Category: Street Photography

Street Photography by Marcus Puschmann Nuremberg. Streetfotografie von Marcus Puschmann Nürnberg. Webseite streetsofnuremberg.com

Life is colorful

2 girls holding a bunch of balloons in front of Buchara‘s Mir-Arab Madrasa
Life is Colorful | Buchara | 2025

Life is colorful in Uzbekistan. That‘s were we are since last weekend. The Significant Other and I are touring the magical cities of the historic Silk Road. After starting off in Tashkent, we continued on to Chiwa, then Buchara, and arrived today in Samarkand. Uzbekistan is a great place for photography. Colorful, vibrant, full of historic places. And especially great place for street photography. The locals are super friendly, generally smile when you signal you want to take a picture and many want to talk to you. They are curious to talk to you, living in a country that has just started to open up to tourism.

The cities, all of them more than two thousand years old, are full of life, especially at night, when the temperatures drop to comfortable levels. The two girls holding the balloons are standing in front of the Mir-Arab Madrasa of Buchara, an active university founded and built in the 16th century. The buidling is part of the Poi Kaylan complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I will share photos from this achitectural marvel in a later post.

I took the photograph with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor 40mm f/2. Image specs 1/50 sec @ f/8, ISO 6400 and 40mm focal lenght. Jpg straight out of camera, no postprocessing.

Have a great Friday

Marcus

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Call me

Call me, one gentleman seems to tell another with a universal gesture
Call me | Portland | 2019

Visiting my archives looking for a particular image from my time in the PNW, I stumbled upon this street photo I took during a weekend stroll through the Pearl District of the Rose City. Titled “Call me”, it is one of my favorite street shots from that year. Originally in color and portrait orientation, I decided to convert it to B&W, crop in and turning it to a landscape aspect ratio.

Doesn’t it look like a scene straight out of Francis Ford Coppola movie? Two sharply dressed men meet in on a quiet city street. The younger man, holding a vape and signaling a phone call, looking nervous. The older man, calm and steady with a cane, listening closely, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. Whatever they discussed, it was serious—like something best kept off the record. The photograph certainly has a kind of cinematic look. To this day I wonder what those gentlemen were discussing. The gesture is clear, isn’t it? One of those fascinating stories of the streets that wait to be captured by the passing street photographer.

Taken with my Olympus E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-100mm F/4 pro zoom. Image specs 1/200 sec @ f/4, ISO 250 and 172mm focal length in full frame equivalent. Post-processing in Lightroom Classic.

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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14

Bite the state

Man sitting in a lit shop looking into his cellphone next to a graffiti that translates to bite the state
Bite the state | Genoa | 2025

Sometimes a street image demands color. Like this one, taken in Genoa’s medieval old town near the Genova Piazza Principe railway station. The warm glow from inside the shop juxtaposes perfectly with the dark street and the bold statement on the wall that translates to “Bite the State”. The color contrast captures the mood of the image, the contrast between public dissent and tranquil private life on a quite late evening. The warm light inside feels safe and calm, very different from the dark and gritty street outside. Things like the tilted street sign, worn walls, and wet pavement suggest a place that’s been a bit forgotten or ignored. A scene that I saw and immediately felt drawn to capturing it.

Images specs are 1/60 sec @ f/2 and ISO 500. I took the photograph with the Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 40mm f/2. Postprocessing in Lightroom Classic (increasing the contrast and adding a vignette).

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

Wish you a great Monday!

Marcus

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B&W or Color?

12

Frosty Ice Cream

Family eating ice cream one a rainy day
1/250 sec | f/6.3 | ISO 6400 | 175mm

Are you kidding me? Eating a frosty ice cream on a cold and rainy day? Not for me, anyway! Spending the last week in our Southern Home in Genoa, The Significant Other and I were not blessed with the sunny and warm Spring weather you would expect from Italy. In fact, back in Nuremberg the weather was great all week with summer like temperatures.

Despite the wet weather, we headed into town a few times to run errands and treat ourselves to some great food. Having taken the Nikon Zf with me, I captured this mother and her kids enjoying some Italian ice cream, albeit a frosty one. Maybe they were visitors coming to town from one of the Cruise ships in the harbor. And felt they had to do it. At least they provided an awesome street photo subject, matching perfectly the image visible behind their backs. Quoting Shakespeare once again: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women, merely players”

Tonight, we will return to the Streets of Nuremberg to celebrate Easter with the family.

