Now, for those of you who know me well, (family, friends, etc.), this may sound odd.  You know me for doing other types of photography.  But things change.

It all started in 2005, when I won a Canon Digital Rebel XT.  At that time I thought, “Wow, ok, so I have a camera now.  This might be kinda fun.”  Little did I know that I was about to begin a long and wonderful journey.  I immersed myself into photography, learning as much as I could.  I read articles, bought books, and watched videos, trying to soak up as much information as possible.  I experimented with camera settings just to see what would happen.

I dabbled in every genre of photography out there.  From weddings to portraits, abstracts to landscapes, macro to commercial, I tried to find my niche.  And it was landscapes that eventually won.  (Although it’s the hardest to make any money from!)  I love going out on my own and capturing that colorful sunset, or dramatic fog, or snowy mountain range.  Mother Nature sure can put on a show!

However, I was never really satisfied.  Sure, people told me the images were great and that I should sell them.  But something was still missing.

I’ve always been drawn to crowds and bustling cities.  Ok, let me clarify something here.  Standing in line at the Kreutzberg Monastery in Germany, with people pushing me and tripping over my son’s stroller is not what I mean.  But I love being around people.  Maybe it’s from being in the military and traveling to European countries where there are always people and places to see that I love people.  Or maybe it’s because I’ve always liked to just “people watch”.  Whatever the case it’s people that fascinate me.

Since moving to Arizona from Wyoming I’ve loved going to Phoenix and walking around watching life in the streets.  (Not to mention the great weather!)  I’ve gone out solo and with groups, always seeing something new and exciting.  And after finding other Street Photographers online (Eric Kim, Charlie Kirk, and Bellamy Hunt just to name a few) and reading their blogs and watching their videos, I’ve completely fallen in love with Street Photography.  It’s unplanned, spontanious, and always surprising.  I capture life’s little moments as they happen.

I try to approach Street Photography like I’m documenting life in hopes that future generations (and maybe even visitors from out of this world!) will understand what life was like during my stay on Planet Earth.  Just think about it.  If there were no Street Photographers, there would be no real documentation of life.  Pretty heavy.

I’m extremely greatful to have such a loving family who supports me while I take this great journey.  Without them, I’d go nowhere.

I am a Street Photographer.

Sometimes this is all that needs to be said.

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All I have to say is that they have more motivation than me!

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I took a walk in downtown Phoenix today after participating in Scott Kelby’s 4th Annual Worldwide Photowalk.  I just got my new camera, an Olympus E-PL3, and wanted to get some more shooting in before I drove all the way back home.

After walking around, not seeing too much, I came across this scene.  They both were very polite to each other on passing.  It makes me smile when I see people being generous to each other, even when one person is a little different.

Maybe we do have a chance.

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Sometimes it’s a better story with shadows.  They change with the light of the day, and are never exactly the same.

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Here’s another image shot in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial.  One thing is for sure, this guy is big!

It made me feel a little humbled with Lincoln sitting in his chair watching you.  I felt, safe.

It still amazes me at the craftsmanship that goes into creating these giant sculptures and how much detail is in them.  These are amazing pieces that everyone should enjoy at least once in their life.

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Sometimes moments were just made to be captured.

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit our nation’s capital while in the Student Senate in college.  We were there for some student leadership workshops and had plenty of free time to do some sight-seeing.  Being that I had never been to D.C. I wanted to look around as much as possible.  And being that I’m a veteran I was really excited to visit all the memorials and monuments.

While walking around one night looking at all the statues and memorials, I came across this one in the WWII Memorial.  I thought it fascinating to read all the famous quotes engraved into the stone.  When I approached this one, one of my colleagues was standing in front of it reading the meaningful words.

It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

So is it still Street Photography if you know the subject?  Does it make it any less of a meaningful image if you know the person’s name?  I don’t think so.

Street Photography is about capturing moments in life where “normal” people would walk on by.  We are Observers of Life.  And just because I know the name of the women in this image doesn’t make it any less of a street photograph.  It’s still a candid moment waiting to be captured and preserved forever.

