Arming yourself with one of the best cameras for street photography is only half the battle. Okay, pairing it with the best street photography lens is arguably the other half. But none of that will help you if you don't know what you're doing!

We recently fielded a question from a viewer on our Bokeh Face podcast, asking for some quick tips on street photography. My colleague Mike and I covered a whole bunch of tricks and techniques – but there's one hack in particular that solves a rookie mistake so many people make when starting out.

"Quite often the kind of public places that everyone goes to, they're the things that you might want to photograph from further away," said Mike.

"A good example is Big Ben. There's a famous shot of Big Ben and Westminster Bridge… there's an archway and it's a nice frame within a frame. You can frame up Big Ben with Westminster Bridge as a leading line receding towards it. That's your shot.

"But if you just went to Big Ben, which is what a lot of people with a camera will do, obviously it's not impossible, but you're unlikely to find that exciting shot. So make sure that you really work your area.

"If you want to photograph the Eiffel Tower, you're probably going to get more interesting, nicer shots of the Eiffel Tower if you're walking around Paris and you see it in the distance, or looming ahead over some nice Parisian buildings or whatever, than you are actually just standing directly under it."

My wife lived in Paris for a decade, so that example is one I've shot personally (even though I try to avoid photographing the Tower!).

"My favorite picture I've taken of the Eiffel Tower, not that it's a work of art – it was streets and streets away, almost overlooking a big hill. My picture of the Eiffel Tower is that small [I held up my thumb and forefinger to illustrate it being tiny in the frame], but there's half a dozen people leaning into this archway trying to take their picture.

"And that's where street photography tells the story. It's the narrative. Here's the landmark, but actually the interesting thing isn't the landmark that we've all seen a million times before; it's the people scrambling to get into frame and take their picture of it that tells a much more interesting story."

ABOVE: Watch us share our street photography tips

Mike concluded by sharing a piece of classic photography advice that's hard to credit (though is representative of Oliver Curtis' Volte-face work): "I can't remember if this is a quote from an actual photographer or if it's just something that gets bandied around: People are looking one way, the photographer turns around."

We shared plenty more advice, from chasing pockets of light to exploiting (and ignoring) compositional rules, how to use black-and-white and contrast (and when to ignore your histogram), choosing a focal length and focus method…

I've teed up our conversation in the video embedded above, so if give it a watch if you need some street photography pointers – or if you want to take issue with anything we've said!

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Talking to people is a simple act that transforms photography – because it's not just about images, but about connection. A place gains meaning only when you stop being a stranger...

I've found that my best photographs rarely start with perfect light or a perfectly planned route. They start with a conversation. I might be watching the sun stretch across a wall. Then someone points me to a market or tells me where the fishermen arrive.

Sometimes, real life happens just a street away. Local knowledge isn't on any map. People open doors – physically or emotionally. The result is always a better photograph.

To create impactful photos we all should slow down

Taking out my camera has taught me to slow down and see the world better. Without it, I might rush past details like flower arrangements outside a shop, how a man stands at a bus stop, or neighbours greeting each other in the same spot each year.

With a camera, I pay closer attention and spot gestures, patterns, or tension. Photography moves me from visiting a place to truly understanding it.

This is why talking to locals matters; it changes your perspective. When you show interest, the place feels more personal. You stop taking photos and start collecting real moments. People help if you are respectful, pointing out the best light or welcoming spaces. Don't stay a stranger. Be present.

3 things to keep in mind

First, slow down. Don't just snap a shot and move on. Stay longer and see what changes. Second, let curiosity guide you. Ask, wander, and trust what locals know. Third, good photography is not about exotic places. It’s about attention. Villages, side streets, bus stations, or parks – all can be interesting if you really look.

For me, the camera is a bridge to openness and connection. The most powerful photos come from being truly present and belonging to the moment.

Ultimately, the most meaningful photographs are those built on genuine connection – with the people and the place. This connection, more than any other factor, is the main takeaway from my approach to photography.

Many of my favorite photos happened when I stayed longer and let things unfold. The best picture isn't always the one I set out to find, but the one that appears unexpectedly.

When you slow down, people notice and sometimes invite you into their stories. These moments of genuine curiosity and openness make photography rewarding and let you see new perspectives, often starting with a simple conversation.

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Photographer Alan Schaller knows the highs of global recognition but also the frustrating lows of an industry that often undervalues its creators.

From street photography to launching SPI (Street Photography International), and now Irys, a revolutionary photography platform with Schaller's consistent mission: champion photographers, protect their craft, and push for fair treatment in the industry.

Ahead of his talks at the Photography & Video Show 2026, he shared his thoughts on the challenges facing photographers today and gave insights into the app Irys – a space for photographers to share their work, explore career-fostering opportunities, and connect with other creatives – without the pressure of social media metrics.

Schaller's Talk

The monochrome mindset: Creativity, culture, and community

14 Mar 2026 – 15:45 - 16:45
Behind the Lens Theatre
The Photography & Video Show 2026

Alan Schaller is a giant of modern street photography. Renowned for his distinctive monochrome style and focus on shape and form, his work has been exhibited worldwide, and he is highly sought after by brands for commercial campaigns. He will discuss his career, his photography style, and how he has built his following. He'll also delve into how he came to launch Irys and the community-driven concept behind it.

Irys

A platform for photographers

• Focus on photography, not numbers, no pressure – No visible follower counts or toxic metrics, maintain ownership, no ads, safe platform. Share high-resolution work up to 30mb, EXIF data, any aspect ratio, non-downloadable.
• Join a supportive community & enhance your portfolio – share work, exchange ideas, organize projects or themed galleries, connect with like-minded photographers, and participate in competitions and challenges.
• Be discovered by the right people – Irys actively scouts talent and connects you with brands and publishers.
• Showcase your work beyond social media – Feature images in the Irys app, upcoming in-house magazine, gallery exhibitions, events, first test-runs of book publication starting this year
• Access fair-paid opportunities – Get compensated properly – better than standard industry deals.

Build from frustration, rooted in experience

For Schaller, social media numbers aren't the measure of talent. "I've got over 1 million followers on Instagram. Congrats.... I'm out. A lot of people see it like that because it's so prized – it's seen almost like your worth is your number. Some of the best photographers I know don't have a lot of followers at all."

Irys was created as a reaction to the toxic social media landscape and Schaller's frustration with the photography industry. "Because we got rid of the follower count, all the influencer people – they're not going to be interested. We want the people who are interested in photography."

"A huge focus on doing right by photographers, which I care about because I am one and I've been through a lot of terrible deals and situations," he explains.

Schaller saw how talented photographers were often undervalued. "People saying companies that are worth millions or billions have no budget... It's a very bizarre thing. There are a lot of advantages being taken, and it's not just photography – it's the music industry, it's writers and journalists getting paid hardly anything."

From the unfair reality that brands prioritize follower counts over photography skills, he emphasizes that photographers are creators, not marketers – their craft should be appreciated without the distraction of social media performance metrics.

"I want photographers to be valued for their work, not their numbers," he explains. Schaller adds, "It's crazy how far Irys has become. But here we are, trying not to behave like everyone else, and show that you can have a successful business while being fair to the artists and the community."

Pro Advice

Schaller's personal philosophy is grounded in focus and mastery. "There are very few artists in history who are multidisciplinary. Leonardo da Vinci was one of them. It's probably a good idea to focus on something... for me, that fell into monochrome photography, street photography, and abstract photography."

He sees mastery as a journey: "I've been doing black and white photography now for over 10 years, and I'm still experimenting. There's a lot to explore within just one genre... It's like the cerebral equivalent of being an athlete. Creativity engages your brain, how to make someone you've never met understand or feel something."

For aspiring photographers, Schaller's advice is 'simple': focus, think, and explore intentionally. "It's the thought process that's exciting – being an artist, not just what settings you're using or what camera you have."

For more insights, make sure not to miss Schaller's talk at the Photography & Video Show 2026 on March 14 at 15:45 at the Behind the Lens Theatre. For more information, visit the show's website.

• The Photography & Video Show 2026: everything you need to know
• Get 20% off tickets of your tickets with our exclusive money-saving code!

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Most photography careers begin with a camera. Brandon Stanton's began with a pink slip.

In 2010, the 26-year-old was working as a bond trader in Chicago. He'd recently bought his first camera, a Canon EOS 7D, and started taking photographs in downtown at the weekends. Then he lost the job. But rather than see it as a setback, he treated it as a starting gun.

He moved to New York, set himself the slightly deranged goal of photographing 10,000 New Yorkers and plotting their portraits on a map of the five boroughs, and started surviving on unemployment cheques that, as he later recalled, "almost paid rent". He'd go on to build one of the most followed photography projects in the history of the internet.

This month, PRWeek named him its 2026 Communicator of the Year; an award that places him alongside previous honorees including Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai. It's a curious category for a man with a camera and a gift for conversation, but it tells you something important about what Stanton actually does... which has never been quite as simple as taking photographs.

The green lady moment

Initially, Humans of New York was a Facebook account that delivered exactly what it promised: portraits of New Yorkers, accompanied by Stanton's own captions. Decent work, modest following, uncertain future. Then came what Stanton calls his eureka moment.

He'd photographed a woman dressed entirely in green, but the picture hadn't come out well. Unable to go out one day, he posted it anyway and added something she'd told him. That she used to wear a different color every day, but one day she wore green, it was a great day, and she'd worn green every day for the past 15 years.

The post outperformed everything else he had published by a considerable margin. And the lesson landed immediately. Turns out, people weren't following Humans of New York to look at photographs of strangers. They were following it to learn about them. The camera was a door. The conversation was the room.

From that point, Stanton evolved rapidly from street photographer to something closer to a roving oral historian; stopping people mid-stride, sitting with them on benches, drawing out their stories.

