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.
“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.
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.
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.
With the Leica finally back in my hands after this long and frustrating ordeal, there was only one decision left to make. And it was an easy one.
I will sell the SL2-S.
Not because I need the money. Not because I lack appreciation for the legacy of the Leica brand. But because I simply cannot trust this camera—or this company—ever again. The repeated failure of the SL2-S, the arrogant and dismissive handling of my case by Leica’s customer service, and the condescending physics lecture that came with my repair invoice have sealed my decision. I refuse to own a camera that I feel the need to constantly second-guess. A camera that, despite its premium price and supposed professional-grade engineering, has failed me twice in critical moments. A camera that has left me with more frustration than joy.
And with that, I will leave Leica behind. For good.
I have been a passionate photographer for years, and in that time, I have used cameras from various brands—Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus—without ever experiencing this level of unreliability and poor service. Those cameras have been true workhorses, tools I could count on no matter the conditions. I never had to worry about them suddenly failing in the middle of a vacation, a client shoot, or an important moment. I never had to brace myself for a repair saga that dragged on for months, only to be met with corporate gaslighting.
Leica likes to present itself as a brand of excellence, a brand built on heritage, craftsmanship, and a close relationship with its customers. My experience has been the exact opposite. What I’ve encountered is a company that refuses to take responsibility for repeated hardware failures, treats its customers with skepticism rather than support, and hides behind technical jargon instead of standing behind the reliability of its products.
The SL2-S is now repaired, but I will never put my trust in it again. And I will certainly never buy another Leica camera. Some brands earn their reputation. Others merely trade on nostalgia while failing to live up to it.
Leica, for me, belongs firmly in the latter category. And this is the end of my journey with Leica.
Walking into the city the other day, I was quite surprised to see an ice skating rink on the Main Square in Nuremberg’s Old Town. And many people, old and young, obviously enjoying themselves. An awesome opportunity for some low light street photography. Ice Ice Baby….
Finally weekend! Fighting a little cold, I took it easy all day. But late afternoon, I felt an itch to go outside. And do some photography. So I grabbed my camera and went for a little walk into the woods around our house. And do my visual push-ups for January 18, 2025 . Click below to join me on my little photographic exercise…..
Up was the motto of the day! We went up the map, driving from Genoa north (up the map ) back to Nuremberg. The drive was uneventful, and even going up San Bernardino pass in Switzerland while crossing the Alps was on clear roads under a blue sky through snow capped mountains.
“Up” is also the name of the heartwarming Pixar movie about an elderly widower, Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfill his late wife’s dream of adventure. Obviously the four balloons of the “balloon man” in Genoa’s Porto Antico are not enough to make him levitate. But the balloons will be the perfect segway into my next post, that will be about a little mountain village on the Ligurian coast that has made balloons its claim to fame.
This street photograph is a snapshot taken with my iPhone 14 Pro with some post processing in Lightroom Classic.
If you are looking for some tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center.
I wish all my friends a blessed, happy, marvelous, successful, beautiful, inspirational, creative, wonderful and healthy 2025. May all your wishes and dreams come true!
Nuremberg’s historical Christmas Market has been closed for the year on Christmas Eve. But there is still time to share some street photographs I took at the “Schaschlik-Bude”, were the staff was working hard and all smoked up to prepare little meat skewers that were one of the culinary attractions of the market.
Fore some more images of the steamy food stall continue after the jump…
To everyone out there, but particularly to all the many magic people I’ve had the blessings to meet virtually and face-to-face during my eight years of blogging on the “Streets of Nuremberg”, I wish a peace- and joyful Christmas and much love and laughters together with your family and friends.
Finally on Christmas break. And finally some time for photography. The Significant Other and I headed into Nuremberg’s Old Town this evening. Main event was the performance of the wife’s trombone choir on the stage of the Christkindlesmarket in the main square. But I brought my (almost) vintage Fuji X-T2 together with the much less vintage Fujinon XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. I did recently acquire a used copy of this zoom lens, as I wanted to have a bit more focal length on my X-mount Fuji. And 135mm where there was only 55mm before makes a lot of difference.
And the buzzing market provided plenty opportunity for some 135mm (about 200mm full frame equivalent) street portraits shot through the passing crowd.
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