FALL 2015
06 MEET
[SETITOFF.CO] GETTING TO KNOW PHOTOGRAPHER
EMANUEL
CANJURA
18
12
TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN
BLACK&WHITE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT B/W FILM
FIVE TYPES OF
STREET PHOTO GRAPHY
Photo by William Benitez
FALL 2015
[
4
DIGITAL VERSION AVAILABLE
]
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
Photos by William Benitez
FEATURES/COVER STORIES
FALL2015
06
MEET SETITOFF.CO
12
TIPS ON SHOOTING WITH BLACK & WHITE FILM A few tips to improve your results with film.
Get to know photographer Emanuel Canjura.
17
18
Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO reference sheet.
Add different styles to your portfolio.
MANUAL PHOTOGRAPHY CHEAT SHEET
5 TYPES OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Editor’s Note
M
y first camera was a Canon 5D MKII and I was mainly focused on the video aspect of my DSLR. After a few years of having the camera, I began to explore with photography as a hobby and didn’t really take it too serious. About a year ago, I met Emanuel “Eman“ Canjura, a photographer from Maryland, on the set of video shoot for my friend Dusty Harrison who’s a professional boxer. Eman asked me if I rather shoot video or photography and I quickly answered video, but the question sparked an interest into shooting more photography and I quickly became almost obsessed with going out everyday to shoot in different parts of the city. Since, I’ve met many other photographers and have seen how everyone interprets the same things that I’ve been shooting but in a different light, different style, and with a different story in each photograph. That’s where I came up with the idea for StreetShots. To showcase some of those photographers’ visions. 395 crossing the Potomac River. Viewed through a chain link fence.
6
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
Meet 8
[SETIT
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
TOFF.CO] Getting to know photographer Emanuel Canjura in an in-depth interview about photography.
Who is
SETITOFF.CO?
NAME Emanuel Canjura AGE 23 LOCATION Maryland, USA
manuel “Eman” Canjura is a 23 year-old photographer E from Maryland who has a growing following on Instagram, where he is known as @setitoff.co, and works on perfecting his craft on a daily basis. His street photography influence can be seen in the composition of his wedding photos and portraits. We asked Emanuel about his experience with street photography and where he sees himself in the future.
What does ‘street photography’ mean to you? Growing up, I was influenced by the streets. Meaning that I was out in the streets doing things I had no business doing. Now however, being in the streets with a camera has allowed me to expand my business in a professional way. Street photography gives the viewer the imagination of being there and creating there own story to the picture. It gives understanding to other who normally don’t see what I see when I roam the streets. Who or what influenced you to become a photographer? I actually always loved editing pictures growing up. Back then, Photoshop was free and you can easily edit any picture you wanted. They weren’t the best edits but little did I know it would come in handy years later. I started taking pictures with my first iPhone that i ever purchased which was the iPhone 4. I was introduced to the Instagram app when I bought my phone and became inspired after seeing other photographers with amazing pictures they had taken. I began my spree of taking pictures with my phone and always edited them with the VSCO app on the iPhone. What first drew you to street photography—and how did you discover it? What drew me into street photography was being able to capture vivid moments at a picture perfect time. I discovered street photography actually just by exploring the streets and doing research on other street photographers. Why is Photography important to you? Photography will always be important my life. Growing up, I’ve lost a lot of friends. Some alive but some are mostly dead. But it was the perfect times that we had that I wish a had a picture of just to remember and keep with until it is my time to go. Now that I have the ability to do so for others, I do it. What do you enjoy most photographing? I enjoy the adrenaline rush of capturing the perfect moment while photographing.
10 FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
“The expressions always caught & angles My attention.” Using color smoke bombs can add a surreal feeling to any photo
What were the difficulties you encountered first starting street photography? I had difficulties adjusting my camera. Being able to shoot outside was difficult for me at one point and getting the right shot was hard. Who are some of your favorite classic photographers, and how did they influence you? Bob Willoughby is one of my favorite classic photographers. The street photographs he had taken spoke to me just as much as his portraits. The expressions and angles always caught my attention. What are your favorite types of photographs to capture? I love shooting weddings, vivid shots meaning not staged, concerts and roaming the streets shooting architecture, symmetry of buildings and people. Do you have a special style in your photographs that can single you out like strokes in a painting? I have no special style. Whatever happens in the moment, happens. What do you want your viewers to take away from your work? I want viewers to see things people don’t often see. Whether it be walking past a homeless person or taking picture a building. Everything is temporary and just like us, things won’t be here forever but pictures can be past for around years and years from now.
