Tag: Travel Photography

Big Day

A bride righting her vail on her big day while her bridesmaid smiles
Big Day | Samarkand | 2025

Uzbekistan is not only colorful. It super friendly to the traveling street photographer. I‘ve never visited a country before where people are so easygoing about being photographed. They see a camera directed their way, they generally flash a smile! The Significant Other (the iPhone shooter) even observed, the bigger the camera the easier they agree to a photo. So photographing the bride and her friend during a quiet moment on her big day’s wedding photography session near Samarkand‘s Registan Square was easy. When the friend saw me aiming the Nikon, she started smiling. Amazing! 

I took the photograph with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR. Image specs 1/400 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 180 and 190 mm focal lenght. Jpg straight out of camera, no postprocessing.

Have I mentioned what a fantastic monochrome camera the Nikon Zf is? Even with a budget travelzoom attached.

Have a great Sunday

Marcus

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5

Life is colorful

2 girls holding a bunch of balloons in front of Buchara‘s Mir-Arab Madrasa
Life is Colorful | Buchara | 2025

Life is colorful in Uzbekistan. That‘s were we are since last weekend. The Significant Other and I are touring the magical cities of the historic Silk Road. After starting off in Tashkent, we continued on to Chiwa, then Buchara, and arrived today in Samarkand. Uzbekistan is a great place for photography. Colorful, vibrant, full of historic places. And especially great place for street photography. The locals are super friendly, generally smile when you signal you want to take a picture and many want to talk to you. They are curious to talk to you, living in a country that has just started to open up to tourism.

The cities, all of them more than two thousand years old, are full of life, especially at night, when the temperatures drop to comfortable levels. The two girls holding the balloons are standing in front of the Mir-Arab Madrasa of Buchara, an active university founded and built in the 16th century. The buidling is part of the Poi Kaylan complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I will share photos from this achitectural marvel in a later post.

I took the photograph with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor 40mm f/2. Image specs 1/50 sec @ f/8, ISO 6400 and 40mm focal lenght. Jpg straight out of camera, no postprocessing.

Have a great Friday

Marcus

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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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Frosty Ice Cream

Family eating ice cream one a rainy day
1/250 sec | f/6.3 | ISO 6400 | 175mm

Are you kidding me? Eating a frosty ice cream on a cold and rainy day? Not for me, anyway! Spending the last week in our Southern Home in Genoa, The Significant Other and I were not blessed with the sunny and warm Spring weather you would expect from Italy. In fact, back in Nuremberg the weather was great all week with summer like temperatures.

Despite the wet weather, we headed into town a few times to run errands and treat ourselves to some great food. Having taken the Nikon Zf with me, I captured this mother and her kids enjoying some Italian ice cream, albeit a frosty one. Maybe they were visitors coming to town from one of the Cruise ships in the harbor. And felt they had to do it. At least they provided an awesome street photo subject, matching perfectly the image visible behind their backs. Quoting Shakespeare once again: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women, merely players”

Tonight, we will return to the Streets of Nuremberg to celebrate Easter with the family.

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

Have a great day Saturday

Marcus

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Heading Home

Cyclists heading home late afternoon in Atlanta Midtown
Heading Home | Atlanta | 2025

While heading to a quick dinner in Midtown Atlanta this week, I enjoyed the late afternoon warmth and the beautiful light. The golden glow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the sidewalks, adding depth and character to the Midtown streets. It was the perfect time for some quick street photography using my iPhone 16 Pro Max, capturing the energy of the city as people made their way home. By bike, on foot, and in their cars, each with their own story. Some rushed with purpose, others lingered, caught in quiet moments. The reflections in glass buildings, the flicker of neon signs coming to life, the movement at crosswalks — it all made for an ever-changing canvas for the stories of the street, just waiting to be framed. For a few more images, continue after the jump…

Continue reading “Heading Home” →
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Airy Sunrise

Fine Art Airy Sunrise out of a plane window
Airy Sunrise | Netherlands | 2025

Isn’t it nice when a day starts full of color? This is especially true after having spent the night in an airplane seat crossing the Atlantic Ocean eastbound in a KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I opened the shades, and there it was, the colorful airy sunrise. Playing round with my iPhone, it switched to macro mode when I zoomed in and focused on the ice crystals on the outside of the window. I really love the effect it generated. Kind of artsy…

I love these things, playing around with the camera (or the smartphone) and see what I can get out of interesting things I see. This is what I call my visual push-ups. Photography stands for “painting with light”. But it is also “playing with light”.

Get your creative juices flowing. Grab a camera (or phone) and try things out. As the saying goes: One good photo a day keeps boredom away 😉

For more tips and inspirations around street photography, head to my free Learning Center.

Have a great Friday

Marcus

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12

Travel Day (19)

Silhouette of a woman sitting in a window seat on a travel day
Always on | Above Germany | 2025

I’m back in the air this morning. Hard to believe it is the my first intercontinental business trip since 2019. Thanks to Covid. I’m flying from Nuremberg via Amsterdam to Atlanta. Weather wise I will improve, leaving the freezy streets of Nuremberg for the, according to my iPhone weather app, almost summerly warmer ATL. Not that I will get much out of it, as I’m staying only a few days and it will be all work (plus maybe a dinner or two). And a travel day is always a great opportunity for some street and travel photography, usually by doing snapshots with my iPhone. The one above is a prime example for the beautiful black and white images that can be produced with a modern smartphone camera. To see more images from my travel day, click to continue….

Continue reading “Travel Day (19)” →
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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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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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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 

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