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

Have a great day Saturday

Marcus

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9

Drawing with Light

Street Portrait of a bearded old man
1/400 sec – f/5 – ISO 200 – 100mm

Photography literally means „drawing with light“. The sun is the principal lightsource out in the streets. But unlike a studio lightstand, you can‘t move the sun around to direct the light to where you want/need it. Obviously there are some workarounds, like using a reflector to throw back the light on the subject and brighten up the shadows. But in street photography, this is not practical and we need to shoot with what the sun gives us.

In this example, I was drawn to the weathered face of the man sitting behind the window of a coffee shop. The way he was sitting, the sunlight illuminated the back and the side of his head, but not his face, that was all in the shade. For one, standing outside in the streets, I couldn‘t direct my subject to turn his face in a way that would have, lets say, created a nice Rembrandt lighting effect (a triangle of light underneath the eye on the shadow side of his face).

But on the other hand I loved the textures in his hair and beard that the harsh sunlight created. And I knew that a conversion to monochrome would really bring out the lights and shadows of this scene and still show the traces of life in his face. So despite the lighting being not ideal, I still took the portrait shot with which I‘m quite happy the way it turned out.

If you are looking for more street photography tips, check out my free “Learning Center”.

Wish you a great Monday!

Marcus

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I conquered my fears

5

Human Camouflage

Human Camouflage
Hide and Seek | Nuremberg | 2016

The world’s a stage…. you know I write about this a lot in the context of street photography. To find a background and waiting for a matching subject to appear. And if you are lucky, like in this candid street shot, it turns out to be almost something like human camouflage.

This would also fall under the compositional technique Juxtaposition. With Juxtaposition you bring together two or more objects in a photograph that attract the viewer of the image either through their similarity or their contrast. In each case, the photograph works because these elements combine to a joint visual story that the image carries in addition to the visual weight of the individual objects.

You can find Juxtapositions everywhere. You will be amazed how much you discover when you actively look for them. So next time to suffer from photographers block and want to try something new to overcome it go out and shoot a series of Juxtapositions. The more you train your eye to see them the more you can use them as an effective element in your photography.

For all my inspirations as well as my easy to use Street Photography Quick Tips, check out my free Learning Center

Have a great Sunday

Marcus


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Recognition for the “Streets of Nuremberg”

Recognition for the Streets of Nuremberg by Feedspot as one of the Top45 street photography blogs.

I am honored to share that my blog, Streets of Nuremberg, has been selected by the panelists of Feedspot as one of the Top 45 Street Photography Blogs  on the web. Ranking 14th on this prestigious list is both humbling and exciting, especially considering that it features some of the most influential and inspiring Street Photography blogs, many of which I have followed and admired for years.

I founded this blog back in January 2016 as a personal space to document my passion for Street and Travel Photography.  Since then, it has grown to more than 7,000 followers and readers from over 100 countries around the world.

This recognition is not just a personal milestone. This is also a reflection of the incredible support from all of you. Many of you have been here from the very beginning. Some of you even becoming friends along the way. Without your encouragement, feedback, and enthusiasm, this journey would not be the same. For that, I am deeply grateful.

Moving forward, I remain dedicated to sharing my experiences, insights, and practical tips to help fellow photographers refine their craft. Whether it’s showcasing images from my travels, discussing techniques, or simply exchanging thoughts about my passion of Street Photography. My goal is to keep this space as inspiring and engaging as ever.

Thank you for being part of this journey! Your support fuels my passion, and I look forward to capturing and sharing many more moments with you!

Make sure you also frequently check out my  Learning Center with all my free tips, tutorials and inspirations around photography!

Have a great Friday!

Marcus

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Bubbly Happiness

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Bubbly Happiness | Nuremberg | 2016

This one is from the archives. What is more refreshing than seeing kids having fun? All the more when they seem to enjoy themselves with something as traditional as soap bubbles (aka rainbow bubbles or Seifenblasen in German)? Look in their faces and you see bubbly happiness!

Soap bubbles have been used for entertainment purposes for at least 400 years.  There are Flemish paintings from the 17th century that show kids blowing soap bubbles with clay pipes. According Wikipedia, more than 200 million bottles of bubble solution are still being sold annually. I think this is an amazing factoid when these days I see children entertain themselves with their smartphones.

The thing is, they could even play with soap bubbles on their smartphones. Don’t believe me? Check the app store, there are various apps about the bubbles. How crazy is that? I much prefer the analogue ones, no doubt.

