Tag: Stories of the Street

Stages of Life

An elder man in leather clothes passionately riding a heavy motorccycle through a narrow alley in Marseille, France

While roaming the streets with camera in hand, I often take photographs of local street life. And when doing my selections and post processing, I find that I have captured humans in activities that, at least for me, are somehow representative for their respective stages of life.

I want to start with the elder ones. The generation that has built the foundations of what we live in today through a life full of work and caring for their families. The last stage can be a tough one. Poverty, deteriorating health, the loss of a partner, increasing loneliness. Still there are many that remain active, take their lives into their hands, find time to enjoy what they didn’t have time for during their working years. Still passing on their experiences and lessons of life.  

A mid-aged lady deep in thoughts selling fish on a local market in Marseille, France

The grown ones. The backbone of our society. Caring for both the old and the young. Having seen their share of life. Often captured within the treadmills of daily routine and the consequences of decisions they took many years ago. Sometimes thinking too much about what could have been rather than realizing what still can be.

A young couple snuggling on a door step in Marseille, France, seemingly lost to the world.

And finally the young ones. Life is good, mostly. Uncomplicated. Full of perspectives, hopes, dreams. First love, the joy of having someone very special in your life. Using every opportunity to sneak away from guardians and burdens of school life. Happiness, laughing  together, enjoying coziness. Our all future.

Forgive if these thoughts are too black and white 😉

For more inspirations on street photography, check out my free Learning Center.

Have a great Tuesday

Marcus

Photo Notes
Camera: Olympus PEN-F
Lens: mZuiko 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 travel zoom

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7

Moves

Three teenagers playing chess in Giardini Luzzati Genoa
Moves | Genoa | 2026

Three boys around a small café table in Genoa’s Giardini Luzzati. Ignorant of the world moving around them. Children playing, trees swaying in the cold wind blowing from the sea, chatting people sitting at surrounding tables (including us enjoying a drink). Their focus is somewhere else. Pondering their next moves.

What I liked about this moment is how calm it felt. No phones in their hands. No rush. Just a simple game that has been played for hundreds of years. It’s cool to see young people still playing chess like this, out in the open, face to face. In a time where everything is fast and digital, they chose something slow and thoughtful. Chess makes people pause. It brings them together. It creates small worlds like this one—just a board, a few pieces, and three minds sharing the same space. And for those teens, in this moment, nothing else seemed more important.

Taken with my Fuji X-T50 and the Fujinon Super EBC XC 1:2.8-4.8/16-50mm R LM WR. Image specs 1/500sec | f/4.8 | ISO 1000 | 50mm (75mm full frame equivalent).

If you feel inspired to capture the stories of the streets and are looking for tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center. 

Have a great Monday

Marcus

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13

Call me

Call me, one gentleman seems to tell another with a universal gesture
Call me | Portland | 2019

Visiting my archives looking for a particular image from my time in the PNW, I stumbled upon this street photo I took during a weekend stroll through the Pearl District of the Rose City. Titled “Call me”, it is one of my favorite street shots from that year. Originally in color and portrait orientation, I decided to convert it to B&W, crop in and turning it to a landscape aspect ratio.

Doesn’t it look like a scene straight out of Francis Ford Coppola movie? Two sharply dressed men meet in on a quiet city street. The younger man, holding a vape and signaling a phone call, looking nervous. The older man, calm and steady with a cane, listening closely, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. Whatever they discussed, it was serious—like something best kept off the record. The photograph certainly has a kind of cinematic look. To this day I wonder what those gentlemen were discussing. The gesture is clear, isn’t it? One of those fascinating stories of the streets that wait to be captured by the passing street photographer.

Taken with my Olympus E-M1 and the mZuiko 12-100mm F/4 pro zoom. Image specs 1/200 sec @ f/4, ISO 250 and 172mm focal length in full frame equivalent. Post-processing in Lightroom Classic.

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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14

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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10

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 

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13

Silent Sunday

A couple and their two dogs sitting a coffee table, seemingly ignoring themselves on a silent sunday
Silent Sunday | Genoa | 2023

Have your talked to your partner lately? It seems, this is not only a human problem, as illustrated by this street photograph I’ve titled “Silent Sunday”, taken two Sundays ago in the Streets of Genoa. Capturing scenes like this is for me the fun in street photography. As William Shakespeare said: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women, merely players”.

Here’s a creative tip for today. Grab your camera (or smartphone), head out to the streets of wherever you live and see if you can capture a scene that could be titled “Silent Sunday”.

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

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

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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11

The only one

Mean looking man with a helmet holding a motorcycle
Got a question? | Genoa | 2022

Yesterday afternoon I was roaming the streets of Genoa with camera in hand, while accompanying The Significant Other on some downtown shopping. I snapped quite a few images over a couple hours time. Only a few came out decent. And then there is the only one that I consider a real keeper. Not a good success rate. But I’m totally happy if I get one good photograph out of a photo walk. The only one.

Image taken with the Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. RAW conversion into monochrome and some post processing (mainly cropping) done in Lightroom Classic.

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

Have a great Saturday!

Marcus

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14

Camera? iPhone!

Jumping Dog

The days of our trip to Israel are filled with sightseeing, stressful things like lying on the beach and evening activities like dining and a enjoying some after dinner drinks with our friends we’re travelling with. At least I find time to dump the days images onto the computer, but not enough time to edit and post process. So I’m seriously behind creating new episodes of “Isreal Explored”. But no worries, they will be published eventually 😉

When my Leica failed me on day 3 of our trip, I basically turned exclusively to my iPhone 12 Pro Max to capture the sights and sounds of this beautiful country. When looking at some of my street photography shots from today, I seriously ask myself why I need a camera…these images are a mix of action shots, closeups, wide angle images, photos in bright daylight, at sunset, after sunset and at night. Shooting into the sun and with it…the iPhone handled them all pretty well, I would say. Camera? iPhone! But see for yourself…..there are more images after the jump….

Continue reading “Camera? iPhone!” →
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