Being Sensible About Street Photography

My daily weapon of choice: Fuji XE-1 with the 27mm pancake lens

 

I am skipping the 13th week installment of my "Weekly Street Photos" to write an essay about my own personal beliefs on the practice of "Street Photography" in general. 

 

I am avoiding no. 13, because it seems to be a general practice the world over (even my apartment building ridiculously omits listing a 13th floor on the elevator). Since a lot of people subscribe to this superstition without actually questioning its Templar origin, must I follow their lead blindly? If you agree, then please stop reading. What I am about to say, might seem offensive to you!

 

For the sake of argument, I should probably start referring to my "Street" photos as "Street Documentary" or "Street Photojournalism," because the term "Street Photography" apparently comes with a lot of baggage. Some street photographers I've come across are so dogmatic about the term "Street," they insist that "real practitioners" of the art should stick by a prescribed set of rules-- that encompasses, not only the aesthetic qualities that each photograph must contain, but also on what subjects can be included, where it must be shot and what equipment should be used.

As a commercial photographer who has shot hundreds of commissioned work on assignment, street style photography attracted me specifically because of the implied freedom to shoot anything I want, when I want, in any way I want. If what I am doing is not "Street" in the strict sense of the term, please tell me so I can stop referring to it as "Street Photography." The hard-core zealots of the movement should not worry, since I use the term loosely-- I literally shoot outside on the streets. If a lot of people have objections on my personal methodology or aesthetic choices, "Personal Documentary," "Street Documentary," "Street Photojournalism" or even "Street Safari" are equally good labels I can readily substitute to refer to the type of photography I do.

"The Hunter" Hong-Kong

Whenever I photograph out on the street freestyle, I feel like a hunter stalking game-- aiming to capture fleeting images of 'life' as it flows around me. All at once, I feel connected to my surroundings, at peace with the moment and one with my camera. This wonderfully fulfilling intimate connection to the world is driving me to pursue this type of photography with a passion that borders on the obsessive, and motivates me to carry a camera every single day.

 

I have come full circle. When I got into photography 36 years ago, I was essentially a street photographer-- I shot anything and everything around me that caught my attention. I transitioned into amateur photojournalism when I became the photographer for the school newspaper and yearbook. We still used film back then (early 80s), so I also learned how to develop my negatives and print my photographs in the darkroom. I neglected my photography for a couple of years during the time I was in college, and for a few years after that; but formally studied it (with cinematography) when I went back to film school in the mid-90s, then finally pursued it as an alternative career 8 years ago. I got back into personal documentary photography when I began using the Fuji X system earlier this year, because the cameras are delightfully compact yet can deliver high quality professional images in almost any environment.

 

It would be a tragedy to put something as magical as "Street Photography" inside a box. I agree that rules and limitation can sometimes breed creativity; but it does not work for everyone all the time, particularly for those who engage in Street Photography for sheer pleasure, not merit or acclaim. Rules are for contests and competition, not Art. The limitations (or restrictions) of an art form naturally springs forth from the limitations of the medium itself-- never prejudice. Dogma breeds a certain cerebral paralysis that goes against spontaneity,  the very instinct needed to cultivate good documentary photographs.

"Street" with my Fuji X Cameras

My Fuji X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras

I am now one of those who can testify that the Fuji X cameras are indeed revolutionary. They are compact and small, yet boast of the best features most professionals require in a digital camera system.

 

The Fuji X series cameras, particularly the X-Pro1 and the X-E1 (X-E2), are amazing photographic tools. Both are equipped with  the  16 megapixel  APS-C X-Trans CMOS that professional users swear equal the "top of the line full-frame DSLRS" in picture and color quality-- some even claim that it rivals Leica. The sensor's sensitivity is also highly praised for its extreme low-noise up to ISO 6400 (ISO can be extended up to 25600). Although the X-E1 has a built in flash, I never saw the need to use it even underneath the light of the moon. The X cameras are mirrorless, so are rock steady and quiet handheld even at 1/15th of a sec.; with the image stabilized zoom lenses I have been able to hand hold them without blur even at  1/4th of a sec. My two cameras are beautifully "retro-styled" like analog-era rangefinders, the X-Pro1 even has a state of the art optical viewfinder that shifts frame-lines automatically. Lighter and half the size of my professional DSLRs, with lenses equal in quality to Canon's L series, my Fuji X system is a dream come true.

