Tag: photography tips

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

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Heart of a Magnolia

Magonila Blossoms
Heart of a Magnolia | Nuremberg | 2024

What does a street photographer do if he hasn’t (for various reasons) time to head into town for street shooting? He grabs his camera, heads out the door for five minutes and takes some ICM photographs of a nearby Magnolia tree that is in full blossom. And capturing the heart of a Magnolia…for a few more images from my quick lunch break photo session click below….

Continue reading “Heart of a Magnolia” →
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Hide and Seek

Dog hiding behind the legs of a purple clad lady - hide and seek
Hide and Seek | Genoa | 2024

It was the purple attire of the lady sitting on a bench in front of the Genoa-Pegli train station that caught my eye. That there was the little dog playing hide and seek behind her boots I realized only with the second glance while passing her and snapping this colorful street shot with my iPhone 14 Pro. Proof once ago that the streets are full of little stories waiting to be discovered and captured. There are a few articles in my Learning center about this, like Instant Inspiration (23) – Hidden Street Portrait and Street Photography Quick Tip 5 – Composition – the hidden subject. Most important, take you camera, hit the streets and have fun capturing the stories of the streets.

Have a great Tuesday

Marcus

Related Posts:

Street Photography Quick Tip 16 – Capture what captures attention

Instant Inspiration (12) – Playfulness

Saturday Rush (or running after the subway bird)

Wait a moment

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Illusions

Backseat Passenger
Passengers | Genoa | 2023

Sometimes you wander through the streets with your camera in hand, and you wonder what comes next. Then something catches your eye. Looks real. But it is not. Illusions. You snap the picture. Then you see another…and another….and you have a little series going….

Continue reading “Illusions” →
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Camouflage

Camouflaged Peacock
Camouflage | Seville | 2023

A rainy day in Genoa gives me time to edit my photographs from our recent trip to Seville. I came across this one of the peacock already featured in this previous post. Not only shows this image the prefect camouflage its plumage provides to this magnificent bird in its natural habitat, rainforests. But the photo also demonstrates the things my eyes are constantly scanning for when roaming the streets. I’m always on the lookout for interesting combinations of light and shadows, colors and textures. I’m doing this also when I don’t even carry a camera (which practically never happens, as at least the iPhone and its camera is always with me). This is what I call my daily visual push-ups. In this photograph, it all comes together. Bringing home an image like this after a day of shooting gives me great satisfaction.

Taken with my Leica SL2-S with the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. Image specs are 1/400 sec @ f/8 and ISO 200, 70mm focal length. Post-processing (brightening up the shadows) in Lightroom Classic.

If you are looking for tips and inspirations to improve your photography, check out my free Learning Center.  

Have a great Wednesday

Marcus

Related Posts:

Street Photography Quick Tip 7 – Work the Scene

Street Photography Quick Tip 11 – Using Color Accents

Instant Inspiration (24) – Fine Art Wildlife

Hanging in there

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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” →
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Tilted

Girl standing at a tilted red traffic light
Tilted | Genoa | 2023

For today’s post I selected a color street photograph, one I call “tilted”. I generally love black & white street photos. Colors can draw the viewer’s attention away from the main subject of the photo. Bright or contrasting colors can create a visual noise that detracts from the overall composition of the photograph. This can be especially true if the captured colors are not balanced or if they do not complement each other in a pleasing way.

In some cases, however, the use of color can be intentional and can enhance the overall impact of a street photograph. The photographer might use color to draw attention to a specific detail or element within the scene, or to create a particular mood or atmosphere.

The slightly irritated view of the girl noticing a a photographer pointing a Leica SL2-S at her face would have just as well worked in black & white. But I felt that the unusual, tilted position of the little figure in the red lamp of the pedestrian crossing traffic light needed color to work, to get noticed.

The key is to use color deliberately and thoughtfully, rather than allowing it to distract from the main subject or message of the photograph.

I took the photograph with my Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. Image specs are 1/400 sec, f/4.5, ISO 3200 and 61mm focal lenght.

For more tips and inspirations around street photography check out my free Learning Center.

Wish you all a happy Tuesday

Marcus

Related Posts:

Street Photography Quick Tip 11 – Using Color Accents

Street Photography Quick Tip 5 – Composition – the hidden subject

StoNur on the Road – Color Splash

Color appreciated

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B&W or Color?

