Street Photography On Twitter Is Lame

I signed up for Twitter yesterday because why not. I was on years ago in a different life when I cared about politics and was super edgy. I manged to gain a large following with my tweets, because being controversial sells I guess.

I followed a few of the big accounts. Magnum, Aperture and LFI. I already know and like their content. But then I searched for street photography and was bombarded by photos that all look very similar. 85mm photos of silhouettes with wild color grading. No emotion, no fleeting or decisive moments. Nothing that makes me want to know more or examine the photo. Some with the standard “loneliness” or “thinking” captions. LAME. And I thought Instagram was bad.

Your Contemporaries Are Presets

Ever get hoaxed into buying a preset pack? You see all the wonderful examples of the photos with each preset applied. Once you apply it to your photo, it’s looks like shit. You end up adjusting the sliders and spending a lot of time processing the photo anyways.

Use your contemporaries as presets. Find the ones that inspire you and build from them. Use them as a starting point.

I saw the video “New York City April Accidents” by Trevor Wisecup on my IG feed. It’s been a while since I was inspired from IG, so I decided to swing by and leave a comment on YouTube.

Five Frames at Santa Monica Beach

Me and my better half have been taking evening walks since the sun is setting later in the day. We took our stroll last night not expecting much. The forecast predicated overcast conditions. Oh well, good for the steps. When we got to the Pacific Palisades Park, we were all by ourselves. I guess nobody had faith in the sunset. We were surprised how nice the sky was. There’s was very little wind and we decided to cross the pedestrian bridge over the PCH and head down to the sand.

Leica Rangefinders Are The Most Fun

No they aren’t the most practical, or take the best images, or the smallest or lightest or blah blah blah. But they are the most fun and that’s what counts, right? Unless you’re doing photography for money. If it’s just a hobby, then why not choose the instrument that you have the most fun with. Why play the piano and get no girls when you can play the guitar and have them lined up for you.

For me it’s all about fiddling. I like using my hands. I grew up doing manual labor, working in trades and being active. I still look back on my early years in the workforce. I was probably 23 or so working as a maintenance guy in a 600 unit apartment complex. Trying to unclog a strangers toilet at 3am. It sucked at the time but looking back I was fulfilled. Using my hands to fix something feels damn good. Using a Leica is like using a snake to pull a tampon out of the toilet. It’s just fun man. Or maybe I’m a werido. Shooting on P mode is cool too, and I do that a lot using my GR. But there’s something about getting all the settings right and looking through that sweet rangefinder that’s a unique experience. I’ve heard this from others for years and thought it was cliche…but it’s not.

In my short photography life, I’ve owned an embarrassing amount of Leica rangefinders. Leica M3 DS, M4, M6TTL, M8, M240, M9-P, M10M. Yes, seven different ones. My favorite is the M3 all the way. The best feeling when you crank that double stroke. My next favorite and current camera is the M8. It’s closest to film. Not in the images, I think that’s gimmicky. But in the way you operate it. High ISO is garbage so I’ve challenged myself to shoot everything manual at 160 ISO. It’s fun man, that’s why people sell their blood for these things.

Where Are We Going?

The best and worst thing about doing street photography is running into life clues. Now you’d think a clue like this on a random sidewalk is just someone bored and into vandalism. But you’d be wrong. The amount of human shit smeared on sidewalks I’ve witnessed in Los Angeles is staggering. And yes, I have photos of people taking a dump on sidewalks that I’ll probably never share publicly.

Where is American society going? I say American because I’ve traveled quite a bit and never witnessed smeared human shit in other countries . My experience is of course my own and it’s possible this happens elsewhere…and I’m sure it does.

This photo was taken about 100 yards from Muscle Beach in Santa Monica which contains a bathroom with about 12 stalls. It’s quite sad someone had to write this on a sidewalk, but also so close to public restrooms.

Five Frames At Four Acres Movie Ranch

Me and my better half went out to the desert last weekend in search of the illusive sun and poppy flowers. We found only a few poppy flowers, a lot of sun and Four Acres Movie Ranch. Whenever we are on a road trip, I’ll open Google Maps and scroll around until I find something interesting. Landed on this place as it looked kinda cool.

I enjoy this type of photography as well as street photography. I’m not sure what the point is though, probably just practice I suppose. I don’t even know what this type of photography is called. Travel or landscape photography? I’m sure there’s a more specific term for it.

These photos were taken mid day in harsh light. I processed them using Silver Efex Pro. I think they look a bit like Ilford HP5 Plus. If I told you they were 35mm film, you might not think twice about it.

This Is Why You Should Do Street Photography

No, it’s not to make a killer photo or for exercise…or for likes or clout. Or to show all the strangers online how brave you are to take a photo of some person high on drugs.

You should do street photography because you’re alive and aware. You’re curious. The two photos in the post are mediocre, but they are what keeps me intrigued. Who cares about the photos, it’s better to see the world around us.

I saw this kid from the Santa Monica Pier collecting all sorts of sea trash and throwing it in a pile. Wearing khaki pants into the water didn’t matter, collecting the trash was most important. I have no idea why he was collecting trash, but I was intrigued so I headed down to the beach. I watched him for a good 15 minutes do this. He was in his element, so happy and productive. I felt good for the future. This kid is probably 14 or so. Not glued to a phone or playing video games. This kid was experiencing life and full of joy doing it.

Then my patience for the scene rewarded me. I hear a voice from behind and his sister comes into the scene, bringing him a pair of swim trunks. I think they were twins, they looked similar and the same age. What a nice gesture from his sister.

In the span of 15 minutes, I saw a happy intrigued kid interested in sea trash and a caring sister.

This is why you should do street photography.