 

I am not trading-in my Canon, Mamiya or Sinar systems just yet. In my line of photography, each system has its advantages. I still prefer my Canons for rapid action and motion/cinematic-imaging jobs (high fashion, sports, wildlife) and my Mamiya RZs & Sinar P for high-resolution commercial projects; but the Fuji X system has certainly added new dimensions to my work-- street and travel photography.

 

My XPro-1 with my old manual Canon FL lenses.

My Fuji cameras' compact, light, quiet and unimposing build; and its ability to tackle natural light in any condition makes them the perfect companion cameras to carry everyday wherever I go. The Fuji X system is also robust, currently supporting 7 high quality prime lenses and 5 zoom lenses with more in the pipeline. The system also has dedicated flash units (which I probably will never need) and attachments to tailor fit the cameras to the user. With the cameras' "shoot w/o lens" feature, I could also choose to mount 3rd party lenses using adapters. My old manual Canon FL prime lenses have a new life and are now back in service!

 

When I started my photography, I was essentially doing "street photography." But when I became a professional my subject matter became focused, I specialized and narrowed down my imaging to studio based techniques. It is so refreshing to be able to shoot anything, anywhere, in any light. This flexible camera system has given me back a fresh perspective on Photography that I have been missing for a long time.

 

Here is a sample of my work using the Fuji X cameras: 

 

"The Wedding Party"

 

"Peking Road"

 

"Uninterested"

Restoring Old Photos

"Restoring old photographs" is an art in itself.  In my experience, it is a combination of photographic knowledge and painting skills.  I am not a professional restorer in the strictest sense of the word, but I do use restoration/retouching techniques in my work as a commercial photographer.  I have to warn you that I did not take any seminars to learn what I am about to share here.  So my methods might be a tad unconventional, but they do the work and get the job done.

 

Hair can be tricky to restore. Pay attention to highlights and shade.

 

By definition, "Photo Restoration" is the practice of restoring photographs that have been damaged by nature, harsh handling, the deterioration of the medium and/or plain neglect.  Before the advent of Photoshop (and other similar photo-manipulation software), restoring old photographs were only undertaken by professional restorers and serious hobbyists, because it required manual hand-painting or retouching with photo-safe dyes on the actual print.  It was costly and time consuming.  But digital technology changed all that.  By scanning the original print or negative and working on a digital facimile, we are able to restore the image without damage to the originals.  Through this process, we are not only able to restore but also improve the quality of the picture -- in terms of color, contrast and resolution.

 

Anyone equipt with Photoshop (any version or any similar software) can restore old photographs easily.  All you need beyond this basic software, is a good digital scanner and a lot of imagination.  Being good at drawing and painting helps, but visual acuteness is more paramount.  Because in the end, how a photograph ends up looking will all depend on an individual's personal taste -- something no one can ever teach.  So I limit my discourse to purely technique here.

 

I had to recreate the whole right-side of her face because of the damage.

Perception and Imaging

"How we see" and "what we see" have always been facinating to me.  I have always professed that we see with our minds, more than our eyes -- because informational pattern and meaning can only be comprehended by filtering it with our brain.  The "eye" is of primary importance because it is where light enters and is focused, but only after we have perceived order in the shapes, colors, shades and textures mentally do we really "see" and give meaning to the visual information we receive.

 

"Gestalt psychology" has been studying visual perception and how we see since the 1920s.  Gestalt psychologists believe that the brain is holistic, parallel and analog, with self-organizing tendencies. They believe that our minds have an innate tendency to see patterns first, before analyzing details; or that we have a tendency to see 'relationships' between individual components as parts of a 'whole,' whether they were intentionally assembled or accidental. The "gestalt effect" is the form-generating capacity of our brain to see figures and whole forms instead of a collection of random lines, shapes or shades.