His interviews, conducted without a fixed set of questions, routinely ran to 90 minutes. The excerpts he published were often just a few hundred words. The gap between those two numbers is where his particular skill lives.

How to get 30 million followers

The scale of what followed is genuinely difficult to contextualise. Humans of New York now has around 30 million followers across social media; that's more than the New York Times. Stanton has photographed and interviewed over 10,000 people in 40 countries, travelling to Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Uganda and beyond, armed with the same basic methodology: find a subject, earn their trust, let them speak.

Last October, he staged what is being described as the largest public artwork in New York in two decades. Dear New York took over Grand Central Station, stripped out all commercial advertising, and replaced it with 50-foot projections and full-scale portrait installations featuring the stories of ordinary New Yorkers. More than a thousand artists were involved. A book followed.

It was the logical endpoint of something Stanton has always believed: that the story of a stranger on a street corner, told with sufficient care and patience, can hold a room of millions. This latest award from PRWeek acknowledges him as a communicator, but photographers know what he really is. Someone who figured out, through necessity and stubbornness, that the camera is only the beginning.

Brandon Stanton will accept the PRWeek Communicator of the Year award at Cipriani Wall Street, New York, on 12 March.

British documentary photographer Martin Parr, who died in December aged 73, had no doubt which of his many thousands of images mattered most. He said, more than once, that when he reached the Pearly Gates, his 1986 photo series The Last Resort was what he'd pull out first.

The Martin Parr Foundation is now doing exactly that, with an exhibition in Bristol and an accompanying book that between them amount to the most thorough examination yet of the series that made him famous.

The exhibition at the Martin Parr Foundation runs until 24 May, and entry is free. The book, The Last Resort: 40 Years On, ships on 26 February. Both deserve your attention.

What the book contains

At 60 pages and £30, this is a compact hardback, and it does something more interesting than simply reprinting the famous images. It excavates the project: how it came to be made, who influenced it, and what it meant to the people closest to it.

Isaac Blease, archivist at the Foundation, traces the background to Parr's move to Wallasey in the early 1980s, his decision to abandon black and white in favor of color, and the reception the work received when it first appeared; at Liverpool's Open Eye Gallery in 1985 and then at The Serpentine Gallery in London.

Peter Brawne, designer of the original 1986 book, discusses the design process and what it was like to work with Parr at that stage of his career. And Susie Parr, Martin's wife, contributes a short, lucid account of New Brighton as she actually experienced it, and of that first Liverpool opening.

This last piece is quietly revelatory. She describes opening-night guests arriving in rain hats and swimming costumes (dressing for the subject matter) and notes that nobody batted an eyelid at the images, because this was simply what New Brighton was like. The furore that followed in the London press was, in her telling, more about the critics than the photographs.

Why this matters

For photographers specifically, the historical context the book provides is genuinely useful. Parr shot The Last Resort on a Plaubel Makina W67 medium-format camera, using ring flash to achieve those lurid, flattened colors that borrowed the visual language of commercial photography and seaside postcards.

This was not naivety. It was a precise and provocative aesthetic decision, made at a time when "serious" documentary work meant black and white, available light and a respectful distance from the subject.

The archive materials — contact sheets, ephemera, evidence of the postcard collections by Tony Ray-Jones and John Hinde that influenced him — show a working photographer thinking carefully about visual language, not just pointing a camera at poverty and calling it art. Which was, of course, the charge. Critics accused him of condescension, voyeurism, class tourism. Parr's response was characteristically direct: why shoot the messenger?

What the book makes clear, looking back from 40 years' distance, is that the controversy was fundamentally about who deserved to be photographed and on whose terms. Parr's answer — everyone, on their own terms, in honest color — has since become so normal in documentary photography that it's easy to forget how radical it once felt.

A complex legacy

The contact sheets alone are worth the price of the book for anyone interested in how decisions get made in the field, how many frames surround the ones that become iconic, and how much craft underlies what looks like spontaneity.

The exhibition displays that same camera, alongside further ephemera, giving visitors a rare glimpse into the working method behind images that have influenced a generation.

Parr was rigorous about honesty, about proximity, about refusing to flatter. That requires just as much discipline as any formal studio approach. It just looks less like it from the outside, which was probably part of the point.

The book The Last Resort: 40 Years On is available from the Martin Parr Foundation for £30.

The exhibition is being held at the Martin Parr Foundation, Paintworks, 316, Arno's Vale, Bristol until 24 May 2026.

An elderly couple perfectly position themselves between a sunbather's outstretched legs on a Greek beach. A woman in Tokyo makes a cartoonish expression of shock while carrying a child on her back.

Look at these images from Margarita Mavromichalis's exhibition, When The Pavement Breathes, and you might think: "That was a stroke of luck". You'd be completely wrong.

The Greek photographer's series, winner of All About Photo's February 2026 Solo Exhibition, presents what looks like a collection of perfectly timed flukes.

But here's what every street photographer knows and every aspiring one needs to learn: there's no such thing as a lucky street photograph. There's just preparation meeting opportunity, repeated thousands of times until muscle memory takes over.

An invisible discipline

Take the pig head image above. Consider what had to happen for this frame to exist. Mavromichalis had to notice the pig head. She then has to predict the staff member would move to the window and position herself at precisely the right angle to frame the green opening against that perfect pink wall. And then wait.

Street photography is 90% standing around looking at interesting things and 10% pressing the shutter at the exact right moment.

The beach shot demonstrates something equally instructive: perspective and layers. Anyone can shoot a couple walking. But creating a frame where outstretched legs become foreground elements that dialogue with distant figures requires a level of spatial thinking that's closer to sculpture than traditional photography.

You're not just recording; you're constructing relationships between planes.

Why languages are useful

I also don't think it's a coincidence that Mavromichalis speaks five languages, and studied translation and interpreting before picking up a camera at New York's International Center of Photography. Think about it: translation requires you to see beyond literal meaning to capture essence and emotion. And that's precisely what these photographs do.

The pig head picture isn't about a pig head; it's about the absurdity lurking in commercial transactions. The beach legs aren't about anatomy; they're about the generational rhythms of leisure.

Street photography is its own visual language, and Mavromichalis is remarkably fluent. Her work spans cities across continents, yet maintains a consistent vernacular of humor, irony and careful observation. This consistency comes from understanding that wherever you are in the world, gestures and expressions form a kind of universal grammar.

Finally, Mavromichalis's resumé reveals another truth about successful street photography that's easy to miss: persistence.

She has work in permanent collections at the Museum of the City of New York and Brooklyn Historical Society. Publications in The Wall Street Journal and The Huffington Post. Multiple international awards, including a Leica Oskar Barnack Award nomination.

You don't achieve this level of recognition by getting lucky every now and again. You achieve it by shooting relentlessly, editing ruthlessly, and understanding that for every extraordinary frame, you've probably made ten thousand forgettable ones.

It's ironic, really. Your street photography looks effortless because of the enormous effort you've applied systematically over years on end. Or, to put it another way: the pavement doesn't just breathe on its own. You have to learn to feel its pulse.

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In a refreshingly blunt moment that cuts against one of photography’s most romantic myths, street photographer Matt Stuart argues that talent doesn’t really exist at all.

Speaking while wandering the streets of Amsterdam in a new episode of Walkie Talkie produced by Photographer and YouTuber Paulie B, Stuart lays out a philosophy shaped by nearly three decades of shooting: great photographs aren’t the product of innate genius, but of relentless effort, time on the street, and a fair amount of luck.

It’s a viewpoint that feels almost heretical in a culture obsessed with prodigies and overnight success.

You can watch the full episode below:

The conversation unfolds in the familiar, loose rhythm of Paulie B’s Walkie Talkie series, which has become a cult favorite for its unpolished honesty and deep dives into how photographers actually think.

As the two walk past museums, alleyways, and café-lined squares, Stuart returns again and again to the same idea: the camera rewards those who show up. If you’re out there every day, looking, walking, paying attention, you’re simply more likely to be present when something meaningful happens.

For Stuart, the idea of “talent” is often a convenient hiding place. He suggests that labeling photographers as talented creates a false barrier, implying that some people are born with access to great images while others are locked out.

In reality, he says, the difference is usually time spent shooting, failing, missing frames, and slowly learning what’s worth photographing. The more hours you put in, the better your instincts become, and the more those instincts start to look like talent from the outside.

That belief is rooted in Stuart’s own experience. Early in his career, he shot obsessively, burning through rolls of film and producing far more bad images than good ones. But those failures weren’t wasted; they were the education.

Over time, his judgment sharpened, his reactions slowed but deepened, and his confidence around people grew. Today, he shoots less but sees more, trusting that patience and familiarity with the street will eventually deliver something worthwhile.

Luck, Stuart admits, still plays a role. You can’t control who steps into the frame or how the light hits a face at the exact right second. But luck favors the prepared and, more importantly, the persistent. Quoting the old line about practice making you luckier, he frames street photography as a numbers game: the more days you’re out there, the more chances you give yourself for something extraordinary to unfold in front of you.

What makes Stuart’s argument resonate is how grounded it feels. There’s no mysticism, no talk of secret vision or special gifts, just the unglamorous reality of walking, watching, and waiting.

In an era when photography is increasingly filtered through algorithms and instant validation, his message lands like a quiet corrective: forget chasing talent. Go outside, put the time in, and let the work—and a little luck—do the rest.

Shop Matt's setup

I’ve been taking photos as long as I can remember, and in my case, that's a very long time. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to far-flung places around the world, and even in countries where you might imagine secrecy was very high on the agenda, I never used to have a problem taking snapshots of life unfolding on city streets and around town. But lately, even in my home town of Bath in the UK, I’ve been increasingly made to feel like a criminal whenever I dare to take my camera out of its carrying bag. One particular recent incident came as a wonderfully refreshing change, but first, I’ll share three of my more regular recent encounters.