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
11
“There are no cliche shots.” What do you think are some clichés in street photography you steer away from yourself? I honestly thought cliche shots were annoying but then I realized not every picture is the same so it changed my answer completely. There are no cliche shots. When you are out shooting—how much of it is instinctual versus planned? I usually just pack my camera equipment and just go. Other than having planned shots, I just have the urge to shoot and I go. What are your thoughts and feelings about shooting individually (versus shooting with a friend or small group of friends) when out on the streets? I enjoy shooting with others but it would only be up to 2-3 people. I don’t like shooting with big crowds just because it brings attention and I’m not an attention seeker. How has social media played a role in your photography? Social media has incredibly helped me expand my photography business. I’ve been able to meet people during my photography journey who I never thought I would ever meet. What makes a good photographer in your opinion? A vision and a creative mind. What are some tips/advice you would give to yourself if you started street photography all over again? I would study more on how to use my camera so I don’t take a million pictures when all i want is one picture. Do you take photos more for yourself—or for others? I take photos for myself just to see how much I’ve learned but I take pictures for others because just as it is to me, people are satisfied. What motivates you to do what you do? My creative thinking motivates me. I have so many ideas with photography that I don’t want to stop or just say this is it.
12 FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
Advertisement
B&W
TIPS ON SHOOTING WITH
FILM
LEARN TO THINK IN BLACK AND WHITE.
If you’re shooting in black and white, your biggest handicap is that your own eyes see in Color. Color is vibrant and therefore dominating. Being able to perfectly visualize what you are looking at in black and white can massively improve your black and white photography.
D A E D T N I A M L I #F Learning to turn off your “color vision” is neither easy nor difficult - it just takes some practice.
June does not look the same as at noon in January. Considering you won’t be able to alter the color balance to fit the mood you want, these factors become even more important.
PAY EQUAL ATTENTION TO SHADOW
I
f you make the effort, it will happen. Look at black and white images as much as possible, and then try to imagine them in color. Observe how the light looks indoors and outdoors at different times of day, intensity of shadows, shapes, forms and textures - they all look different in black and white versus color.
Great shadow detail can truly make a black and white photograph look amazing. When shooting film, this works to your advantage as you’ll have more detail in the shadow areas than if shooting digital. Look for interesting patterns and textures when working in shadows, and to obtain maximum detail, meter the darkest area of what you are photographing and bracket based on that reading.
For example, if you are photographing a woman wearing red lipstick, it will be gray or black in black and white (depending on the shade of red and intensity of color.) Green leaves look gray. Navy blue turns black. Over time, you will be able to look at any scene around you and be able to imagine it perfectly in black and white, with different degrees of contrast.
Portrait on Kodak Tri-X 400
PAY ATTENTION TO LIGHT Paying attention to light is a basic tip for improving photography all together, considering photography is based on light. The way light falls on objects, landscapes and people is even more important in black and white, as there is no color information. The intensity of the light and how it interacts with the surroundings are key factors in black and white photography. If you’re using artificial light, you can control these factors. If you’re using natural light, you’ll need to learn to work them to your best advantage to achieve the style you want. The time of year, time of day and position in regards to the sun are factors to take into consideration when shooting with natural light. Sunlight at noon in
16 FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
Skaters in DC. Captured on Kodak Tri-X400
KNOW YOUR FILM When shooting black and white film, your choice of film brand plays as significant a role as your lighting and camera settings. Grain size, contrast, sharpness, tonal range and push/pull factor will all vary with different types of black and white film. For example, many people rave about Ilford HP5 400 but personally I find it has too much contrast and grain for the type of black and white work I like to do. On the same note, Kodak Tri-X 400 tends to be my go-to black and white film because it’s extremely sharp, fine-grained and looks fantastic when pushed a stop or two. Everyone has their own specific taste and style when it comes to black and
Film photography teacher prepares lessons for upcoming classes.
white photography and playing around with different types of film can help you find what works for you.
PUSH AND PULL As I just mentioned, I like to push FP4 a stop. A lot. Why? Because it gives that extra little pop of contrast, for black blacks and white whites. If you were going for a more faded, vintage, washedout look, pulling your film a stop or two would help you achieve this effect. Pushing and pulling can also save you in difficult lighting situations when you don’t have another ISO available.
Portrait on Kodak Tri-X 400
WHEN SHOOTING PEOPLE, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE EYES Have you ever noticed how Richard Avedon’s black and white portraits always have these ridiculously intense, piercing eyes? That’s because he bleached the eyes in his prints to lighten them. If you don’t want to mess with chemicals, you can also get this effect by dodging (both in the darkroom and/or in photo editing software.) If you’re an absolute purist, you can use a reflector but prepared for the model to squint.
Portrait on 35mm film. Kodak 400TX pushed a stop.
Portrait on 120mm film.
