa | 2023

Doing Street Photography while visiting museums and exhibitions is one of my favorite things to do with a camera (or in this case just my iPhone). Another opportunity arose during a recent visit to Genoa. The doge’s apartments of the Palazzo Ducale are featuring an exhibition of the work of Emmanuel Radnitzky, better known as Man Ray. The title image of the exhibition was already featured in another recent post. Join me for a tour of Man Ray’s work. Check it out by clicking the link below. A little disclaimer: the post needs to be treated as NSFW 😉

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6

More Curly Hair

Italian girl with Curly Hair
1/800 sec | f/2.8 | ISO 200 | 70mm

To add to my last post, here is more curly hair. Once more taken with the Leica SL2-S with the Vario Elmarit F/2.8 24-70 ASPH. Jpg out of camera (taken with the Leica’s high contrast monochrome profile). Have I mentioned before how awesome the Leica plays with the light?

After one of my last post the question came up whether I ask people in the streets whether I can take their photo. The honest answer is not always. But often enough. I wrote about it in my post “A Street Photographers Dialogue”.

If you are looking for more tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center. 

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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19

Curly Hair

Italian man with Curly Hair
1/1000 sec | f/2.8 | ISO 200 | 70mm

A quick street portrait today of a man with curly hair. Taken with the Leica SL2-S with the Vario Elmarit F/2.8 24-70 ASPH. Jpg out of camera (taken with the Leica’s high contrast monochrome profile).

If you are looking for tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center. 

Have a great Friday

Marcus

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Dimitri

4

The last man

Isolation - a single man descending an escalator in an empty mall
The Last Man | Flims | 2023

Sometimes photography just happens. The Significant Other and I are vacationing in Grisons in Switzerland. Unwinding, relaxing, mainly hiking around the beautiful mountain landscape. Today we had an off-day. In the afternoon we drove to close by Flims, the principal Ski Resort in the area. Now, in summer, it basically is deserted, apart from mountain bikers, a few tourists and the local folks. Shopping for some groceries, we entered recently built, futuristic looking shopping center that is mainly built underground. I took out my iPhone 14 Pro and started snapping pictures of the shiny modern architecture, already thinking monochrome. Then the man appeared on the top of the escalator, with the rest of the scene totally deserted. Like the last man in one of those end of civilization movies. I had my street photograph and a story.

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26

Friend or Foe?

Bourtzi (Nafplio) at sunset with silhouettes of a fishing boat and flying seagulls
Bourtzi | Greece | 2021

A few days ago, Adobe released a new beta version of its popular Photoshop application. With it came the launch of its new artificial intelligence (AI) Generative Fill tool, that has the photographic community humming with excitement. While the web is already full of examples of the incredible power of this tool, I thought I give it my own little try. The result you see above. For the “how” and whether I consider the new AI based feature a photographer’s friend or foe, continue after the jump…

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37

Marble Magic

External view of the Pisa Baptistry with tourist looking at it in awe
Baptistry | Pisa | 2023

It’s been super busy these past weeks, mainly due to the job that pays the bills. Not much time to take a camera for a spin, and neither time to write about it on these pages. But with things slowly getting back to normal, let me share the results of some recent photographic outings I managed to squeeze in none less. Like these couple of black & white images from a day trip to Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli we did the other week while spending time at our “south” home in Genoa. Continue after the jump for some history and photographs of this 13th century marble magic …

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19

It also rains in Genoa

Nude woman on a poster and black umbrella vendor looking at each other

Since having completed work on our Genoa apartment, The Significant Other and I have been down to our new “South home” a few times. But since then, the weather hasn’t been quite our friend yet. Little sun, lots of rain and very inconsistent. Not what you would expect from Italy. It also rains in Genoa. But then again, the weather here is fully in line with the wet winter and mostly grey spring we had in Germany. But the Street Photographer doesn’t care though. Grabbing rain coat and the cam, turning on the subdued monochrome presets and heading out to capture the stories of the streets…..

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