I was standing on a street corner, minding my own business and admiring the beautifully picturesque appearance of a historic building that had been transformed into a restaurant. It was so eye-catching that I lifted my camera to my eye and started to take a few photos from various angles, aiming to do full justice to the makeover. Less than a minute later, the owner came charging out and told me to stop taking photos of his restaurant. I thought for a moment about arguing the toss, saying that I was perfectly within my rights to take photos of a building in and from a public place, but wasn’t in the mood for an argument. Plenty more fish in the sea, or restaurants in town.

Another time, I was taking some photos in the old covered market, while testing a Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens for a review on this very website. A stallholder made a beeline for me and demanded to know what I was doing. With every scrap of courtesy and politeness that I could muster, and with no trace of sarcasm, I said, “I’m taking photographs.” Apparently I’d taken several photos which was many too many, and I was therefore up to some mischief and clearly doing something dodgy. Silly me.

Then there was the occasion when I had an hour to kill before picking up my daughter and granddaughter from an evening concert in the neighboring city of Bristol. I thought I’d put the time to good use and take some night shots of the shopping center, which had been trendily designed by a high-ranking local firm of architects, of international acclaim, for whom my daughter actually worked at the time. Security pounced on me in a flash, saying that I couldn’t take photos in the shopping center without a permit, which I’d have to apply for in advance. My question is, “Why on earth not?”

To add insult to injury, Bath is the second most visited tourist destination in the UK. Visitors come in their hordes and sometimes you can’t move for people taking photos of each other and of anything and everything around them, using their smartphones. I’ve been particularly impressed by the organization and efficiency of Japanese tourist groups, who sometimes seem to form a circle which revolves in one direction while smartphones are passed from one person to the next in the other direction, presumably so that everyone has photos of each other in front of the same landmark. And the very best of luck to them, too. But hang on a minute. Why is it ok to take photos wherever you like and of whatever you want with a smartphone, but not with a ‘proper’ camera?

All of this leads up to an incident just the other day that knocked my socks off. Driving into Bath, I passed a company called Vanguard Self Storage. It might sound unremarkable, but they had some serious eye-candy in the foyer, in the shape of a fully restored de Havilland Vampire jet aircraft, suspended from the ceiling. I just couldn’t resist, so I cheekily pulled into their customer car park, jumped out of my ca,r and walked up to the front window. From outside the plate glass window, I started taking a few hasty shots of the aircraft but was immediately spotted by the security guard from behind his desk at the back of the foyer. He jumped up and made a beeline for the front door, and I thought, ‘here we go, time for another telling off’.

To my utter amazement, the security guard opened the front door, gave me a beaming smile and said, “You won’t get any decent photos from out there, come on in and have a look around.” He then proceeded to give me a potted history of the Vampire, which was designed in the 1940s, only the second jet fighter to be flown by the RAF, and the first jet-engined plane to ever takeoff and land on an aircraft carrier. And through all of this, I was encouraged to take as many photos as I liked. What a refreshing change! Why can’t more people engage with photographers in this way, instead of treating them like criminals?

Check out our pick of the best cameras for street photography

Following Coca-Cola’s divisive AI-generated Christmas commercial (for the second year running), it’s nice to know that the multinational beverage corporation hasn’t put all its eggs in the AI basket.

In fact, Coca-Cola x Trovatten “Where there are tacos, there’s Coca-Cola” is (in my opinion) a fantastic, creative campaign – and it all centers around Danish street photographer Frederik Trovatten, who posted all about the experience on his YouTube channel.

You might think that such an ambitious and high-profile project would warrant the very latest camera technology, but Frederik was armed with the 7-year-old Fujifilm X-T3. And the video element of the campaign was filmed on a Fujifilm X-H2S, the X-Series’ flagship camera, but hardly an expensive filmmaking powerhouse.

Check out his exploits in the video below:

Coca-Cola flew Frederik out to Mexico City, where he had roughly a month to capture commercial street photographs depicting the relationship between the drinks brand and the country’s famed dish.

And as a former resident of Mexico City, Frederik knew exactly where to find the best taco stands. But rather than put a can of Coke front and center, the campaign was an altogether more subtle affair.

Frederik took inspiration from two very different visual sources, Where’s Waldo? and Schindler’s List. Like the aforementioned puzzle-book character, the viewer would have to work hard to find the Coca-Cola element in the street photography.

And while the photographs would be black-and-white, selective color would be used for the drinks company’s famous red branding, with Frederik citing perhaps the most famous use of color-popping ever: the girl in the red coat in Steven Spielberg’s harrowing and moving wartime epic.

This wasn't your average street photography shoot, though. Frederik worked with a producer who handled various logistics, including contracts for the people photographed. The taco stands also received a commission.

Frederik’s hard work is exhibited at Oslo train station, with the film commercial also running on Norwegian national television. The campaign has also been shortlisted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026.

Make sure you watch the full video for some fantastic insight into Frederik’s process. This is the kind of advertising I’d like to see more of, Coca-Cola!

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Parr sadly passed away on December 6, 2025, aged 73. Back in 2016, Professional Photography magazine sat down with prolific Parr to discuss his photo books, wedding photography, and his “laboratory", the beach.

“You have to laugh. People are funny, aren’t they?” Martin Parr has a keen eye for quirky human behaviour. Where you or I might dismiss an everyday scene of supermarket shoppers, beachgoers or British event revellers, Parr finds subjects for his anthropological-like work, which amuses its appreciators as much as it provides social commentary.

“I’m in the business of creating entertainment that has a serious message, if you want to read it,” says the Magnum president, sitting in his Bristol kitchen, cup of tea in hand. “My first priority is to make an entertaining picture, whether that’s bright colors, people, shapes or the design within it.” But each image is also playing a role within a larger body of work – often 40 or 50 images in expanse – that examines people at work, and at leisure, whether that be on holiday, eating or spending.

The comic value of his work has given him a universal appeal, ensuring an exceptionally broad audience for his hundred-plus photo books and tens of international exhibitions. “I shift a lot of books and sell a lot of shows, which I’m very grateful for,” he agrees. “I’ve been around forever – I’m an establishment old fart.”

Yet his work has by no means grown stale. He is best known for his documentary work, including his 1980s ‘The Last Resort’, showing holidaymakers determinedly enjoying themselves at a blustery, litter-strewn, concrete-heavy Merseyside seaside resort. But Parr has stayed fresh with regular forays into fashion photography, exhibition curation, book editing, filming TV series, films, lecturing, and even photographing weddings. It’s this kind of constant hustle that garnered fellow Magnum member Alec Soth’s reference to Parr as the Jay-Z of documentary photography.

I've just heard the news, and it's hit me hard. Martin Parr, the photographer who made a career out of documenting Britain's working-class holidays, village fetes and supermarket queues in gloriously oversaturated colour, died at his home in Bristol on Saturday. He was 73.

I won't lie, we're all in shock. My editor Chris George saw him only a few weeks ago, at a talk at his Foundation in Bristol. I chatted with him as recently as August, at Green Man Festival in Wales, following a screening of his documentary, I Am Martin Parr. I'd always been a fan, but watching that film (which I'd highly recommend), then meeting the man himself, was a revelation.

Because here's the thing about Martin Parr that people often missed: he genuinely loved the people he photographed.

Who he really was

Some critics called Parr a sneering class tourist, accused him of mocking his working-class subjects. But in the flesh he was the exact opposite: a quiet-looking man wandering among with his camera, chatting to everyone in a genuine and empathetic way. He approached them and his work with curiosity and, crucially, a schoolboy-like sense of fun.

Even when tackling serious subjects like class and consumption, there was joy in his process. He was never afraid to find things amusing, to celebrate eccentricity, to empathise with people, to smile at the beautiful absurdity of life.

Born in Surrey in 1952, Parr was inspired by his grandfather, a keen amateur photographer, and knew by his teens that he'd found his calling. After studying at Manchester Polytechnic, he spent time shooting at Butlin's holiday camps, where he discovered the highly saturated, nostalgic postcards by John Hinde that would shape his later work. That aesthetic – bright, almost garish colour that mimicked 1950s holiday snaps – became his signature style.

His breakthrough came in 1986 with his series The Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton. Over three summers, he documented working-class holidaymakers in Merseyside, capturing sunburnt flesh, fish and chip wrappers, crying children and fairground rides. It's kind of weird to think of it now, but the reaction was explosive.

Middle-class people from London and the south of England – the kind that frequented photography exhibitions, at least – weren't generally used to seeing the reality of northern seaside towns: the litter, the rundown amenities, the unvarnished ordinariness. Some accused him of creating the ugliness he photographed, as if wielding a camera somehow made him responsible for regional economic decline.

But Parr was simply showing things as they were. "I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment," he said. It was his mantra, and it perfectly captured his approach; using humour and colour to smuggle in social commentary.

While The Last Resort focused on working-class life, he turned his lens on the middle classes with The Cost of Living in 1989. Garden parties, shopping trips, public school open days; all received the same unflinching treatment. In 1992, he even spent time photographing the residents of the Chew Valley, a part of rural Somerset where I lived as a teenager. And believe me, his pictures captured the incendiary social relations between locals and incomers there quite brilliantly.

His work was controversial enough that legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson opposed his admission to the Magnum Photos agency, saying he seemed to come from another planet. Parr famously replied: "I understand how you feel, but why shoot the messenger?" Justice was served when he was accepted by a single vote in 1994. Parr went on to serve as Magnum's president from 2013 to 2017, helping modernize the prestigious agency.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Parr's scope became more international. Small World critiqued mass tourism, while Common Sense examined global consumerism. He published over 100 books and co-authored the influential The Photobook: A History series with Gerry Badger, helping elevate the photobook form. His work was collected by MoMA, the Tate and the Centre Pompidou. In 2021, he received a CBE for his services to photography.