To see these kids having a blast with something my kids loved when their were younger and that I had fun with as child really made me feel good. Although I don’t recall bubbles of this King Kong size back in the days. It seems there are also innovations in the field of things like soap bubbles.

I stood there watching this guy blowing his magnum bubbles for a good 20 minutes. Plenty of children came, had fun, their parents in the background smiling, then giving some coins to the guy. I don’t think though this is a sustainable business model. But he looked happy when he got some donations, and he made the children lough. Life can be good, also in the simple things.

If you still want to go out shooting today and are looking or tips and inspirations, check out my free Learning Center. 

Have a great Tuesday

Marcus

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Hanging in there

19

Heading Home

Cyclists heading home late afternoon in Atlanta Midtown
Heading Home | Atlanta | 2025

While heading to a quick dinner in Midtown Atlanta this week, I enjoyed the late afternoon warmth and the beautiful light. The golden glow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the sidewalks, adding depth and character to the Midtown streets. It was the perfect time for some quick street photography using my iPhone 16 Pro Max, capturing the energy of the city as people made their way home. By bike, on foot, and in their cars, each with their own story. Some rushed with purpose, others lingered, caught in quiet moments. The reflections in glass buildings, the flicker of neon signs coming to life, the movement at crosswalks — it all made for an ever-changing canvas for the stories of the street, just waiting to be framed. For a few more images, continue after the jump…

Continue reading “Heading Home” →
15

Travel Day (19)

Silhouette of a woman sitting in a window seat on a travel day
Always on | Above Germany | 2025

I’m back in the air this morning. Hard to believe it is the my first intercontinental business trip since 2019. Thanks to Covid. I’m flying from Nuremberg via Amsterdam to Atlanta. Weather wise I will improve, leaving the freezy streets of Nuremberg for the, according to my iPhone weather app, almost summerly warmer ATL. Not that I will get much out of it, as I’m staying only a few days and it will be all work (plus maybe a dinner or two). And a travel day is always a great opportunity for some street and travel photography, usually by doing snapshots with my iPhone. The one above is a prime example for the beautiful black and white images that can be produced with a modern smartphone camera. To see more images from my travel day, click to continue….

Continue reading “Travel Day (19)” →
12

I, Robot

I robot - monochrome photograph of three little robots
I Robot | Nuremberg | 2025

I, Robot was a 2004 Alex Proyas movie set in 2035. Highly intelligent robots serve humanity but must follow three strict laws to prevent harm. Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) investigates a murder seemingly committed by a robot. But he uncovers a deeper conspiracy that threatens human freedom.

Today, The Significant Other and I went to the Leisure Trade Fair in the Nuremberg Exhibition Center. Part of the fair was the RoboCup German Open 2025.

There I photographed these cute little soccer playing robots taking a charging break. ​Competing are teams from more than 50 nations. The RoboCup is the world’s largest and most important competition for intelligent robots. I took quite a few photos and will do a separate post about the fun and super interesting event.

The Robots are of the latest technology, as is the camera I used to photograph them (my trusted Nikon Zf). The lens attached to the modern mirrorless via an adapter was quite the opposite. I used an M42 mount Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2,8/35mm manufactured around 1970 in former East Germany. An amazing manual focus lens with an amazing image quality, as you can see from this monochrome image. Which by the way is a JPG straight out of camera without any post processing using the Nikon’s B&W mode.

Images specs are 1/250 sec @ f/8 and ISO 6400.

Have I said I love attaching vintage glass on my Zf?

Have a great Saturday

Marcus

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10

View things upside down

View things Upside down -Nuremberg's Sankt Lorenz Church
Rainscape | Nuremberg | 2016

Sometimes it helps to take a different perspective on otherwise common and familiar objects. To make the ordinary special again. To view things upside down. Also in Street Photography. These are reflections of Nuremberg’s Sankt Lorenz Church and of a Bratwurst Hut on the wet cobblestones of the Karolinenstrasse.

I photographed this puddle reflections with down on my knees in pouring rain to the amusement of the passing shoppers who must have wondered about this crazy guy who took photos of a puddle.

Using the LCD back screen to compose the shot, I also could have turned camera upside down. But instead of generating even more curiosity in my onlookers, I rather flipped the image later on in Lightroom. I also worked a bit with curves, increased saturation and clarity to bring more life into this image from a very dull day.

And to show a very common and popular sight of Nuremberg in an unusual perspective. By viewing things upside down

For more tips and inspirations around street photography, head to my free Learning Center.

Have a great day Thursday

Marcus

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