Category: Nuremberg

Travel photography in the city of Nuremberg. Reisefotografie in Nürnberg. Von Marcus  Puschmann. Webseite streetsofnuremberg.com

A Street Photographer’s Dialogue

Lunchbreak
Lunchbreak

For all my free tips and inspirations around Street Photography visit my Learning Center


A street photographer’s dialogue:

Street Photographer: “Excuse me, can I make a portrait of you?”

Subject: “Ahm…yes…yes, generally yes….but why?”

Street Photographer: “I’m a street photographer from Nuremberg, I like to document everyday life in the streets and meet interesting people, like you!”

Subject: “Ok, that’s interesting, but why did you pick me?”

Street Photographer: “Oh, I like your style. And you radiate a kindness that I like to capture. Great smile!”

Subject: “But I’m eating….it will look stupid, what shall I do with my box?”

Street Photographer (already snapping away): “Don’t worry, you look great, I’ll show you in a second!”

Subject (quite relaxed): “Ok, can’t really imagine that.”

Street Photographer, showing the back LCD of the camera: “Check it out, I really like this photo. Great street portrait of you!”

Subject (smiling): “Yes, it really is a nice picture. What are you gonna do with it?”

Street Photographer: “I have a street photography blog, where I post some of my photos. Would you mind if I post yours?”

Subject: “No, that’s ok!”

Street Photographer (smiling): “Here is my card with my website, check it out if you like. Thanks for letting me make your portrait, was great talking to you! Have a great day!

Subject (smiling): “Well, you too”

Street Photographer and subject continue their ways…..

Have a great weekend!

Marcus

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Instant Inspiration (8) -Make a portrait of a stranger

Street Photography Quick Tip (9)

Keep Portland Weird

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Open for Business

Christkindlesmarkt
Christkindlesmarkt | Nuremberg | 2017

Yesterday, a first blanket of snow covered our city, gone again today. But a clear sign of the coming winter, and just in time to the starting festive season.

Today is the traditional opening of Nuremberg’s famous christmas market, or Christkindlesmarkt, as it is called by the locals. It takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas (Adventszeit) on the main market square in front of the famous Frauenkirche (built in the 14th century), the wooden stalls covered by roofs of red and white cloths.

For some more impressions continue after the jump… Continue reading “Open for Business” →

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What’s there and what’s missing

Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud |Berlin | 2017

For all my free tips and inspiration around photography visit my Learning Center.

Putting a camera in someone’s face takes some getting used to. It is obviously something where you need the consent of the person you are photographing. This image I took with my Olympus PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8, the “nifty fifty” of micro four thirds (due to the m43 crop factor of 2). Which by the way is also an awesome portrait lens, if you are close, like a good arms length away. Image specs are 1/160 sec @ f/3.2 and ISO 200.

This is for sure not the prettiest of street portraits but it shows a couple of things that are important for this kind of photography.  This guy caught my eye, I walked up to him and asked if I could make his portrait. Turns out he is visiting from Montreal, Canada, and he was just looking for a place to eat some typical German food. A win-win for sure. I got to shoot his portraits, he got directions to a place where he could find some good beer and a “Schweinshaxe” (he asked me to type everything in his iPhone).

While we chatted I snapped away. I liked the shot of him best. I had asked him what he liked best about visiting Europe, he closed his eyes and thought hard. Asking people about something (e.g. what they like best about something….where they got their interesting outfit, glasses…what they are doing here, what is their profession…) puts their mind away from being photographed, puts them at ease and tends to draw some interesting poses, face expressions and gestures.

And this what is missing here. I wish he had made a hand gesture, putting his fingers to his face, adding interest to the shot. I didn’t want to ask him to do that, maybe I should have. But then again, I’m just starting this kind of street photography, and I will learn. And you can learn along here on the “Streets of Nuremberg”.

Have a great weekend!

Marcus

Related Posts:

My Eric Kim Workshop Experience

Instant Inspiration (8) -Make a portrait of a stranger

Street Photography Quick Tip (8)

Back on the Streets of Nuremberg

14

My Eric Kim Workshop Experience

Eric Kim Workshop Making Of
Marcus & Eric | Berlin | 2017

Just a little over a week ago I had one of the most memorable photographic weekends ever when I attended the workshop “Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography” with Street Photo Legend Eric Kim in Berlin. For my in depth experiences from the workshop plus a bunch of both “behind the scenes” images and my workshop “results” continue after the jump…

Continue reading “My Eric Kim Workshop Experience” →

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Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast | Berlin | 2017

Who says that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend? This photograph taken on the Streets of Berlin during my Eric Kim workshop last weekend certainly suggests otherwise. But it is another great example of how much fun it is to actually walk up to interesting looking people and ask them if you can “make” their portrait, something that I would not necessarily have done prior to it, a feedback shared by all participants (Eric’s blogpost with the best photos from my peers you can find here).

I know I owe you a full review of the workshop (at least I’m done selecting my photos and a few “making of” images), and I’m dying to take my newly acquired skills to the Streets of Nuremberg, but this weekend need to spend helping the significant other preparing the garden for winter and helping my big girl getting her apartment downtown ready for her move (yes, we’ve reached the stage where the first kid is leaving the house).

So in the meantime I leave you with the photo of this beauty and her beast, taken with my PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8 – my new favorite street shooting combo – as the 25mm (50mm full frame equivalent) is awesome for street portraits. Image specs are 1/180 sec @ f/2 and ISO 200.