But Parr was more than just a photographer; he was a tireless champion of the medium itself. In 2017, he opened the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, which houses his archive today and regularly exhibits work by other photographers. He was an obsessive collector of photobooks and photo ephemera, eventually selling his 12,000-strong book collection to the Tate. He curated festivals, published others' work, and mentored younger photographers.

He kept working right up until the end. His latest book, Utterly Lazy and Inattentive (titled after a French teacher's damning school report when he was 14) came out this year as an autobiographical collection, pairing his photographs with wry commentary. The Martin Parr Foundation and Magnum Photos will work together to preserve his legacy.

But his real legacy is already secure: he changed how we see ourselves. Parr made documentary photography bright, funny, accessible and deeply human. And he showed generations of photographers that you don't need to travel to war zones or disaster sites to create important work. You can just go outside, start paying attention to what ordinary people are doing, and you'll probably stumble on to something fascinating.

We'll all miss him terribly.

See also: Martin Parr in his own words

If you live in a region that isn't blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine, then making a trip to the beach, even in the middle of summer, can be a frustrating exercise. I set off for a traditional vacation resort, armed with a camera and enough spare change for the dubious arcade machines, but when I got there, despite it being in the middle of June, it was cold, rainy, and windy. No wonder the beach was largely empty, save for one brave soul feeding the seagulls.

The North Pier at Blackpool, in the northwest of England, was no better, devoid of visitors, manned only by the stoic operator of a fairground ride. So, if the sun doesn't shine, what can you do? Well, let's discover what to shoot when the weather doesn't cooperate, starting with what was on the pier itself.

Boardwalks and piers

Piers or boardwalks have plenty of real estate, so it's not a surprise to find fairground rides situated on them. For rides, use a wide-angle lens and an f/8 aperture, then focus on the part of the ride nearest to you. The same applies to things like the ornate booths and kiosks that are on the pier.

An alternative is to use the planks, as most piers or boardwalks are made from wood, to lead the eye from the foreground through to the background. On murky days, make the photo symmetrical and consider converting the image to mono. Older structures may also feature interesting ironwork, lending itself to abstract or even macro photography.

Head inland and into the town

I moved away from the beach and boardwalk/pier to the seaside town itself and discovered colorful displays of plastic spades, candy, and other elements of a cheap and cheerful day out at the beach. Consider using a wide aperture to isolate these elements from their busy backgrounds. When I happened upon a poor horse pulling a gaudy carriage along the seafront, I opened up the aperture and focused on the animal's eyes. You can also use a telephoto lens to pick out interesting shop signs and parts of attractions.

Doom and decay

Unfortunately, the heyday of some beach resorts is long gone, leading to decline and decay. Graffiti-daubed walls and boarded-up houses are all examples of this. If you want to document the plight of someone on the street, I always make sure to ask their permission before taking a photograph and see what help I can offer in return, whether that’s a few dollars, some food or toiletries. Use a portrait lens or short telephoto, anything from 50-85mm, use a wide aperture, f/1.4 or so, and focus on your subject’s eyes.

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Micro Four Thirds system cameras are ideal for a day out at the seaside and capturing candids on the streets due to their small form factor. Here's a roundup of the best ones this year. Alternatively, you can save space but retain image quality with a full-frame compact camera. And if you can't rely on the weather, make sure you bring a good-quality camera backpack.

Vivian Maier is known for her historic street photography, but the American photographer’s self-portraits often showcased her sense of functional style with floppy hats, homemade dresses and comfortable shoes. A collection of Maier’s belongings, including photographs as well as vintage dresses, hats and jewelry, is being auctioned for charity.

The collection of items once owned by Vivian Maier is currently owned by John Maloof, the writer who discovered Maier’s work when he purchased a box of old photographs for $400. Maier’s striking street photography of Chicago led to posthumous fame for the nanny who spent much of her time photographing the streets of Chicago on a Rolliflex.

Discovering the initial box of photographs inspired Maloof, who is now the curator of Maier’s work, to discover more about the photographer who took the images. Along that journey he was given a number of Maier's possessions from one of the families for whom she worked, who were cleaning out a storage locker and about to throw them away.

The auction, which is hosted by Heritage Auctions, lists a number of those personal items as well as some of Maier’s photographs. That collection includes some of Maier’s self-portraits, which show her wearing floppy hats, long dresses, overcoats and sensible shoes.

A number of those items once worn by Maier are also part of the auction, including hats, dresses, overcoats, shoes and costume jewelry. The collection also includes a number of Maier’s prints.

The proceeds from the auction are to benefit the Soi Dog Foundation, a Thailand-based organization that rescues dogs and cats across Asia, as well as leading education and community programs designed to improve animal welfare. The opening bid across the collection starts at $100.

Maloof told The Chicago Sun-Times that the collection of items helps create a clearer picture of Maier, whose work was undiscovered until after her death.

“I think it paints a picture of her in a more specific way. Her hats are so iconic in her photographs, her overcoats. You can see her wearing some of her silver rings, especially in the later photographs.”

The auction is open for bidding online through Heritage Auctions through October 07.

You may also like

Learn more about Vivian Maier in her biography. Or learn about getting started in street photography.

I’ve been experimenting with using my phone for different genres of photography lately, and this time I’ve taken it to the streets.

I must preface this article by stating I don't consider myself a street photographer – and in fact, I slightly disagree with the naming of the genre. However, what is considered 'street photography' has always been about speed, instinct and discretion – and it turns out that a camera phone might be the perfect tool.

With the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, I can blend in effortlessly. A dedicated camera can sometimes feel like a red flag on the street, drawing attention before I’ve even raised it to my eye. With a phone, I can disappear into the flow of the crowd, passing as just another tourist scrolling through maps.

That compactness and disguise make me bolder, more willing to step into moments that I might otherwise miss.

The other advantage is speed. Street scenes shift in an instant, but with the Find X8 Ultra I can grab the phone from my pocket and shoot almost instantly. No fiddling with straps or digging into bags; just point, react and capture. That immediacy feels truer to the spirit of street photography, where timing is everything.

Then there’s what’s specific to the Oppo. Even though I shoot predominantly black-and-white, the Hasselblad partnership gives this phone genuinely beautiful color science, with film simulations that carry a richness and versatility.

It’s fun to shoot with. I can toggle through looks, experiment with tones and find the mood that best matches the atmosphere of the street. The menu system is clean and intuitive, enabling me to focus on reacting to the moment rather than navigating settings.

(You can see examples of the Oppo Find X8 Ultra's color science in the images I shot during a recent trip to Sweden.)

Of course, there are limitations. The smaller sensor can’t match the depth or dynamic range of my dedicated cameras, and I wouldn’t trade them for serious projects, especially if I wanted to print large.

But as a tool for walking, observing and staying nimble, the Find X8 Ultra has surprised me. It’s freed me from overthinking, reminding me that street photography is less about the gear and more about being present.

you might also like

If street photography is your thing, you might want to check out our guide on the best cameras for street photography, and also a recent book release by street photography icon Daido Moriyama titled Quartet.

Street photography has always sparked debate about which focal length is “best.” The truth, as I’ve found over years of walking city pavements and narrow alleyways with a camera in hand, is that there is no universal answer.

It depends as much on who you are as a photographer as it does on the pictures you want to create. For me, two focal lengths have become indispensable: the classic 50mm and, more recently, the wider 28mm. Each has its quirks, and each alters not only how my images look, but how I move, observe, and interact with the world.

Above: Gil Kreslavsky's YouTube video got me thinking about what is the sweetspot for street photography

The 50mm has always felt like home. It gives me a little distance from my subject, enough space to capture moments without intruding, yet still close enough to feel intimate. On the street, that balance matters. It means I can shoot naturally, keeping my subjects at ease while creating images that feel unforced.

The perspective is honest, close to how we see with the human eye, and it allows for clean, uncluttered compositions. Many shy photographers gravitate toward it for exactly this reason: it lets you be present without being confrontational.

Lately, though, I’ve been reaching more for a 28mm. This lens pulls you right into the scene. You can’t hide at a distance – you have to get involved, to step into the energy of the street. It’s harder to master, yes, and it demands quick thinking and careful composition, but it rewards you with layers, storytelling, and an immediacy that longer lenses can’t replicate.

Even outside the city, I’ve found the 28mm wonderful for candid family moments, where its ability to capture both subject and environment makes the photographs feel more alive.

Of course, there’s the middle ground: 35mm. The YouTuber whose video sparked (see above) this reflection describes it as the sweet spot between 28 and 50, and I agree. It has enough width to capture the environment, enough reach to frame tighter portraits, and it doesn’t distort or overwhelm.

For many, it’s the logical starting point for street photography – less punishing than a 28mm, but still more versatile than a 50mm. It offers a balance, and balance is often what a beginner needs when first learning to read and fill a frame.

Listening to his breakdown of the three focal lengths, I realized how much lens choice shapes not just the photographs we take but the way we shoot. A 28mm photographer has to wrestle with complexity, organising the chaos of streets into something coherent. A 35mm shooter learns the art of balance. A 50mm devotee often focuses on intimacy and emotion, drawing attention to individuals rather than the swirl around them. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but rather patterns that reveal how our tools influence our style.

In the end, the best lens is the one that suits your temperament. Are you comfortable pushing into people’s personal space? Then a 28mm may be for you. Do you prefer to observe from a respectful distance, capturing honest slices of life without intrusion? The 50mm will never let you down. Or perhaps you’re looking for a flexible compromise - the 35mm provides just that, with enough versatility to grow into whichever direction you want to take.

What I’ve learned is that mastering one focal length - really committing to it - teaches more than endlessly switching. You start to see the world in its frame, instinctively knowing how to compose before lifting the camera.

For me, I keep returning to 50mm, but the 28mm now sits alongside it, each changing how I shoot, how I interact, and how I tell stories. Street photography, after all, is not about the lens itself, but about how it shapes our vision.

