E-Book Content
Going Candid… An unorthodox approach to Street Photography
"Street photography is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Thomas Leuthard
About Me My name is Thomas Leuthard and I’m a street photographer from Switzerland. I started to focus on street photography in 2009 when I decided to take all my photos with an 85mm lens in the streets. After some time I realized that this lens was too long for this purpose. The focal length changed, the name remained and I got closer and closer. Today I take some of my street photos with a 50mm from a very short distance. Why I wrote this book? There are several reasons why I wrote this book and why I didn't. I didn't write this book to show off or because it's hip to write a book. I was starting to blog on 500px and realized that people read it and that they wanted more. Some people even mentioned that I should write a book. It's like with a lot of other things. It just started small and got bigger. You cannot start big and say I want to write a bestseller and get famous with it. It's not the way it works. This is just a collection of my thoughts about street photography and some tips on how you should work as a street photographer. Why I give it away for free? I'm very privileged to be a street photographer with the latest gear and the ability to travel around the world. I can afford this through my full time job in Information Technology. Some of my contacts from all over the world don't have this privilege. But these people still want to learn about street photography. They are eager and motivated to get out to the streets with their cameras to make photos. Street photography is a very affordable way of photography and I want to keep it like that. That’s why I publish this book free of charge…
What is street photography for me? Street photography has changed my life in a way that I didn't expect it would. I suddenly have a plan in my life. I have an activity where I can use my creativity. I get challenged every day. I don't get bored because it's always different. I can travel the world for a reason and I can meet a lot of people. And last but not least I wake up in the morning with a smile. Street photography is not just another way of photography. It's a way of life… Why another book? I’m not interested in the history of street photography or the old masters. I’m interested in the way it is done today and what kind of tools and possibilities we have these days. Therefore it will be different to other books as it is my personal experience written in my way of thinking. I sometimes tend to have a slightly different view about things, but you will realize that during your reading. I’m into street photography for more than two years now and it’s about time to write down everything I know about it.
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Introduction Equipment It’s Prime Time My Workflow Learn to see Have a Plan About Light Composition Camera Settings Decisive Moment Perspective Post Processing Color or B&W Grow your Balls Going Candid… Safer Shooting 3 Ways to Shoot The Law Legalize it Ethics Rocking Flickr! Flickr! Explore Marketing Copy is right Your own Style Some Excuses Travelling The Best Time New Places Balancing The Future
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Introduction Where to start? This is the question, most of you probably ask themselves when they start to learn about street photography. I will help you out by answering "Read this book first…". Then after reading this book, you will probably know enough to get out to the street and start shooting. Don’t expect getting a master immediately. You cannot learn it in one day. You have to go through a lot of phases and you mig