 

"Gestalt perception" is illustrated in these examples

 

A few "Gestalt" principles

 

"Perception and Imaging: Photography - A Way of Seeing" is a guide to this facinating world of Gestalt perception. Written by an expert in the field of Photography and Imaging sciences, Richard Zakia, the book throughly examines visual perception and presents a compelling perspective on "how we see."  Richard is Professor Emiritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology and served as chair of the Fine Art Photography department and the Graduate Program in Imaging Art. He has written 13 books on photography and was the prodigy of Rudolf Arnheim, art and film theorist, perceptual psychologist and the leading proponent of gestalt perception. 

"Blow Job" by Tadao Cern

This is something I found in Facebook... A series of portraits by Lithuanian photographer Tadao Cern (Tadas Cerniauskas) using "air blasts," to create comical caricatures of everyday people.  The series was created during the Design Weekend in Vilnius. Visitors to the Tadao Cern studio were invited to participate in a live photo session.

It's graphically hilarious and visually novel.  It reminds me of the wonderful times I had as a child, when I would stick my head out of our speeding car to experience the blast of wind distort my face in weird contortions.

Here is a sampling of "Blow Job":

For more information on "Blow Job" or Tadao Cern, please go to www.tadaocern.com or Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.364606033586614.77800.151290258251527&type=3

--all photos property of Tadao Cern

Wynn Bullock's "Color Light Abstractions"

The Exhibit at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California

The first time I came across Wynn Bullock's "Color Light Abstractions," I literally gasped at the simplicity, breath and magnificence of this largely forgotten, ground-breaking body of work.  In 2010, the Bullock Family Estate started a traveling exhibit of the newly scanned high-resolution prints of "Color Light Abstractions" from Wynn's 35mm Kodachrome slide originals.  The transcendental beauty of Wynn's images have finally been printed in the way they were originally photographed in the transparencies.

"As sounds in a musical composition can be used not to express physical objects but ideas, emotions, harmonies, rhythmic orders and most any expression of the human mind and spirit, so light can be used visually to express the mind and spirit." – Wynn Bullock

One of the great American Photographers of the 20th century, Wynn Bullock discovered photography in Paris in the 1920s while pursuing a career in singing.  After discoving the works of Man Ray and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, he bought his first camera and began taking pictures.  It took more than 10 years before he decided to pursue it seriously.  He graduated from the Art Center College in 1940, where he experimented with alternative processes like solarization and bas relief.  His early experimental work was exhibited in one of the L.A. County Museum’s early solo photographic exhibitions. 

In the early 1960s, Wynn Bullock started experimenting with color and light.  According to him, he was always facinated by light -- "As long as I can remember I have been fascinated by light…light as a force and an entity in its own right. I recall as a boy finding pieces of glass on the California desert. Some pieces were of recently broken bottles. Their colors were familiar and didn’t excite me. Occasionally, however, I found pieces of very old glass with beautiful prismatic colors. I thought only light and time could have created these colors and I was deeply moved." 

Playing and experimenting with pieces glass shards and crystals, he came up with his own process of directly capturing light and color in film -- "I discovered that I could take a piece of crystal or glass – very fine optical glass – and crack it up. A large piece can break into thousands of little pieces and each one of them comes out with just a beautiful fracture. I would put a few little pieces on a contraption of 8 or 10 layers of glass and I’d have a light underneath. And then I would use other lights. As I moved the pieces around against colored materials [e.g., shards of stained glass and colored cellophane], the fractures would begin to show up in different ways.  It was such close-up work. You couldn’t identify the glass, but by being that close and out-of-focus, all kinds of strange and beautiful optical shapes and effects would form in space. To me that’s real, that’s no illusion. I could move one of these little pieces and it would change the whole character of the picture. I used every kind of light – prismatic light, lights under, lights to the side…. I could move the lamp, I could move the light underneath – I could control the form of the optical image. I wouldn’t use them all at the same time, I would just use them creatively.  When making these pictures, I use light not to make objects recognizable, but to create beautiful pictures in color, line, surfaces, texture, forms, and space dimensions through the action of light as it strikes objects."  The "Color Light Abstraction" series was created using this simple technique. 