Check out our guide to the best cameras for street photography

What does it take to break into the industry? I've been exploring the journeys of a number of seasoned street and documentary photographers to find out. I had the chance to chat with Andy Parker – who works exclusively with Fujifilm gear – to hear how he carved out a name for himself behind the lens.

Andy is a British-born photographer who has called Venice, Italy, home since 2009. Specializing in monochrome, his work spans street, urban and documentary photography – from quiet observational moments to striking abstract compositions. His professional focus lies in crafting fine art prints that capture the unique textures and rhythms of both the urban and rural landscapes of Venice.

Let's step into Andy's world – from his early days exploring photography to the evolving creative process behind his fine art prints – and discover the trusted tools and techniques he uses to portray Venice in a timeless, compelling way.

Career Path

Andy’s photo kit

Fujifilm X-T5

Andy uses this as his main camera body for its superior image quality, versatility and speed of operation.

Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR

If Andy could only pick one lens to shoot with, it would be this all-rounder. There are faster lenses, but he likes the combination of size and brightness.

Fujinon FX 18mm f/2 

While it is older, Andy finds this is the perfect lens for using in the narrow streets of Venice.

Fujifilm X-E3

The perfect body for portability and lightness. This used to be his go-to body but is now a back-up.

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In addition to the best Fujifilm cameras and the best Fujifilm lenses to pair with them, take a look at the best cameras for street photography and the best lenses for street photography.

Award-winning documentary photographer, Devin Allen (@bydvnlln), is the subject of the latest episode of AdoramaTV’s Picture America, and it might be my favorite yet. Devin had a complicated relationship with his home city of Baltimore, but picking up a camera changed his perspective. “Through the lens is where I really fell in love with the city,” he says.

The talented photographer’s infectious black-and-white imagery documents everyday life in a city that’s often cited as one of America’s most dangerous. Proof that there’s much more to “Charm City” than most people’s perception.

“Most people, their first introduction of Baltimore is probably The Wire. It pisses us off a lot,” says Devin, with a wry smile, “because Baltimore is way more than just The Wire. You know, I’ve lost a lot of friends to gun violence (...) but I still see the beauty in the city.”

ABOVE: Watch the full episode right now

Throughout the video, Devin talks about his latest book, Baltimore, his love for the work of acclaimed Life Magazine photojournalist, Gordon Parks, and how his grandmother quietly documented his life through photography as he grew up.

It also includes a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art, which showcases the photographer’s own exhibition, Heavy with History: Devin Allen and the Baltimore Uprising. A sobering documentation of the 2015 protests that took place in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray.

Devin is a Leica photographer through and through, with his primary setup being a Leica M10 Monochrom and 35mm Summilux-M f/1.4 ASPH. He also has a Leica M11 and SL, but as he puts it, M10 aloft, “This is all I need”.

Make sure you watch the full video to find out why Devin decided to ditch monochrome for a brief moment and capture a project in color, and how he’s helping Baltimore’s next generation of photographers.

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Want to shoot incredible monochrome images? Here's the best camera for black and white photography. Check out the last episode of Picture America, which follows landscape photographer Sydney Smolla. Finally, here are 10 documentary shorts every photographer should watch.

For decades, photographers walked city streets with a camera – not because they wanted to be 'street photographers', but simply because that’s where life happened.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus – none of them would have used the label, because at the time it didn’t exist. They weren’t chasing a genre; they were chasing moments. The photographs we now hold up as landmarks of 'street' were, at the time, just photographs of life.

Somewhere along the way, the act of photographing life in public became codified as 'street photography'. The label gave it legitimacy, something to teach, to sell, to curate. It offered a banner for practitioners to rally under, which came with a growing sense of what the genre should look like.

Yet the more 'street photography' was defined, the more it seemed to shrink. Rules appeared. Tropes multiplied. Shadows stretching across pavements, pigeons caught mid-flight, reflections in street puddles. What once was a way of looking at the world became a checklist of clichés.

Instagram accelerated the problem to the point of caricature. What might once have been the occasional student exercise or passing experiment is now churned out daily in an endless scroll. The immediacy of sharing meant that quantity soon outpaced quality, and the genre began to feed on itself.

Street photography became less about discovery and more about repetition, less about seeing the world and more about proving that you belonged to the category.

When was the last time you saw a recently taken photograph from the street that genuinely stopped you in your tracks? My suspicion is that, for most of us, it’s been a while. And when it does happen, it’s rarely because someone followed the formula.

The images that endure are almost always those that seem to step outside it, photographs that remind us of the friction, absurdity and beauty of lived experience rather than photographs that reassure us we’re looking at 'street photography'.

The irony is that the work we most often revere, the work we still put in books and exhibitions, was made before the genre was even named. It’s as though the act of naming it cast a shadow backwards, gathering disparate practices under one umbrella, only to stifle future possibilities. Defining the field may have made it easier to talk about, but it also made it easier to imitate, repeat, and dilute.

Perhaps the real question isn’t whether street photography is dead, but whether it was ever meant to exist as a genre at all. Photography at its best has always thrived in freedom, in a kind of unruly openness. The streets will always be there, waiting to be photographed. But maybe what we need now is less 'street photography' and more photographs of life.

you might also like

Check out our guides to the best camera for street photography and the best books on street photography.

A bustling metropolis, such as London in the UK, provides a fascinating contrast of old and new, with modern glass-and-steel structures butting up against historic buildings. However, cities are also full of people, traffic, building work and other unsightly distractions that could spoil your shot.

But employing the use of an ND (neutral density) filter can help blur moving elements, turning a choppy river into a smooth surface and making moving boats magically disappear (as in the shot below).

Or you can use them artistically to blur passers-by into ghostly shapes, to further emphasize the feel of a busy city while making individuals indistinct and unrecognizable.

How to blur crowds with a long exposure

1. Set up on a tripod

You’ll need to use a tripod for any long-exposure shot to not only avoid camera shake, but to get your composition spot-on. In the hustle and bustle of the city, this will require setting up out of the way of rushing pedestrians. Beware that shooting with tripods from private land is likely to incur the wrath of security, so try to set up in as unobtrusive a spot as you can.

2. Camera settings

Use manual mode so you have full control over aperture and shutter speed. Set a narrow aperture, such as f/11-f/16, which will maximize your depth of field and give you a head start when it comes to slowing your shutter speed down. Select your camera’s lowest ISO and set Exposure Delay Mode, the self-timer or use a remote shutter release to help avoid camera shake.

3. Which ND filter?

Neutral density filters typically come in 3-, 6-, and 10-stop varieties; the one you use will depend on how much you want to slow the moving elements in the scene and the available light. To turn people into ghostly shapes, I used a 6-stop ND and a shutter speed of 1.6 secs. To smooth the water when shooting the Thames, I used a 10-stop ND for a 15-sec exposure.

4. Correct your composition

Using Live View, select the 4x4 grid display to help compose your shot. Here I used it to ensure that St Paul’s Cathedral was slap-bang in the middle of the frame using the central vertical line, while the outer lines were used for handy reference points. I also used the in-camera level to ensure that the composition was perfectly square-on.

5. Try black and white

A monochrome conversion simplifies the scene and can help hide distractions. For greater control, use Adobe Camera Raw’s B&W Mixer panel to determine how colours are rendered in monochrome. Decreasing Blues and Aquas helped to accentuate the sky, while increasing Reds, Oranges and Yellows lessened the impact of buildings and bright-red cranes.

6. Remove distractions

Cities are constantly evolving, with new buildings popping up all the time. Unfortunately, all this building work means towering cranes can create an annoying blight on the city skyline. I used ACR’s Healing Brush with Content Aware Fill to remove them, filling the pixels with sky-like textures. I also got rid of the odd bright-orange carrier bag or two.

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Want to learn more about urban photography? Here are 10 tips for urban city shots. Maybe you're into photographing buildings specifically. Here are 5 tricks and settings I use when I shoot architecture for my travel photography. And if people are more your thing, here's how to get started in street photography.

The term 'revolutionary' is often thrown about in the photography world. But in the case of Bill Cunningham (1929-2016) it's more than justified. Born in Boston, he brought street photography to the masses through his work for the New York Times as a fashion photographer. Now The New York Historical—a history museum and library on the Upper West Side, founded in 1804—has acquired his complete archive.

The collection encompasses approximately 600 linear feet of material, including tens of thousands of photographs, negatives, slides, contact sheets, prints, correspondence and ephemera. In short, it's one of the most comprehensive records of street photography ever assembled, documenting the evolution of fashion from the late 1960s through to the 2010s.

Quite the character

Cunningham, who died in 2016 at age 87, was quite the character; as much a fixture of New York as the subjects he photographed. Until just months before his death, this slight figure in a signature blue French workman's jacket could be spotted pedaling his bicycle through New York traffic, camera in hand.

A Harvard dropout, he'd first made a name for himself as a designer of women's hats. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he returned to New York in 1953 and worked as a milliner; his clients included Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn and future First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier.

In the 1960s Cunningham started writing about fashion for Women's Wear Daily and the Chicago Tribune. It was around this time he picked up his camera: an Olympus Pen-D 35mm, which is now part of the Historical's collection.

His photography first came to the attention of The New York Times thanks to a 1978 photo of Greta Garbo in an unguarded moment. He went on to be employed by the title for decades.

Cunningham's approach represented a radical change, at a time when the fashion press typically staged elaborate productions. In contrast, he found his subjects on the street, at parties, and at cultural events.

He was known for his incredible work ethic and dedication. He maintained no office, stored his files in his modest studio apartment, and continued shooting well into his eighties.

Breadth and depth

The archive reveals the breadth of Cunningham's documentation. As well as his street photography, it includes three decades of Met Gala photographs, fashion show coverage from New York and Paris, and notebooks from his early days in Paris during the 1960s filled with sketches and show notes. There are also materials from his millinery period, including receipts, swatches and scrapbooks.

