Tag: creativity

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


Related Posts:

Instant Inspiration (I) – Get Down Low

Instant Inspiration (2) – Motion Blur

Street Photography Quick Tip (1)

Instant Inspiration (3) – Silhouettes

37

Be curious

Car driver reading a letter while parked
1/100 sec | f/5.6 | ISO 125 | 85mm

Curious about the story unfolding in this image? This is exactly why Street Photography captivates me —it’s all about reading between the lines. What was my subject doing in the moment that I captured with my lens? This shot illustrates it perfectly. What is this taxi driver reading? A personal letter? A handwritten deal? Just some quick notes? In an era where everyone is glued to LCD screens, this feels refreshingly different. Be curious. Look at life happening in front of your eyes.

Next time you’re out in your city, challenge yourself to capture a moment that sparks curiosity. You don’t need a fancy camera—your smartphone will do just fine. Keep an eye out for those intriguing scenes that happen everywhere in every moment. Whether at the grocery store or on a busy street. Even when you don’t have a camera in hand, you can train your eye. Look for that one shot that makes people stop and wonder about the story behind it.

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

Have a great Monday!

Marcus

Related Posts:

Street Photography Quick Tip (2)

Shoot one photo a day

Street ? Airport ! (7)

Love you to death

10

Instant Inspiration (33) – Ichigo Ichie

Morrocan School Girl

I haven’t done an Instant Inspiration post in quite a while. I have written already about Wabi-Sabi, which celebrates the beauty of perfect imperfection. There’s another Japanese concept, that’s been on my mind lately—Ichigo Ichie (一期一会). It loosely translates to one time, one meeting or once in a lifetime. The idea? Every moment is fleeting, never to be repeated in quite the same way. And because of that, we should embrace it fully, be present, and take it in before it slips away. For a photographer, this philosophy is everything. Continue below for Episode 33 of my Instant Inspirations, my series for you if you look for something to overcome “Photographer’s Block” or simply want to shoot something that you have never tried, or at least not recently.

Continue reading “Instant Inspiration (33) – Ichigo Ichie” →
20

The Beauty of Perfect Imperfection

A blurry Christmas tree reflects the beauty of perfect imperfection
Christmas Tree | Nuremberg | 2024

The Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi celebrates the beauty of perfect imperfection, impermanence, and the natural state of things—an ideal philosophy for photography. Instead of chasing perfection, Wabi-Sabi encourages finding beauty in flaws: the cracks of a weathered wall, the softness of blurred motion, or the fleeting golden hour light.

This mindset frees us photographers to embrace authenticity, valuing the raw and unpolished over the artificial. A blurred motion shot, for instance, may evoke more emotion than a sharply focused one. A grainy texture or an uneven shadow can add depth and character to an image.

By adopting Wabi-Sabi into our photography, we not only can expand our creative vision, but also connect more deeply with the subjects we capture. It’s a reminder that life, with all its imperfections, is inherently beautiful—just waiting to be captured through the lens.

If you feel inspired, pick up your camera (or smart phone), head into the streets and find your own way of capturing the beauty of perfect imperfection.

Have a great Saturday

Marcus

Related Posts:

Soggy outside? Shoot in an exhibition!

Art n’ Motion

End of the Holidays

Street Photography Quick Tip 16 – Capture what captures attention

7

Bored in the Rain

Bored in the Rain 1

This morning I was bored in the rain. I was sitting in my car in the pouring rain, parked outside the doctor’s office, waiting for my appointment. What better way to overcome the boredom than picking up the iPhone and shooting some abstracts through the rain soaked windows. See more images after the jump…

Continue reading “Bored in the Rain” →
16

Go out and be creative

Being on Christmas break doesn’t mean you need to overdo the relaxation part. Don’t be a couch potato. Grab your camera, venture out into the nature (garden, park, woods) behind your house and shoot some monochrome details. Go out and be creative! And feel good about it!

Continue reading “Go out and be creative” →
27

November Blues

Motion blurred lady ascending out of a subways station into dark streets
0.5 sec | f/11 | ISO 1600| 25 mm

November is upon us. And with it the obligatory November blues. Many persons I know are dreading this month, as it is the month of remembrance of the dead, the month of grey, wet, foggy, cold dull days. There is lots of work in the garden to prepare it for winter. With the change of the clock to winter time this past weekend it is practically dark by 5pm. It is also the transition month between the last warm days of the year with the explosive colors of autumn and the happiness and joy of the upcoming festive season.

Continue reading “November Blues” →
13

Instant Inspiration (33) – ICM in the woods

Fine Art Nature Photography

“Instant Inspirations” is my series for you if you feel you suffer from “Photographer’s Block”  or simply want to shoot something that you have never tried. Or at least not recently. Episode 33 is a Covid conform photographic activity and should inspire you to go out, properly socially distanced, and be creative. To find out what you can do with any camera that has manual controls, continue reading after the jump…

Continue reading “Instant Inspiration (33) – ICM in the woods” →

23

Liquid Houses

Camogli Church seen from a submerged camera
1/250 sec – f/8 – ISO 100

This is how it looks when you photograph the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in the moment a wave washes over your camera and the lens is half submerged.

Continue reading “Liquid Houses” →
43

Heat Wave

Woman strechted out in a shop window
1/160 sec – f/4 – ISO 250 – 80 mm

July is upon us. Not that it makes any difference, as the scorching heat wave of the past two weeks just carries on. Which would make me rather lie down in the shade of a tree near a swimming pool, rather than in a shop window in front of the unforgiving lens of a street photographer. But the heat wave is definitely no reason to get a summer blues. 

Continue reading “Heat Wave” →

2

The start of something great

A few weeks ago I asked you to cast your vote for “Ginger”, a creative project that is supporting Nuremberg’s application to become the European Capital of Culture in 2025. From many ideas submitted, the Open Call N2025 initiative advanced 96 projects to the stage of public voting. Also thanks to your help, “Ginger” received the fourth most votes and will be one of ten projects whose realization will be funded with 5.000 EUR.

Continue reading “The start of something great” →
20

In the Tunnel

1/3 sec – f/4 – ISO 200 – 7.5mm

My life continues to be on a fast track these days. Sometimes I feel like a subway train racing through a tunnel, occasional streaks of light, a rare stop in a station, moving again. Not unpleasant, apart from the feeling that there is not enough time for all I need and want to do (like finally posting the images from the Instawalk through the Nuremberg subway system organized by the admins of the Nuremberg Instagram community that I did join a few weeks ago).

Continue reading “In the Tunnel” →
13

Up ↑