Photography 250 Miles High

The Space Station hovering 200-250 miles above the Earth

The International Space Station has been in the news lately because of the spectacular photographs taken by its resident Astronauts.  The high resolution photographs by the first three resident space station crews, totaling 13,442 images of the Earth, were amazingly sharp and accurate to spatial resolutions up to less than six meters!

The Astronauts used a variety of digital still cameras, 35mm and 70mm cameras with high-magnification lenses.  They compensated for the relative motion of the Earth, while shooting through a specially designed window in the station's Destiniy Laboratory.

Aside from being valuable records of the state of the Earth (at a certain time), scientist can now map changes occuring in very small features of the Earth's surface.  The International Space Station continues the pioneering effort that began 150 years ago with French Photographer Felix Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) in an Air Balloon.

Astronaut photography has always facinated me.  Aside from its technical challenges, it is a 'rarified field of work' reserved for a handful of individuals -- and consequently beyond my reach.  But its impact is priceless and invaluable to each one of us.  It is an uncommon ground where Science and Art truly meet.

I am sure you will agree that the results are truly spectacular!

A volcano erupting

A hurricane in action

See more International Space Station photographs at http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/

-- All photographs property of NASA.

Wolfgang Live - Concert Photography

Work and play can definitely coincide side by side... that is what I learned after covering the recent "Wolfgang" concert last May 15 in Manila.

Anne interviewed the band for Sandbox Productions (Smart Cellular Phone Data) and I took concert photographs. It was my first official 'concert assignment' and I was hyped to the max. The concert was broadcasted online to 22 countries and since the band seldom performs live, ever since Basti Artadi (the singer) transferred to San Francisco, it was a concert no fan wanted to miss. I have been a Rock fan for a long time and I just recently took up the guitar (electric) as a hobby. Marrying my photography with my love of Rock Music was a treat I just could not pass up.

I have taken pictures with show/stage lights before, so I knew that I was well covered -- light wise. I used my 7D, mainly because of its higher light sensitivity (as opposed to my current 1Ds). Anticipating a rowdy crowd, I decided to leave my L primes and zooms at home and opted for my APS-C Sigmas (EX f/2.8 10-20mm and 18-50mm). Not wanting to leave without a telephoto, I also brought my Canon F/4 L 70-200mm.

Here are some shots from that concert:

Extreme Photography by Wayne Martin Belger

Wayne Martin Belger in his studio/workshop

Fine Art photography can be as unique and original as the artists themselves.  A few can be more extreme than others, if not in technique or concept, at least in approach.

Wayne Martin Belger's approach to his work is both unique and intriguing at the same time.  Instead of concentrating on technique, which most of us are concerned with, he has chosen to concentrate on the camera itself as an expression of his art.  Reducing technique to its most elemental form, pinhole photography, he turns our attention to the "camera" as the very subject and object of his art -- a metaphorical prism through which we can examine his subjects and gain a deeper understanding of his personal perspective and vision.

Born in Pasadena, California to religious parents, Wayne became interested religious rites and sacred practices when he was still a boy.  He became accutely facinated with the ritual tools used by the priests and holy men that enabled direct communion with the divine.  Employing the same materials used in sacred rituals by priests and shamans, metals in combination with organic parts (blood, bone, organs), he builds cameras that enable him to be in direct communication with his subjects.

Wayne starts each project by studying and researching them.  He then visualizes the photographs and starts collecting parts, artifacts and relics related to the subject.  He then builds a camera for each of his projects.  Some of the materials he has employed in his cameras are: Aluminum, Titanium, Copper, Brass, Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, Wood, Acrylic, Glass, Horn, Ivory, Bone, Human Bone, Human Skulls, Human Organs, Formaldehyde and HIV+ Blood.

As a photographer and camera collector, I am naturally drawn to Wayne's art -- it inspires me and gives me ideas for my own work.

Here is a good selection of Wayne's cameras and a photograph he took with each one of them:

Warning: Wayne's subject matter and material can offend and infuriate people with delicate sensibilities. Like any good work of art, it requires an open mind, so please proceed accordingly.  

HIV Camera : 4"x5" camera made from Aluminium, Copper, Titanium, Acrylic and HIV positive blood. The blood pumps through the camera, then in front of the pinhole and becomes Wayne's #25 red filter. Designed to shoot a geographic comparison of people suffering from HIV.