Cunningham's niece, Patricia Simonson, who cared for his estate, emphasized the appropriateness of the archive's new home, which was made possible thanks to a gift from trustee Sally Klingenstein Martell.

"My uncle devoted his life to capturing the spirit and beauty of individuals, fashion, and of course New York," said Patricia. "And there is no more appropriate place for his collect than The New York Historical—right on Central Park West in Manhattan, where much of his work took place."

Ultimately, the creation of the archive means Cunningham's work will be accessible to researchers and scholars for decades to come. As for the public, The Historical plans an in-depth exhibition which will showcase both the newly acquired archive and existing museum pieces, including the photographer's famous blue jacket and bicycle.

Few photographers have carved a path as distinctive and influential as street photography legend Daido Moriyama. For many, his images – grainy, fractured and restless – changed how we think about street photography.

For decades, Moriyama has been an icon. A wanderer with a camera, his Record journals are still releasing new volumes into the world – proof that, at 86, he hasn’t slowed his pace. Yet behind this vast body of work lies a beginning: four foundational photo books that defined his voice and set him on his trajectory.

This month, Thames & Hudson brings those works together in Daido Moriyama: Quartet, an anthology that collects Japan: A Photo Theater (1968), A Hunter (1972), Farewell Photography (1972), and Light and Shadow (1982) in a single volume.

These are not just early experiments. They are, as author and editor Mark Holborn recognizes, the bedrock of Moriyama’s practice; the books that established him as one of the most radical and uncompromising voices to emerge from postwar Japan.

For years, these titles have existed as legends; hard to find, expensive to own, their influence discussed more often than seen. To encounter them now, sequenced as originally intended and framed with material from Moriyama’s diaries and notebooks, is to trace the arc of an artist becoming himself.

Moriyama came of age in a Japan defined by transformation. The late 1960s through the early ’80s were a period of rapid modernization, political turbulence and cultural change. His response was to reject the formalism of earlier documentary work, opting instead for something urgent and instinctive, images that felt torn from the world rather than composed.

Japan: A Photo Theater announced this approach. Shot in Tokyo's entertainment districts, it was theatrical in every sense: actors and actresses posed alongside moments stolen from the streets, a collision of performance and reality.

In A Hunter, Moriyama went further, embracing what he later called 'are, bure, boke' (grainy, blurry, out-of-focus) – a visual language that conveyed sensation over description.

Then came Farewell Photography, perhaps his most confrontational book, where images collapse into abstraction, negatives are scratched and overexposed, and the very act of photographing is turned inside out. It was both a critique and a liberation, a refusal to play by the rules.

By the time of Light and Shadow in 1982, the chaos had settled into something more measured, yet no less distinctive: a study of contrasts, of momentary brilliance against darkness, a metaphor for the balance that would define his later work. Taken together, these books map an evolution, one that still ripples through photography today.

I first encountered Moriyama in the pages of his journal, Record. What struck me then, and still does, is his philosophy. The way he talks about being present, shooting without hesitation, and valuing feeling over technical precision. In an era obsessed with resolution and perfection, Moriyama reminds us that imperfection can hold more truth.

This is not the first time Thames & Hudson and Holborn have worked with Moriyama’s archives. Previous projects such as Record and Record No. 2 opened a window onto his lifelong visual journal, a series that continues to this day.

Where those volumes captured his ongoing practice, Quartet looks backward, to the years when his language was still forming, and shows just how daring those steps were. Like Record, this release is brilliantly designed, housed in a slipcase and beautifully presented; a book to live with, not just shelve.

Moriyama’s influence has always loomed large in Japan, but in recent years his reputation in the West has surged. Major exhibitions, critical essays and the continued publication of his Record journals have brought his name to new audiences.

In that climate, Quartet feels both timely and necessary – a way to revisit the foundations of a career that now seems monumental. It also serves as a reminder that radical work rarely begins fully formed. These four books span fifteen years. A period of searching, breaking rules, and rebuilding.

For those who know his work, it’s a chance to reconnect with the energy of his early years. For those who don’t, it’s the perfect place to start.

Daido Moriyama: Quartet by Mark Holborn is published by Thames & Hudson and priced at $75 / £65 / AU $145. It is scheduled for release in the UK at the end of August and in the US in mid-September.

🇺🇸 Pre-order Daido Moriyama: Quartet at Amazon US
🇬🇧 Pre-order Daido Moriyama: Quartet at Amazon UK

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Check out other articles on Daido Moriyama, such as Record 2 by Daido Moriyama and Did you know that one of Japan's greatest photographers built his career using Nikon Coolpix compact cameras?

Also, stay tuned for an interview with author and editor of Daido Moriyama: Quartet, Mark Holborn, where we discuss Moriyama's work, influence, and the creation of Quartet.

The latest episode of AdoramaTV's Picture America joins Buffalo resident, former DJ and photographer, Pat Cray (@yungpainkiller), as he works on an upcoming photo book, dedicated to the city. The creative makes a point of saying how much he loves Buffalo and the people who inhabit the city, citing the city’s nickname as “the city of good neighbours” and clearly his work reflects this.

Pat explains that “photography comes first”, having always dreamed of becoming a photographer, yet not having the opportunity to own a camera. Now, that camera never leaves his side.

ABOVE: Watch the full episode right now

“I’ve carried this camera around every single day for four years,” he says, “my hands and my forearms and stuff like that are beat to crap. I’ve also, low key, built muscle – I don’t go to the gym [laughs] it’s all from me carrying around cameras and taking pictures and climbing fences and doing all this fun stuff.”

And that camera of choice is the Sony A7 IV, which Pat strategically covers in black tape to hide the manufacturer and model logos, diminishing the camera’s perceived value. A neat trick for a photographer who wanders the streets alone. He also travels very inconspicuously, clad in casual clothing and carrying his setup around in a plain shoulder bag.

Pat’s goal isn’t to just document the lights and grandeur of the Rust Belt city’s centre, but to delve deeper into the communities and architecture that make Buffalo what it is. As Pat puts it: “There’s like a lot of plight here, but then there’s a lot of beauty in the mundane.”

Make sure you watch the full episode to fully explore Pat’s incredible work, pick up a few documentary photography tips and experience the passion he has for his city.

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Check out the best Sony cameras. Want to catch up on Picture America? Here's the first episode. If you're a Sony fan, check out the newly-announced Sony RX1 III.

Thames & Hudson will publish a new title in their long-running Photofile series this month, this time spotlighting the incredible work of American photographer Louis Stettner.

Stettner (1922–2016) is perhaps less widely known than some of his contemporaries, but his influence and his images are difficult to overlook. Born in Brooklyn, he began photographing as a teenager, later joining the New York Photo League, where he formed close ties with figures such as Sid Grossman and Weegee.

His time as a combat photographer during the Second World War further shaped both his worldview and his photographic approach, deepening his belief and his commitment to capturing working-class subjects.

Throughout his career, Stettner moved between New York and Paris, building a body of work that merged the immediacy of American street photography with the lyrical humanism often associated with French photography. His subjects were wide-ranging – subway passengers, street tourists, fishermen, political protests, and quiet landscapes – but what ties it all together is his eye for the beauty in everyday life and his deep empathy for ordinary people.

This new Photofile release serves as an accessible entry point to Stettner’s work, offering a concise but carefully selected overview of his photographs alongside a written introduction by Chardin, who previously authored Elegance: The Seeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography.

The Photofile series itself has become a staple for anyone looking to explore the work of key photographers in an affordable, approachable format. Other titles in the series include Bruce Gilden, Mary Ellen Mark, Daido Moriyama, and Saul Leiter, offering a broad mix of street photography, portraiture, and beyond.

These compact books remove many of the usual barriers around photobook collecting, making it easy to build a small library of essential names without breaking the bank.

Louis Stettner (Photofile) by Virginie Chardin, published by Thames & Hudson, is set for release on July 17 and will retail at £12.99, US and Australian pricing and availability to be confirmed.

For those wanting to dive deeper, Thames & Hudson also publishes a more extensive retrospective monograph on Stettner’s work, one of the strongest books on him currently available, and a personal favorite of mine from last year.

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Check out our guides to the best camera for street photography and the best books on street photography.

Adorama has just launched a docuseries on its YouTube channel, AdoramaTV, called Picture America. The electronics retailer says the series “shines a light on photographers across the nation who are passionate about their hometown.”

New episodes will be released throughout the year, said to focus on photographers “from all walks of life” as they see America through their own lens. And the good news is that you can watch the very first episode right now!

The Picture America premiere follows Nashville-based photographer Tony Shepard (@pixbyshep) as he captures Music City in black and white.

“I’m attracted to the idea of the beauty in the ordinary… if you stop and slow down, there’s actually so much more to the story,” says Tony, as he chats while a montage of the man himself at work plays in the background.

ABOVE: Watch the full episode right now

When it comes to kit, Tony’s mobile setup largely consists of the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 and Sony A7R IV, which he calls a “photography beast.”

That’s a pretty portable setup, but when Tony wants to take things to the next level, he reaches for the Ricoh GR IIIx Urban Edition, stating: “You want something that fits in your pocket but you don’t want to feel like you are taking photos that have less quality than, y’know, what you would normally take in your regular camera.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m certainly enjoying the fly-on-the-wall nature of this first episode. It’s not just about the photography, either. I, for one, came away feeling like I knew a little bit more about Nashville, including where to find the best donuts!

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Sony A7 IV vs A7R IV: which of these full-framers is the best choice for you? Maybe you want the best camera for street photography. Plus, it's getting trickier to take photos in public – and I reckon the tech giants are to blame.

There are days when I pace the streets endlessly, Leica in hand, chasing fleeting moments as they unfold in the urban theater. But on this particular afternoon, I chose stillness over motion.

I found myself beneath a striking architectural oculus in London – an oval cut-out in a ceiling that perfectly framed the sky – and I decided to slow things right down. Rather than hunting, I would fish.

