Tag: Photography

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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Rain Man

Shooting on a rainy Saturday

Purple Rain

 

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The world’s a stage

Man walking past a comic mural - Street Photography Nürnberg
1/250 sec | f/8 | ISO 800 | 35mm

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women, merely players”, said William Shakespeare once. It’s also the motto of this blog. This monochrome street photograph is yet another example of it.

Roaming the Streets of Nuremberg with camera in hand, there is always a new background to discover, like this mural, a perfect backdrop for passing people. My stage on this Saturday morning. I did set up the camera and then merely waited. For people entering the scene.

I took quite a few shots. I rarely nail it with the first one. My favorite was this one, of the man passing with his white shopping bag. The juxtaposition of the funny face of the cartoon figure painted on the wall, looking up at the (smiling) bird, and the passing man with his bowed head, looking down. If he’d looked right instead of down, maybe the mural would have cheered him up a bit. All the world’s a stage….and we street shooters capture the stories.

Taken with my “leftover” Leica, the vintage, 13 years old Leica M Type 240 that I keep for sentimental reasons, after having divested the SL2-S that failed me so badly. The lens was a Summicron 35mm F/2. I’ve used zone focusing here, pre-focusing the lens at f/8 so that everything between 2 and 10 meters away was in focus. Increased the ISO so I got a minimum shutter speed of 1/250 sec to freeze the action.

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

Have a great Wednesday

Marcus

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Street Photography Quick Tip 1 – A way to shoot inconspicuously

Street Photography Quick Tip 7 – Work the Scene

Instant Inspiration (4) – Juxtaposition

Wait and shoot

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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

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Love you to death

10

Sunday Walk with a Vintage Lens

Vintage Lense Photography with the Pentax Asahi SMC Takumar
1/125 sec | f/8 | ISO 100 | 50mm

Spring has finally arrived with sunshine and warmer temperatures. No doubt The Significant Other insisted we go on a hike through the Franconian countryside outside Nuremberg. I didn’t argue at all, as this was a great first opportunity to screw (literally) a 50 year old “Nifty Fifty” on my Nikon Zf for a first test of its legendary optics – the Pentax Asahi SMC Takumar 1.4/50. Join me on a Sunday walk with a vintage lens….

Continue reading “Sunday Walk with a Vintage Lens” →
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Work the scene

Happy Girl in front of fountain
Happiness | Munich | 2016

These days I’m revisiting some older posts to clean up some SEO errors I did in my earlier blogging years. Originally titled “Apocalyptic Fountain”, it very well describes my approach to Street Photography when I work the scene. When I see an interesting setting, just like a stage set. Then I wait for things to happen. Click below to see more street shots from that apocalyptic afternoon in Munich….

Continue reading “Work the scene” →
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Nikon Zf – What an autofocus

Two ladies going shopping in Genoas Centro Storico - an opportunity for me to try the Autofocus of the Nikon ZF
1/8000 sec | f/2 | ISO 6400 | 40mm

Ok – this is not the prettiest of street photographs. But it shows a couple of things from putting my new baby, the Nikon Zf, through some initial tests on the streets of Genoa. The 24.5-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor combined with the EXPEED 7 image processor produces awesome results, delivering beautifully rendered images with a high dynamic range.

The autofocus of the Nikon Zf is a true champion

But what an autofocus the Zf has. It was already getting dark in the alleys of Genoa’s Old Town. I dialed in ISO 6400 (which produces absolutely usable images with little noise) and the max aperture of f/2 to shoot wide open. This resulted in a shutter speed of 1/8000 sec, enough to freeze any action.

I dialed in wide-area autofocus with eye/face detection. It totally amazed me how easily the camera picked out the faces of oncoming people and nailed the focus on their eyes. I walked towards the also quite fast walking oncoming ladies and pressed the shutter. E voilà, a sharp image. The Leica SL2-S could never ever have done this.

I took this street photograph with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE. It is a jpg out of the camera using the Zf’s default black & white mode. I could quick-select this mode by turning a dial on top of the camera. This is another awesome feature of this amazing camera. Stay tuned for more feature reviews as I continue to discover and learn my new camera.

So far, I can only rave about the Zf and say that I’m truly glad I replaced the Leica SL2-S with the Nikon. I’m also amazed at how superior the Nikon is compared to the much more expensive “high-end” Leica. Especially, the autofocus simply blows the SL2-S away. I have found my perfect street photography camera.

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

Have a great Friday!

