A Thinking Street Photography Site
Part of street photography or art-making is about finding flow.
Such that one is immersed in the activity.
Such that you could forget yourself.
And find meaning in it.
The notion of flow – many thanks to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
It’s about looking, constantly looking.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Leica M6
Lens: Voigtlander 35 Nokton 1.4 SC
Film: Venus 800
The thing with Shamshuipo is that one could walk slowly amongst pockets of crowds.
You could flow along comfortably.
Even if you stop, there’s space enough for you to do so.
So many people and things to look at.
Hope and dreams of finding a space.
The street belongs.
The street can disintegrate.
The street makes sense, if you keep looking.
Camera: Leica M6
Lens: Voigtlander 35 Nokton 1.4 SC
Film: Venus 800
So here’s TST at night.
Everyone has a place to get to.
Spotted.
Someone’s waiting.
Someone’s looking.
Someone’s packing.
Someone’s unloading.
Boxes that have lost their purpose.
The mannequins and model are more alive than actual people.
We’re all shadows in a cave of our own making.
Yes, I usually succeed in not buying another camera. But this time it’s different. Of course.
It was either the Fuji X70 or Ricoh GR II.
It was Eric Kim’s review that made me go for the Fuji X70. It’s “a Ricoh GR with Fujifilm colors”. Fantastic!
This time I have my wife’s blessing, as I’ve convinced her that I need a digital camera for street photography at night, as I have 3-4 hours to kill while waiting for my son (as his designated chauffeur) on various evenings.
Here’s the obligatory “me and my shadow” shot.
There’s a whole genre of cat photography to be found on the web.
I’m trying my best to resist taking another shot.
I’m still not instinctively comfortable with the 28mm focal length – I’m too close this time.
Here, I’m slightly further away than I realized – the 2 men should have filled out the whole image. I’m still thinking in terms of 35mm.
The articulated screen allows me to be more stealthy – I can’t imagine doing this even with my Leica M6. Raising it to the eye would make me feel too conspicuous. Not to mention that fact that my usual ISO 400 film would not be fast enough given the lighting conditions.
The Daido-inspired (poetic?) blurry shot. I think I can get away with it because of the wonderful film simulation colours from Fuji.
The touchscreen framing via LCD approach does allow for various angles.
I could do the “spray and pray approach” as well…
I sense a new book project in the horizon … maybe I can convince my wife … one book project, one camera …
When streets are busy, they look like this:
No one notices the guy with the camera:
People are too preoccupied:
Work work work.
Sell sell sell.
Buy buy buy.
Go go go.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Agfa Vista 400
Street photography is about found action.
It’s when you realize the environment is a material you could draw from.
It’s arrested action.
There’re inadvertent art displays.
Someone positioned these just so.
The goods are guiding our eyes.
The entire environment is for consumption.
Colours are for sale.
Shoes are waiting.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Agfa Vista 400
Singapore can be vertiginous at times.
You look up.
You could lose your balance.
It’s a culture on display.
A culture that wants to be legible.
It wants to be read globally.
To be taken seriously.
There’s an official stamp on everything.
We see what we are supposed to see.
A people on display.
No one can truly be at rest.
We keep on looking.
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Agfa Vista 400
A bit of self reflection.
Now you see me.
Now you don’t.
There’re lives here waiting to happen.
Journeys waiting to happen.
Games to begin.
Steps to take.
Obstacles to avoid.
Work to do.
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Kodak UltraMax 400
We shape the city.
The city shapes us.
We create new possibilities.
But there’re only so many paths you could choose to take.
Sometimes the view surprises us.
Sometimes it stops us from going further.
We have to do the work of philosophy.
To think about what we’re moving, and what moves us.
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Kodak UltraMax 400
We like to know where we are in urban space.
We cannot help ourselves.
We need to know where we are.
We need space to frame ourselves.
But space can speak for itself.
Sometimes we’re simply compelled to look.
And look again.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Kodak UltraMax 400
Hong Kong Lucida 