I saw potential in that frame: if a bird, a plane, even a drifting cloud moved into just the right position, I knew it would make the image. So I set up, locked my exposure at 1/4000 sec, f/8, ISO400, and waited.

For an hour and ten minutes, I stood there with my Leica M-E and 50mm Summilux-M lens poised, watching the light shift, and the clouds creep.

I must have looked ridiculous to passers-by – camera aimed upward, entirely transfixed by what, to them, was just an empty patch of sky. I was chasing a perfect moment: the hope that something, anything, would drift into the bullseye of that geometric void.

It never quite happened. Nothing hit dead center. But I did get something – this solitary seagull gliding lazily through the top third of the frame, its wings cutting across the bright white sky like ink.

Not what I envisioned, but beautiful in its own right. And with it came a kind of quiet satisfaction. The image isn't the one I planned, but it’s the one I earned through patience – and that makes it a keeper. It tells its own story, one I couldn't have scripted even if I’d tried.

That pause, that deliberate stillness, shifted something in my approach. Instead of charging headlong through city streets, I began noticing scenes I might normally walk past - compositions already halfway formed, waiting only for a subject to complete them.

I spent the rest of the day doing just that: finding frames and letting the world bring something to them. A new method for me, and one I’ll definitely return to. There’s something to be said for just standing still and watching the world go by…

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Last Sunday morning I headed downtown with my camera, chasing that perfect golden hour light. My plan was simple: capture some shots of the century-old buildings lining a nearby street, with their ornate facades bathed in warm sunlight.

When away I'm on a press trip in an unfamiliar place, this has become a bit of a ritual for me: wandering the streets with a camera, documenting urban life and architecture as it unfolds before me.

I found my spot and began framing a shot of a particularly striking art deco building. The composition was nearly perfect: morning light hitting the copper detailing, the geometric patterns creating wonderful shadows.

Parked along the curb, incidentally, was a nondescript vehicle. Nothing special—just part of the urban landscape, the kind of everyday element that gives street photography its authenticity.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

I lowered my camera to find a man marching toward me, his face flushed with anger.

"Hello," I replied in a friendly manner. "I'm just taking photographs of the architecture," I replied, gesturing toward the building.

"That's my car you're taking pictures of. Did you ask permission? You can't just take pictures of people's number plates without consent!"

I tried explaining that I was shooting in a public space, that his car was incidental to the composition, that street photography has a long and respected tradition. I even offered to show him the images.

None of it mattered. He demanded I delete any photo containing his vehicle, threatening to call the police if I refused.

What changed?

It's not the first time something like this has happened, and it wasn't a total surprise. But a couple of decades ago, it would have been. Back then, people understood – or at least accepted – that photographers in public spaces were just artists capturing life. What happened?

Quite simply, the tech giants happened. Google, Facebook, Apple and their ilk have fundamentally altered how society views privacy and personal data.

Since the early 2000s, they've been harvesting our information, tracking our movements, monetizing our existence; all while convincing us to sign away our rights through incomprehensible terms of service agreements.

In the process, the public has been trained to be suspicious of cameras – any cameras.

Every person who's seen their personal effects captured through a window on Street View, every parent who's found their child's face auto-tagged on social media platforms, every driver who's realized their license plate has been scanned and stored in countless databases…

They've all learned the hard way that images can be weaponized against them. So it's probably not a big surprise that some now view a lens pointed their way as a threat.

Cruel irony

The cruel irony is that while tech companies amass vast visual databases with relative impunity, innocent photographers – practicing a craft that predates digital technology by more than a century – are the ones they actually shout at.

The companies who've violated trust on a massive scale and poisoned the well for all of us? They get away scot-free.

I've watched this shift happen gradually over the years. First came the suspicious glances, then the occasional confrontation, and now it's regular hostility – as if my lens represents the same threat as the corporate surveillance empires that track billions of people.

But this misses all context. Street photography's never been about surveillance or exploitation: it's about documenting humanity and the spaces we inhabit.

From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Vivian Maier, street photographers have created profound visual records of everyday life that would be impossible to create in today's climate of fear and suspicion.

Yet while photographers are hassled, trying to practice their art in public spaces, the tech giants continue mining our lives for profit behind the scenes. And I think about how much has been lost. Not just for photographers, but for our collective visual history.

Future generations may have fewer authentic glimpses into everyday life in our era – all because tech giants couldn't respect boundaries, and we've been conditioned to fear the wrong cameras.

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If you're not put off by these reactions, check out the best cameras for street photography and the best lenses for street photography – and browse the best street photography books

Like many of us, I occasionally let the YouTube algorithm lead me down a rabbit hole. Most of the time I pass over what it throws at me, but recently it suggested something that stayed with me.

The video was by Toshiki Yukawa, a Japanese street photographer whose channel I hadn’t come across before. The title was 5 Japanese Philosophies to Improve Your Photography.

After having spent time recently writing about the likes of Daido Moriyama and further exploring the approach of Are, Bure, Boke, I was curious. I clicked. And I’m glad I did.

ABOVE: Watch the video

This wasn’t a video about gear, settings, or technical mastery. It was about mindset. The intangible stuff. Yukawa takes five traditional Japanese philosophies – life principles, really – and threads them into the way he works as a street photographer.

It felt like the kind of teaching we rarely get in the West: quiet, rooted and concerned more with intention than outcome.

The five philosophies he explores are:

• Kaizen – Change for the better
• Suki koso mono no jouzu nare – If you like it, you will do it well
• Nana korobi ya oki – Fall down seven times, get up eight
• Ichi go ichi e – One time, one meeting
• Juu nin to iro – Ten people, ten colors

Each of them resonated with me in different ways, but I won’t break them all down here; that’s something better experienced firsthand. I’d encourage you to watch Yukawa’s video yourself, as he explains each one with calm clarity and the kind of perspective that only comes from walking the streets with a camera and an open mind.

One philosophy in particular that stood out, however, was suki koso mono no jouzu nare: if you like it, you will do it well.

It sounds simple, almost obvious, but it carries something profound. The idea is that if you genuinely enjoy the photos you make, if you like the way you see and the way your images feel, you’ll keep going.

You’ll improve not through external validation but through internal curiosity. Over time, you’ll find your unique voice/style, not by trying to mimic others, but by paying attention to what draws you in and staying with it.

In an era when photography often feels like an algorithmic performance, this way of working feels like a quiet rebellion. Make work you like. Follow what feels good. That’s enough.

Yukawa puts it simply: "The best way to get better at photography is to like your photos and keep shooting."

It’s not a tip you’ll find in most how-to guides, but I think it should be. I’d encourage anyone to check out his video and his channel, which is full of reflective gems on the why of making photographs, not just the how.

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If you liked this video, you may also like Ted Forbes' new how-to book Visually Speaking, and if you liked the look of hitting the streets with your camera, check out our guides to the best cameras for street photography and the best lenses for street photography.

From April 10–13, the Women Street Photographers Festival, sponsored by Leica, returns to New York City, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting events on the photography calendar this spring.

Over four days, the festival will bring together a global community of artists and enthusiasts through talks, presentations, book signings, panel discussions, and photo walks. A group exhibition featuring work from the Women Street Photographers Collective will also run through April 28, offering an exciting opportunity to see some outstanding street photography in one place.

This year’s program features an inspiring lineup of speakers, including Rhiannon Adam, Meryl Meisler, Nina Welch-Kling, and Sandra Cattaneo Adorno, each bringing their own unique vision and experience to the streets they photograph. I’m particularly excited about the festival’s tribute to Adorno, whose remarkable photographic journey began just over a decade ago, at the age of 60.

Sandra's work will be shown alongside others in the group exhibition and book signing during the festival, where she’ll present work from her acclaimed series Scarti di Tempo (Radius Books, 2022). Shot across locations from the beaches of Ipanema to the Santa Monica shore, the work is a meditation on perception, time, and memory, told through her signature dreamy, poetic lens.

Adorno’s story has stuck with me. She’s a long-time member of the Women Street Photographers collective and a powerful example of someone who pursued creative passion later in life and turned it into something extraordinary. As Gulnara Samoilova, founder of the collective, puts it, "Sandra's journey as an artist and author has inspired women around the world to follow their dreams - no matter their age".

The festival is free to attend, and despite the name of the festival, men are welcome, but space is limited. Make sure to RSVP to individual events through the official Women Street Photographers website.

I'll be speaking with Sandra Cattaneo Adorno in an upcoming interview where we’ll dive deeper into her work, books, and her unique approach to photography. Keep an eye out for that – it’s one you won’t want to miss!

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For 20 years, I lived and breathed sports photography. I knew my job inside and out, understood the rhythm, anticipated the action before it happened, and delivered exactly what my clients expected. Confidence wasn’t something I thought about – it was just there, built on experience and repetition.

But stepping away from the sidelines and into the unpredictable world of street and documentary photography, I found myself grappling with something unfamiliar: imposter syndrome.

Unlike sports, where I had clear objectives and a defined role, street photography has no rulebook. There is no press pass, no assigned position, no guaranteed moment of action. Instead, it requires a different kind of awareness – one rooted in patience, intuition and the ability to blend into the chaos of everyday life.

But blending in is something I struggle with. When I’m out shooting, I often feel like an outsider, as if I don’t belong among the seasoned street photographers who move effortlessly through crowds, capturing raw, unscripted moments without hesitation.

My camera choices only add to this feeling. I shoot exclusively with Leica cameras – both film and digital – not because they’re a status symbol but because they force me to slow down and engage with the world differently.

I also only shoot in black-and-white; stripping away color enables me to focus on light, form and emotion, giving my images a greater sense of meaning and theater. Yet, even with a camera I trust in my hands, I sometimes wonder if I’m doing it ‘right’ – if my work fits within the traditions of street and documentary photography or if I’m just playing the part.