Ascensore Spianata Castelletto Genova
Ascensore Spianata Castelletto | Genoa | 2023

Anyone playing with monochrome conversions in post-processing knows the pondering question: B&W or color? Like I did when looking at this shot of Ascensore Spianata Castelletto, one of the elevators that connect the base of Genoa‘s old town with the higher quarters. From the terrace next to the elevator you have a splendid view across the medieval old town out to the harbor and the Mediterranean beyond. I decided I like the monochrome version better. I think it better fits the elegance of the art deco elevator house. What do you think? Check out the color version after the jump…

Continue reading “B&W or Color?” →
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Hidden Photographer

Hidden Photographer
Hidden Photographer | Genoa | 2023

Welcome to March. Technically we should have spring now. Unfortunately, it’s still winter outside. No wonder that the casual weekend shoppers head into coffee shops to warm up. Have you seen the hidden photographer? I’ve got myself a blond pony tail…

Playing with reflections is a great area of street photography. You should grab your camera (or phone) and go looking for interesting reflections yourself.

More tips and inspirations around street photography you can find in my free Learning center.

The image was taken with my iPhone 14 Pro and post-processed in Lightroom Classic.

Have a great start into March

Marcus

Related Posts:

Street Photography Quick Tip 5 – Composition – the hidden subject

Street Photography Quick Tip 13 – Shoot in a Coffee Shop

Instant Inspiration (6) – Storefront Windows

Instant Inspiration (14) – Car Reflections

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Thanks for 7000 Followers

Today I want to say a heartfelt “thank you” – to all of you!!! When starting the “Streets of Nuremberg” back in January 2016, I would not have imagined in my wildes dreams that one day 7000 people will follow my photographic musings. I am truly grateful for each and every one of you! I’m grateful for those who stop by once in a while, and for those who are frequent readers. I’m especially grateful for the many friendships that have developed with great people from all over this globe. It means so much to me! Today this blog has reached a truly memorable milestone! Thanks for 7000 followers!

Have a great Wednesday!

Marcus

Related Posts:

Happy Birthday, Streets of Nuremberg

Blogger meeting with Streets of Nuremberg — Rhapsody Bohème

Recognition for the “Streets of Nuremberg”

Drinking from my own mugs

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The winter that wasn’t

Winter Forest Sunburst
1/50 sec | f/16 | ISO 400 | 12mm

The last day of February is upon us. And it’s time to finally say goodbye to the winter that wasn’t. This winter was too warm, it was grey on what felt like 90% of the time, it was unusually stormy. We had some snow worth speaking off just before Christmas, that was it. The winter 21/22 was a winter to forget.

How it should have been shows this throwback photograph from February last year I took in the woods on nearby Moritzberg. While I get there is post-processing software out there that helps you to place a sunburst in any given image, it is much more gratifying capturing it in camera. You just need the sun, an object to partially hide it behind, and a camera that allows you to set a small aperture (I usually capture sunburst with f/16). E voilà!

The good news is that you can capture sunbursts also in spring. Now we only need to have a spring that comes with some sun days! But as the saying goes…hope dies last.

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

Have a great start into March and an awesome (photographic) spring

Marcus

Related Posts:

Shoot against the sun

Time to relax with a coffee in the sun

Sun’s Out

Nuremberg’s Best Sunset

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Antelope Canyon in black and white

Rock structures in Antelope Canyon

Arizona’s iconic Antelope Canyon in black and white. Seems a real contradiction. As the Antelope Canyon is an explosion in light and colors. But last weekend I visited an exhibition of renowned nature photographer Norbert Rosing with his breathtaking black and white photographs of nature’s monuments in the West and Southwest of the USA. His photographs are very much inspired by the work of Ansel Adams. They show an inspiring and exciting play of light, contrast and composition, which make these shots quite unique. The exhibition inspired me to look back at my photographs from a tour of the US Southwest back in 2012 and convert some of them from color to black and white. I started with images from amazing Antelope Canyon. I invite you to continue and take a special tour of Antelope Canyon in black and white…

Continue reading “Antelope Canyon in black and white” →
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