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
17
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
19
5 TYPES OF STREET
PHOTOGRAPHY I
n my spare time, I do look at a lot of street photographs, be it in books, Flickr or at exhibits. While there is an endless variety of subjects, approaches, and styles, I believe that most photographs can be linked to a determined type of street photography. Theses types are obviously not mutually exclusive and you’ll most probably find that your pictures or preferences fall in a mix of these categories.
01. CLOSE UP The closer you get to your subject, the better. It is all about the man in the street. There are two important sub-types : the street photographers that look for subjects that stand out in the crowd, be it because of traits, expressions, or clothing. And there is the street photographers that use his own presence or attitude to influence the behavior of its subjects (flash, intruding in private space). The results can be spectacular, but unluckily, I’d say that 99% of time they are actually plain boring. Indeed, if one wants to see odd faces, just head to the next metro, no need for to look at a photo book for that. Finally, and take it as a tip to beginners in street photography, it is not because you get close enough, that your pictures will be good (enough). It takes a whole lot more than guts to produce consistently good results in street photography. Main focal: 35mm and wider Skill: Guts Master: Bruce Gilden
Close up portrait.
02. CLASSIC The main characteristic of this type of street photography is the search of balance between form and subject. A great subject/ scene itself does not make a good picture most of the times, composition is the differentiator. HCB, Brassai, Walker Evans are evident examples of this decades old tradition. Classic street photography is often linked to the Humanism movement, and a key influencer (or vice versa) of 20th century reportage photography. All in all, let’s say classic street photography attempts to describe human conditions in a form as pleasant as possible for the viewers’ eyes. Nowadays, the main struggle of this type of street photography is innovation and staying out the clichés. While our environment evolves, many “modern classic” shots do bring along an impression of “déjà vu”. The end question being: does it really matter? Main focal: 35-50mm Skill: Composition Master: Henri Cartier Bresson
Renowned photographer and activist Roy Lewis
03. MODERN This is the current dominant type of street photography. It’s all about the content, with humor, mystery or oddities being a must for a successful pictures. Multi-planes, multi-subjects, multi-meanings is the flavor of the decade. The hero is no more the subject, but is nowadays the street photographer, showing off his swift mind. Looking for adulation in photo-sharing sites, the modern street photographer forgets to ask himself : “Is a good street photograph actually a good picture ?” Or put it another way : “Will it appeal to people outside of his community ?” Answer is probably no, normal Joe buys exclusively Robert Doisneau’s postcards. Nevertheless, for the trained eyes, modern street photography did produced some jewels. I just wonder how many of those will actually be remembered five decades from now. Main focal: 35mm to super wide Skill: Eye, Composition Master: Winogrand
04. ABSTRACT
“Sidewalk Closed” sign at sunset.
A shadowy figure walking past a wet window on a rainy day.
This type of street photography does not record the strict description of an event in time, but the feeling of it. Reflections, blurs, shadows, colors, etc. are used to project you in a place where time and location are undefined. The human element of these pictures is often abstract, be it silhouettes, forms or simply the feel of it. These pictures are extremely difficult to craft since it often calls for a perfect balance between subject and composition. The biggest drawback of this type of street photography is that 95% of the time, it will not be understood by your peers, making it very difficult to produce consistently good images. Main focal: Any Skill: Observation Master: Saul Leiter
05. GRAPHIC
Set of chairs for pedestrians to sit in Rosslyn, VA
Man-crafted environment is the most important piece of this type of street photography. Humans are only a part of it. Patterns, structures, shadows, tones, textures, colors are the main elements of theses pictures. Since it is above all a graphical exercise, it is very difficult to find an individual message to many of these shots. They are above all a visual experience and therefore will look great on any kitchen walls or hanging behind your ceo’s desk. Main focal: Any Skill: Patience
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
21
Photo by Emanuel Canjura
CREDITS FRONT COVER
Emanuel Canjura Dusty Hernandez-Harrison William Benitez
ADS
All photos and designs by William Benitez
MEET SETITOFF.CO
Interview by William Benitez All photos by Emanuel Canjura
TIPS FOR SHOOTING WITH BLACK & WHITE FILM ARTICLE SOURCE “Tips for Shooting in Black and White.” Http://istillshootfilm.org/. N.p., 2013. Web. 24 Aug. 2015. TITLE PAGE PHOTO: Giannopoulos, Georgios. Example of Contact Sheet Print. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 20 June 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2015. Permission: Creative Commons License 3.0 Share-Alike Article Photos by Dusty Hernandez-Harrison
5 TYPES OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY ARTICLE SOURCE Yanidel. “The Five Most Popular Types of Street Photography.” Yanidel. net. N.p., 5 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Aug. 20015. All photos in article by William Benitez
MANUAL PHOTOGRAPHY CHEAT SHEET Designed by William Benitez
FALL 2015|STREETSHOTS.COM
23
Photo by William Benitez
Photo by William Benitez