The pandemic has led to many unforseen situations and has impacted quite a bit of our daily lives. Last but not the least, street photography is one of the aspects. Especially here in India where Covid 19 took an enormous form, we did fight it effectively and with the best of our efforts. Now that the 2nd wave is over, the country is preparing for the third to come. Things have been under control and we have been able to resume our daily lives to a considerable extent.
My street photography had totally come to a halt starting Jan 2020 and then the pandemic happened. Amidst the waves, I was quenching my thirst for photography by doing some wildlife and macro work. Wildlife photography is something that i love as well, but we humans tend to get inclined to things we dont have or can't achieve momentarily! Street photography was an itch i wasnt able to cure. I did try to take my camera out on the streets close to my home, but you see, it wasnt worth the time and the effort. It didnt give me the desired pleasure as it did earlier.
It was 18th of September, that i finally stepped out of my house to one of my favorite lanes of Bangalore for street photography, "Avenue road". I must say, it was so calming and exciting in the same time, just to park my bike and stand on my feet with the thought that i was going to shoot streets! Honestly the start was a bit detering, with all the apprehensions around, on how the people would react, on me pointing a camera at them.
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 18mm, ISO 160, 1/60th, Custom simulation
The above was my first frame on this lane after 2.5 yrs! The smoke from the vendor's kitchen had filled the atmosphere and i ended up making the frame. Fujifilm has made a tremendous impact in my street photography. I love the jpegs, expecially the ability to tweak the simulations and get something new is just brilliant. Also, i am a monochrome fan boy and fuji led me to get jpegs straight out of the camera with the black and white film look that i shot in my early days.
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 18mm, ISO 160, 1/60th, Custom simulation
I shoot streets with two focal lengths in general, 18mm in a crop body equates to 28mm roughly on a 35mm sensor and 50mm. I dont have a second fuji lens. i love the 18-55 2.8-4, just that i have always longed for the fuji primes expecially the light weight small lenses like the 23 f2 and 35. At the moment i carry two camera bodies, a Nikon D750 with a 50mm prime mounted and the fuji xt30. While i am still a big fan of nikon d750, the way of carrying two camera bodies in the same time wearies me. I am longing to buy the famous 35mm 1.4 and want to use it extensively for streets. I am quite happy with the focal length and that lovely shallow depth of field for the occasional street portraits works wonders for me.
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.6, 35mm, ISO 160, 1/200th, Classic Chrome
I was overjoyed of the fact that i was back on the streets with my camera and i knew no bounds. I mean anthing that caught my attention, my camera captured it. There was no second thought. I came across this alley, the lane is full of vegetable and fruit sellers engrossed in their daily transactions. This gives a plethora of shooting opportunities, especially for portraits and suttle nuances that bring out the beauty in what they do. For the above image, when i pointed the camera at her, she frowned and asked me "Why?"
Then my smile and a pleasing conversation led her to pose for me! This is what i love about street photography, it teaches us to be humble, compassionate and outright pleasing in our demeanour.
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 26mm, ISO 160, 1/100th, Custom Simulation
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 22mm, ISO 160, 1/200th, Custom Simulation
All the portraits shot in this walk were taken with the fujifilm. Now you might know why i longed to have the 35mm 1.4. No, i didnt carry the Nikon in this instance. Although, i am not overly displeased with the shots, but i prefer a shallower depth of field whilst shooting my portraits. Now, you may disagree, many do, i know a few photographers from the film days who arent aligned to this analogy. And i completely appreciate it! The thing that moves me about fuji is the sheer pleasure of shooting with its bodies; i was a guy, who once upon a time hated them! I know, dont judge me :)
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 18mm, ISO 500, 1/1250th, Classic Chrome
Fujifilm XT30, 18-55 2.8-4, f3.2, 18mm, ISO 160, 1/200th, Custom Simulation
There you go, those were some of my recent experiences captured with my camera. i hope you like them, if you do, please dont forget to follow me on my instagram profile - @Lifeinalane86
I love the above black and white profiles that i have created, they potray my style and look of my street images very well. Do let me know if you like them as well! I can share the same with you :)
Now that the things are in control, it shall be my regular endeavour to get back on the streets and make some satisfying images. If you are a street photographer, i am sure you would resonate to my thoughts!
Please be safe, wear a mask and remember, its our responsibility to not let the devil creep into our house!
Cheers!
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