 

Third-Eye Camera : 4"x5" camera made from Aluminium, Titanium, Brass, Silver, Gem Stones and a 150 year old skull of a 13 year old girl.  Light and time enters at the third eye, exposing the film in the middle of the skull. The camera was designed to study the beauty of decay.

Anatomy of a Family Portrait - 2

Here are the 'couples only' pictures from our family portrait shoot.  This time around, I am actually behind the camera.  I opted to provide each couple with two shots one in Color and one in B&W.  The Color shots are more quirkier/modern and the B&W are more formal/classic head shots.

I lit these pictures naturally with one big light source to emulate a large window...  I normally light my portraits individually to suit each sitter (matching the light and shadow to their personalities).  But since these pictures were shot as a set, I had to make sure that the lighting matched.  So I took extra care in showing as much individuality in each shot, through my subjects personalities as well as through their body language.  I believe I was able to capture an essence of each couple in all of the pictures.

  -- Shot with a Canon 7D and Canon 24-70mm L f/2.8 lens.

Anatomy of a Family Portrait

First off... I want to apologize for my long absence from blogging.  Like for most people, the Holidays are a hectic time for me.  Aside from the usual hustle and bustle brought about by numerous parties and the distribution of gifts to friends and business clients (not to mention the kind people in my children's respective schools), my whole family flew in for a visit and for the first time in years, we were complete.  Which brings me to the topic of this particular blog entry...  Our Family Portrait.

L-R Back: Reno, France, my wife Anne, Mom, Me, Dad and Ren

L-R Front: my daughter, my son and Pinky

My brother Reno just got married last June, and this was our first family reunion in three years.  Now that we all have spouses (my two brothers and I), it somehow felt cosmically symmetrical to my parents to capture the moment for all eternity in a "Formal Portrait."

The last Portrait of my family was done around fifteen years ago by renowned Pasadena photographer Charis, when the three of us were not married yet.  With Charis long gone, and with a studio of my own, the task naturally fell on me.

I love taking pictures and would naturally jump at any opportunity to click a shutter, but this photograph includes me and my son.  Shooting myself is a daunting enough... add an over-active and somewhat willful five year-old boy into the mix and you've got the right ingredients for a disaster!

I calmly assessed the task before me.  If this was a movie, it will be like directing and acting at the same time -- a hard proposition, but not an impossible job.  Anyway, I will just be shooting my family.  I expected them to give me a little bit more room for error (at least I hoped).

To deal with the gap of not being able to see my shots after each firing and to avoid using the self-timer, I downloaded the DSL Remote for the IPhone by onOne software.  It is a bit pricey, but well worth it -- if you can get it to work.  It has support for both my Canon 1Ds Mark IIs and my 40D, but has yet to get updated for my newer 7D.  Since it does not have live-view for the 1Ds, I was left with the 40D.  I had a hard time configuring it since I had to use an ad-hoc network setting, because my home and studio networks are different.  After several hours of wrestling with the software, I was finally able to make it work in my house.

To make a long story short... when I tried the DSL Remote in the Studio on the day of the shoot, it did not work.  My neighbors' wireless networks kept intruding on its frequency.  In the end, I got to shoot with the 7D with an infrared trigger to get the job done.  If you look at the picture closely, you will see the trigger on my left hand.  I am particularly proud of this accomplishment and have chosen to keep the trigger in the final photo.

The final picture is a composite of four individual shots... an option I did not have much control over since I was not only dealing with a group shot (where blinking is always a problem), but I was also in the picture so I could not see what I was shooting and my son (in the foreground) was in a sour mood and would not cooperate.

Here are the four individual shots I used:

Music Video Shot with the Canon 1D Mark III

I found this blogged on the "Strobist" Blog of David Hobby. I instantly fell in love with the technique -- shooting a video on a still camera's frame-rate (a Canon 1D Mark III at 10fps with Profoto Pro-8A airs, later inserts with a Canon 1Ds Mark II), absolutely brilliant! Not exactly "convergence," but effective none the less. It is a great example of creativity and technical prowess over plain technology.