Street | Urban | Travel | Photography by Marcus Puschmann
The Weißgerbegasse is a scenic alley in Nurembergs historic old town north of the Pegnitz River. Since medieval times home to the profession of the tanners (hence the name, tanner or skinner =Gerber), the ensemble of 20 half timbered houses (Fachwerkhäuser) has survived the bombings of WW II, has been lovingly restored and is now part of Nuremberg’s Historic Mile (will do a separate future post about that). Continue reading “Nuremberg Explored (2)”
We had a Sunday full of foul weather, although not too cold which was nice for a change. Was in town with the PEN-F and the mZuiko 17mm f/1.8. When the rain started to fall I took cover in a street underpass near the Hallertor, one of Nuremberg’s old city gates. Continue reading “Who is faster?”
One from the archives, albeit a recent one. In February of this year I spent one week in Tanzania in the town of Moshi on the foothills of majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro. A puzzling African town, Moshi is a fantastic place for Street Photography, as you constantly encounter characters you don’t get to see in our European environment.
This cool dude, even though looking like every bit of an African Warrior, was “just” a security card in front of a small banking outfit. We sat in a cafe next to his workplace, and he kept constantly looking at us. And we were obviously looking at him. Eventually I asked him if I could take a portrait of him, which he initially refused, but than suggested he would pose for a little donation of 2 USD.
As typically you don’t get these kind of shots every day I decided that this opportunity was just too good to pass up. I know that there are purists who say real Street Photos need to be candid and can’t be staged. On the other hand, this guy proudly presenting himself is a just as typical an African street scene.
I have quite a few other interesting shots from my Tanzania trip, so keep looking for those.
Have a very peaceful day
Marcus
Related Posts:
I though about this for a while, if I would really need a business card. After all I don’t have a business. But shouldn’t any aspiring artist should have a card with contact data he can give to whatever interested people? Continue reading “A Street Photographer’s Business Card”
What is more refreshing than seeing kids having fun? All the more when they enjoy themselves with something as traditional as soap bubbles (aka rainbow bubbles or Seifenblasen in German)? Continue reading “Bubbly Happiness”
Saturday I was in town for some deliberate shooting. Rather then my normal strolling around to see what comes in front of my lense (as usual my favorite m.Zuiko 17mm f1,8) I set myself the goal to capture some motion in my shots. Experimenting a bit I found that 1/6 of a second is a pretty good staring point capturing people in motion to get this distinctive blur, while keeping the rest of the pic (static objects) sharp despite handholding the shots, thanks to the great 5 axis image stabilization of the PEN-F (same as in my E-M1).
I started in the subway, because here you find always people in a rush. What amazed me was that bird (pigeon / dove / Taube) that was running around this underground platform. Continue reading “Saturday Rush (or running after the subway bird)”
There’s a new girl in town. She is a star, a classic beauty. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw her. Was it love at first sight? Must be, I still can feel the butterflies, day and night. Can’t really stop thinking about her, she’s constantly on my mind. I started stalking her, collecting all information I could find, looking at these awesome pictures of her. Front, back, profile, perfection everywhere. Late in the evening I ventured out in the web, visited forums, read all reports of those that were already fortunate enough to lay their hands on her. By all accounts she really seems to be that perfect girl that I envision in her. Continue reading “The New Girl in Town”
A couple of shots I took while being shopping with my wife. Who says you can’t have it all 😉 ? Rather than just strolling through the streets of Nuremberg looking for shots I gave myself the small assignment to work out some images that include the dressing dummies in the store’s windows. All shots taken with the Olympus E-PL7 and the m.Zuiko 17mm F/1,8. These are jpgs made with the in-camera high-contrast B&W program.
I often get asked what gear and camera settings I use when venturing out to shoot on the streets. What works for me is less gear and very basic camera settings.
Let’s talk about the gear first. I switched from my Nikon setup to Micro Four Thirds because I was tired carrying around a big backpack with 5 kilos and more of camera equipment but without compromising image quality. Another benefit from using m4/3 gear is that when you carry a big Nikon with a big lense attached (and even Nikon prime lenses are huge pieces of glass) you always get attention, you are automatically regarded as a serious photographer, with all the negativ implications and restrictions many photographers encounter today when roaming the streets. Now with a m4/3 camera that is much smaller and a small prime lense attached you generate much less attention, blend more in, and that is generally what you are looking for as a street photographer. People tend to much less notice you and when they do, they more regard you as a tourist snapping away than a photographer looking for some serious shots.
Having said that, I typically go out with a single camera, either my OM-D E-M1 or my PEN E-PL7. Attached to it I have typically my M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 prime lens. 17mm in m4/3 translates to ~35mm in full frame format. A fast, perfect and small piece of glass with excellent image quality. Many famous street photographers shoot 35mm only, as it is more or less equal to the normal field of view of our eyes. In the streets I like to shoot wide as my desire is to show people in the context of their environment. Continue reading “Gear & Camera Settings for Street Photography”
At the end of February Olympus will release the latest camera in its PEN lineup, the PEN-F. Designed in a beautiful retro rangefinder style look the PEN-F features a new20-megapixel Live MOS sensor, 5-axis image stabilization (as in the OM-D’s) and a high resolution OLED electronic viewfinder. Another new feature making the cam attractive for street shooters is a monochrome/color profile quick-select control dial on the front of the body.
As a passionate and convinced user of the Olympus m4/3 system (see “About My Gear“) I’m really looking forward to the PEN-F as a potential upgrade over my PEN E-PL7 that I primarily use for street photography (besides my Ricoh GR II), although the price tag (it can be pre-ordered for 1199€) would require some serious saving….
Recent Comments