And I’m just thankful that I was in the right place at the right moment.

Here’s an image I shot awhile back, in Sheridan, WY.  It was during the Thursday Night Street Festival downtown and was a great opportunity for some street photography.

There’s a couple things wrong with this image that I’d like to point out.  I know that sounds a bit weird, but I want to illustrate a point here.

First of all, I was slow.  I would rather have had the man’s entire face in the shot.  However, he moved quickly before I could get the shot.

Second, the dog is a bit out of focus.  It would have been better if the dog was in focus and the man was a bit more out of focus.

Other than that I was pretty happy with the image.

This just goes to show you that you must be prepared at all times when out in the street!!

Thanks for hangin’ with me!

I am so tired of hearing that phrase I could vomit.

Granted, if you don’t have a camera at all you’re not going to be doing much picture making.  That’s obvious.  But the real reason I’m tired of hearing this phrase is because I see all the time as an answer to someone’s question either on a blog or forum or wherever.

Case in point, “What’s the best camera for street photography?”

“The one you have with you.”

Really?  Oh I thought you could take street photos without a camera!

Ok, I may be blowing this out of proportion.  But let’s think about this.

If someone asks that question in a forum, they aren’t looking for the obvious one line answer.  Are they asking the right questions?  Probably not.  But that’s where we, as photographers, need to help them.

I used to work for a camera store and sold many different types of cameras to many different types of people.  Did I ever answer a customer’s question with, “The best camera for you would be the one you have with you.”  Not bloody likely!  Believe it or not, you answer that question by asking questions.  And I’m going to share with you the easiest way that I have found to answering that one question, “What’s the best camera?”

What do you mainly photograph?

This is by far the most important question.  Based on what the person says will determine where you go from there.  If the answer is, “Mostly my kids around the house.” you’re not going to point them to a Canon 1Ds MKIV.  If they say sports you wouldn’t point them to a point-and-shoot camera.  What’s the best camera for street photography?  A little bit harder to answer, but still possible.  I still wouldn’t point them to the 1Ds, or a 5D MKII, or 7D, or even a Rebel.  (I’m a Canon shooter hence the Canon references.  If you shoot with Nikon, substitute as necessary!)

Now this is strictly just my personal opinion and belief, but street photography requires some form of stealth.  And even with the smaller Rebel cameras, they are still pretty large for street photography.  I know because that’s what I started with.  And I felt very uncomfortable carrying it around trying to get candid shots.  People are going to notice it and that’s not what I want.  Again, my opinion.  There are successful street photographers who use larger cameras.  And if you’re comfortable with it, go for it.

What is your budget?

This is a very close second.  Some might think this is most important, but we’ve already eliminated half the cameras with the first question.  And each class of camera has different price points.  As a salesman I would never ask, “How much do you want to pay?”  The word “pay” has a negative meaning to the customer.  All they’re thinking about now is parting with their hard earned money.  A better approach would be, “What do you want to invest to capture those special moments?”  This is focused more on the long term.  They are investing in something now, not just paying for it.  Ok, sorry about the little marketing lesson!

Once a budget is set, you can now focus on individual cameras and their features.

What features in a camera are important to you?

I’m in the market right now for an Olympus PEN camera.  And I have narrowed it down to either the E-PL2 or E-PL3.  I know I want interchangeable lenses.  I want something small, that can fit into a jacket pocket.  Now it comes down to specific qualities of each camera.  Do I want a flip-out screen (E-PL3)?  Or do I want a built-in flash (E-PL2)?  Do I want a metal body or the nice little finger grip?  These are things only the individual person can answer.  What’s more important to them?

And for the record, I still haven’t decided which I would prefer.  There’s also the difference of $200 between these two cameras, which could be the deciding factor.

So, only after these questions have been answered can someone give advice on what the best camera would be for someone else.  Answering with, “The camera you have with you” is a cop out.  You’re just too lazy to actually help.

I would apologize for this post sounding a little negative, but I think we should help our fellow photographers and not just state the obvious.

Thanks for hanging with me!!  And please share if you agree or disagree!!