Have a great weekend

Marcus

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Experimental

Underground Ascent
Underground Ascent | Berlin | 2017

For all my free tips and inspiration around photography visit my Learning Center

“Experimental” is the theme of the Weekly Photo Challenge from Word Press’ The Daily Post for this week. When I experiment with my Street Photography, I often use slow shutter speeds of 1/8 sec or less for creative motion blur effects. There is a lot of hit and miss with this technique. Crucial for an image that works is an interesting background in which to place the blurred objects, like this entry to a Berlin subway station.

This shot I took with my Olympus PEN-F and the mZuiko 12mm F/2 prime lens with a shutter speed of 1/3 second for intensive blur, an aperture of f/9 to have ample depth of field and ISO 1000. I took the shot handheld, another example how effective the image stabilization system of the PEN-F is.

Experimenting with slow shutter speeds is fun, it can be applied to moving persons, moving traffic or a combination of both. For some more of my experimental street photos continue after the jump… Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Experimental” →

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Street Photography Quick Tip (13)

Studies 1/60 f/1.8 ISO 640 PEN-F 25mm
Studies | Berlin | 2017

Street Photography Quick Tip 13 – Shoot in a Coffee Shop

My Street Photography Quick Tips are short, easy to read and easy to use tips that I think could help you while shooting in the streets. Today’s post is for those of you who dread hitting the streets in this awful wet and dull November weather. Take your camera into a coffee shop near your, sit down, enjoy a strong Espresso, observe the other guests and take some candid portraits of scenes that will catch your eye. People in coffee shops tend to be really relaxed, engaged in talks with others, reading papers or books, staring obsessed into their mobile devices or simply use the free wi-fi to blog or do their studies. And believe me, they will not notice you.

The photography above I took last weekend (during my Street Photography workshop with Eric Kim) at the Bonanza Café (Oderberger Str 35) in Berlin with my Olympus PEN-F and the mZuiko 25mm F/1.8 prime lens, image specs are 1/60 sec @ f/1.8 and ISO 640. Raw processing and monochrome conversion in Lightroom Classic CC.

For a few more coffee shop shots continue after the jump… Continue reading “Street Photography Quick Tip (13)” →

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Temporary

Cuddly Protection
Cuddly Protection | Berlin | 2017

After a totally crazy week at work, where the job that pays the bills has pretty much sucked up all my time and energy, I’m at the doorsteps of a hopefully nice (only contents-wise, the weather forecast is gruesome) weekend in our Nation’s capital Berlin, where I will attend a workshop with Street Photography Guru Eric Kim, a gift from my family and friends on the occasion of my half century birthday I had earlier this year.

Curious about what will await me I’m posting a street photograph I took during a visit to Berlin back in May, which is my entry into this week’s Word Press’ Weekly Photo Challenge, that has the theme “temporary“.

What is more temporary than a fleeting moment of life captured in a street photo. In the end, all street images are snapshots of life as it happens in that exact instant, and that never will be repeated. And it is especially true for this photograph of a father sharing an intimate moment with his little son.

Taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the mZuiko 14-150mm F/4-5.6 travel zoom. Image specs 1/13 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600 and 120mm focal length. Monochrome conversion in Lightroom Classic CC.

I wish everyone a great and creative weekend!

Marcus

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Waiting

House of Blue and Gold

Road to Berlin

You see me

36

Weekly Photo Challenge: Peek

Audience
Audience | Nuremberg | 2016

This is my Street Photography entry for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge “Peek” . Sometimes a change of perspective can add interest to an image.

I took the photo with my Olympus PEN-F with the mZuiko 25mm/F1.8 prime lens, image specs 1/400 @ f/4.5 and ISO 200.

If you look for more inspirations and tips around photography, I invite you to visit my free Learning Center.

Have a great weekend!

Marcus

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Textures

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental

 

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Happy Halloween

Kill the Monster
Little Monsters | Cremona | 2016

“All Hallow’s Eve” is the eve before the religious feast All Saints (aka All Hallow’s Day), remembering the dead, saints and martyrs of christianity. Many of the traditions of Halloween are believed to originate in ancient Celtic harvest festivals and pagan traditions. It was mainly Irish immigrants to the USA who brought along the many more secular traditions like  trick-or-treating,  Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns and lighting bonfires.

While in Europe All Saints was mainly celebrated in the religious sense (remembering the dead, lighting candles at their graves), in the last ten years the more “American” way of celebrating Halloween became more popular into what is now a big commercial business for retail.

That said, I still have some candy at home in case there are some trick-or-treating kids at the door (which happens less and less as our own kids and their friends are grown beyond collecting candies) and watch a good classic horror movie in the darkened living room.

I wish all of you a very creepy Halloween (stay safe noneless)

Marcus

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Street Photography Quick Tip (12)

 

From the Gallery 01
1/8 sec @ f/22 and ISO 1600

Street Photography Quick Tip 12 – Shoot from a Gallery 

My Street Photography Quick Tips are short, easy to read and easy to use tips that I think could help you while shooting in the streets. Today’s post is about changing the usual perspective of taking photographs from eye level by shooting down from a gallery in a shopping center. For a few, hopefully inspirational images continue after the jump… Continue reading “Street Photography Quick Tip (12)” →

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Need help?

 

Calling for Help
Calling for Help | Portland | 2017

 

Have you checked the tips and inspirations in my Learning Center? Are you looking for specific photography related advice? Anything out of the realms of Street- and travel photography you want me to write about? Let me know in the comments section!

Have a great Wednesday!

Marcus

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