Marcus

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7

White Giant

White Giant - a stuffed white Tiger in Genoa's Museum of Natural History
White Giant | Genoa | 2025

There is more from the last weekend’s visit to Genoa’s Museum of Natural History. In my last post I have mentioned juxtaposition as compositional element. Now how about this juxtaposition? This white tiger was by far the largest tiger I ever saw, dead or alive. Crazy big. The card in the display said the animal died in 1758 in a Circus, was subsequently stuffed and eventually ended up in the museum for everyone to simply admire. The Tiger was huge by my standards. How must that little girl feel looking up to this white giant?

A street photographer can apply many compositional elements to the images to generate a viewers interest. Leading lines guide the eye through the image, creating a sense of depth and direction. The rule of thirds divides the frame into a grid, helping to position subjects in a way that feels balanced and engaging. And, like in this example, Juxtaposition places contrasting subjects or elements side by side to create visual tension or highlight differences. Like the white giant and the little girl.

Taken with my Nikon ZF and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE, image specs 1/125 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 6400, 40mm focal length. Jpg out of camera using the Zf’s default black & white mode that can be quick-selected by a dial on top of the camera.

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

Have a great Thursday

Marcus 

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17

Ghosting

Skeletons looking over the shoulders of museum visitors doing Ghosting
Ghosting | Genoa | 2025

Another one from the last weekend’s visit to Genoa’s Museum of Natural History. Wouldn’t these scene be considered ghosting? Maybe the skeletons noticed the Street Photographer behind the glass of a display with stuffed primates. Musesums or exhibitions are great places for some inconspicuous “street” shooting, as people with cameras (or smartphones) would not stand out much. And there are always funny juxtapositions to be captured.

Taken with my Nikon ZF and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE, image specs 1/800 sec @ f/2 and ISO 6400, 40mm focal length. Jpg out of camera using the Zf’s default black&white mode that can be quick-selected by a dial on top of the camera.

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

Have a great Tuesday

Marcus 

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Instant Inspiration (13)- Pictures in an Exhibition

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8

Casual Observation

Mom looking into a stroller in front of a museum showcase of skeletons seemingly on a casual observation
Casual Observation | Genoa | 2025

Regular readers should know that I have a hang for street photography in museums. And that where I run across skeletons on display, try my best to have them “interact” with the visitors in front of the displays. Like in this snapshot taken yesterday, when The Signifcant Other and I visited Genoa’s Museum of Natural History. Creepy? No, not really. Come one, after all they are just a bunch of skeletons on a casual observation of people passing in front of the glass cases. Or not? Well, as long as it is not yet Night in the Museum 😉

Taken with my Nikon ZF and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE, image specs 1/30 sec @ f/13 and ISO 6400, 40mm focal length. Some post-processing (mainly cropping) in Lightroom Classic.

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

Have a great Monday

Marcus 

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15

Fearless

Man looking fearless at a grinch mural
Fearless | Genoa | 2025

We are living in a crazy world. There are plenty of things around us that cause anxiety. But at least we all should do the things we can do to make things better, safeguard democracy and keep the planet afloat for our children and future generations. Like casting our votes in general elections. It won’t help to stick our heads into the sand. Germany is voting today. Let’s keep the faith that everyone has realized what’s on the plate.

This is the first street photo I have taken with my new Nikon ZF and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE on a walk through Genoa’s historic center yesterday. It is a jpg straight out of camera, only some cropping in Lightroom Classic. Images specs 1/1250 sec @ f/4 and ISO 6400, 40mm focal length. I love my new camera more every day!

If you feel like picking up your camera (or smartphone) for a Sunday walk and are looking for tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center. 

Let’s all be fearless!

Have a great Sunday

Marcus 

Related Posts:

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13

Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power

Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power
My New Baby | Nuremberg | 2025

After my tumultuous journey with the Leica SL2-S, marked by repeated hardware failures and frustrating customer service experiences, I had decided to move on. Prerequisite was to get another full frame camera, as the larger sensors ensure better low light capabilities, greater dynamic range and more depth-of-field-separation (bokeh) when shooting wide open. And I was looking for a camera that is (like the Leica from its design and haptics doubtless also was) a joy to pick up and makes me want to go out and shoot. Only reliable.

Going through all the current full frame models on the market, I quickly set my eyes on a particular model. The brand I knew well from my early DSLR shooting days. These cameras never failed me and were reliable work horses. I knew I needed to look no further. There was a camera I instantly fell in love with. Enter the Nikon Zf – a retro beauty with modern power….and my new baby since a couple of weeks now….

Continue reading “Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power” →
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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” →
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