But maybe that’s the real beauty of this shift. In sports photography, I operated within a rigid framework; in street photography, the only framework is the one I create for myself.

That realization is both terrifying and liberating. I’m learning to embrace the discomfort, to let go of the idea that I have to conform to a specific aesthetic or approach. My images don’t have to look like anyone else’s, and my process doesn’t have to follow an unspoken set of rules.

Imposter syndrome thrives on comparison, on the belief that we must measure up to some invisible standard. But the truth is, the best work comes from those who carve their own path. My background as a sports photographer doesn’t disqualify me from this space – it gives me a unique perspective.

While I may never feel entirely at home in the world of street photography, maybe that’s the point. Growth happens in discomfort, and the best photographs – the ones that truly matter – come from the moments where we dare to stand on uncertain ground.

Josep Reverendo (@josepreverendo) says he’s “always been attracted to the plastic arts.” So it was only a matter of time before he picked up one of the best film cameras, and eventually progressed onto one of the best DSLRs. Today, he shoots with a Nikon Z5, but is still fond of his trusty old Nikon D90.

Inspired by legendary creatives from a wealth of disciplines, including Caravaggio, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and even the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock, Josep regularly photographs the streets of Barcelona. But on this shoot, he decided to embark on a bit of a challenge: photograph the city streets at night and without a tripod.

• Do you have an image that should be Photo of the Day? Send your image to: digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com for the chance to be featured.

Josep tells me, “In night photography, it is normal to use a tripod. However, if you want to capture a dynamic scene, you have to make do without a tripod.” His workaround was to shoot with a wide-open aperture, set the shutter speed as low as he dared, and control the ISO to avoid camera shake while minimizing noise.

The Nikon D90 doesn't feature in-body image stabilization like many modern cameras, so selecting the Nikon AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR with image stabilization was essential. But even without camera shake, moving subjects will always introduce motion blur at slow shutter speeds. To that end, the photographer says; "No matter, this adds a strong sense of dynamism."

Josep also notes that his Nikon AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR has a Silent Wave Motor. And while this won't be as fast as the stepping motors in some of the best Nikon Z lenses, it still provides snappy autofocus for Nikon DSLRs. As he puts it: "In street photography, it is very important to frame an image quickly, for this a fast and precise focusing motor is essential."

A black-and-white conversion is an effective way of avoiding color casts when shooting ambient lighting at night. I like how Josep's black-and-white images display a broad range of tones from bright white to rich blacks. He says he looks for "contrasts and defined shapes" when shooting in black-and-white at night.

Josep's top tips for low-light street shots

According to Josep: "Capturing night photography without a tripod is an inconvenience, but in return it gives you a lot of freedom of movement." He also prefers to shoot in black and white at night, "because in low light the shapes stand out more than in color." And finally, he recommends some kind of stabilization, be it optical or in body.

To see more of Josep's work, visit his Flickr.

Check out previous Photo of the Day images, and the stories behind them. If you have an image you'd like us to consider for Photo of the Day, email it to us at digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com

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Few photographers have captured the poetry of everyday life quite like Joel Meyerowitz. One of the most celebrated street photographers of all time, his sharp eye and mastery of color have helped shape the medium for over six decades.

However, in Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other, the focus shifts from the streets to the deeply personal, offering a candid look at his life behind closed doors where love, aging and creative identity collide.

Directed by Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet, Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other is a film that follows Meyerowitz and his wife, artist and writer Maggie Barrett, as they navigate a moment of crisis.

When Barrett, 75, suffers a serious injury (a broken femur) Meyerowitz, 84, finds himself in the unfamiliar role of caregiver. What unfolds is an honest, witty, exploration of partnership, power and the reckoning that comes with age.

ABOVE: The trailer for Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

This isn’t just a documentary about Meyerowitz’s legacy, nor is it a sentimental love story; instead it’s a raw, sometimes uncomfortable, but deeply human study of a relationship decades in the making.

Meyerowitz, a Bronx-born photographer whose career has spanned more than 40 books and countless exhibitions, and Barrett, a British-born artist with a quieter but equally determined creative spirit, find themselves re-examining the shape of their lives together.

What makes Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other so compelling is its universality and depiction of the human condition. Anyone who’s loved, argued or struggled with the complexities of a long-term relationship will see themselves in this film.

The directors embedded themselves into the couple’s daily life, enabling the story to unfold with a natural intimacy that feels both incredibly revealing and relatable.

"Our intention with this documentary was to explore universal themes of love and mortality at both the individual and relationship levels," say the directors.

"We’re invited to intimately understand how two very different people can come together as a couple and weather the spectrum of the beauty and the difficulties of a relationship over decades of dedication. The film explores how to honor the self as an individual while supporting the other through lifelong searches, struggles, successes and traumas".

At its heart, the film is about what it means to share a life; artistically, emotionally and practically. For Meyerowitz, whose lens has immortalized fleeting moments for decades, the challenge now is how to navigate the present when time is no longer an infinite resource.

On the contrary for Barrett, there’s the question of how to assert her own artistic voice in a partnership long defined by her husband’s towering reputation.

This is a story about legacy, but not in the way we usually think of it. It’s about the art of living, of making meaning in the time we have left, of finding humor even in difficulty. Meyerowitz and Barrett may be facing the inevitable, but they do so with an unflinching honesty that is incredibly refreshing and honest.

The film has already made waves on the festival circuit, picking up multiple awards and nominations. Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other is scheduled for theatrical release on March 21 2025.

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I shoot with both a Fujifilm GFX 50S and a Fujifilm X100F, and I often find myself torn between the two. I want the versatility, portability, and convenience of the compact X100F but with the medium format sensor and image quality of the GFX – which leads me to what I think is one of the most underrated cameras of recent times – the Fujifilm GFX 50R.

For years, compact cameras have been synonymous with speed and convenience, while medium format has traditionally been slow and methodical. Autofocus has often lagged behind full-frame and APS-C systems, and shooting with these cameras has required a more deliberate approach. However, Fujifilm’s latest advancements have changed the game. The new sensor and processor combination found in the GFX 100 II has dramatically improved autofocus speed, processing power, and even video capabilities. Suddenly, medium format is no longer the slow beast it once was; it’s fast, responsive, and versatile.

The GFX 50R was a huge step in the right direction for medium format in a more compact rangefinder-style body, although it wasn’t truly compact. But a newer version, perhaps alongside some smaller lenses, could be my ideal solution – blending the stunning image quality of medium format with the portability, speed, and ease of use typically reserved for compact cameras. As someone who already shoots with a GFX, I can’t help but feel excited about the potential of such a camera, but is it feasible?

Well, the image circle of a GFX lens is a fixed size, so there are going to be limits on how small a camera can go, but with cameras like the Sigma fp L changing the way we think about full-frame camera bodies, potentially Fujifilm could put the GFX 50R on a similar diet. As for lenses, the Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR is a great almost-pancake lens for GFX, but is the outlier in the GF system for compact lenses, and I would love to see more like it.

A new more compact GFX 50R wouldn’t just be technically compelling but it could redefine how we think about medium-format photography. Traditionally seen as a tool for studio work, landscapes, and fine art, this new approach could bring medium format to street photography, travel, and documentary work in a way that’s never been truly practical before. Imagine the image quality of a GFX in a camera that fits into a jacket pocket – an enticing prospect for professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Of course, this is just my wishful thinking, but Fujifilm has a strong history of pushing boundaries. The GFX system has already proven that medium format can be more accessible and adaptable than ever before. If a new smaller GFX is on the horizon, it could be one of the most revolutionary cameras the brand has ever released and I, for one, am ready for it.

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 As a lifelong music enthusiast, the song Colorblind by Counting Crows was a staple of my 90s playlists. Little did I know that just a few years later, the term would come to define my artistic journey, igniting a profound passion for monochrome photography. This wasn’t simply a stylistic choice; it was also a nostalgic return to my youth, one that reminded me of my early 20s when I first delved into photography at the Alliance Française Academy in Quito, Ecuador.

It’s early morning and before the rest of the world awakens, I wander through the deserted streets of cities around the world, seeking that enchanting blend of darkness and dawn. The first light kissing the corners, creating silhouettes of the few early risers, fills me with immense inspiration. These moments, captured in black and white, hold a unique power and emotional depth.

Colorblindness has become an integral part of my identity. There was a time when I felt that color images were almost intrusive. Although that phase has passed, I still embrace a kind of selective colorblindness, except it’s being colorblind by choice.

This journey has forced me to master the art of composition without the crutch of color. Leading lines, points of view, angles, symmetry, and framing have become my tools for crafting compelling, emotional images.

My work can be characterized by a symphony of deep blacks and high-contrast monochromatic urban compositions. My cameras and lenses dance through streets, candid captures, architectural marvels, and distant travel destinations. In each frame, I try to evoke emotions – romance, mystery, or a sense of wonder. My signature style is defined by creative angles and the use of contrast.

As I prepare to publish my first book next year, I already know the perfect soundtrack for the launch event – a monochromatic evening accompanied by the magical melody of Colorblind.

Xavier's cameras & lenses

• Leica Q2 and Summilux 1.7/28
• Leica M10-P and Summilux 1.7/28
• Leica SL2 and Lumix S 24-105mm f/4

This extremely unusual – and no-less stunning – architectural photograph was captured by Shannon Rose O'Shea. Shannon spends most of her time photographing wildlife, but when she was driving past the Universal Stella Nova Resort, she couldn't resist the photographic opportunity. She told me: "When I saw the amazing colors of the tiles, the spaceship-styled windows, the artisans working on the scaffolding and the leading lines, I knew I had to take the photo."

The problem was, Shannon was driving past in her car. Not wanting to miss the ideal light, she said: "I stopped on a very busy street with a lot of traffic and construction vehicles and shot from the open car window." Armed with her trusty Canon EOS 90D and Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, she managed to capture the moment.

• Do you have an image that should be Photo of the Day? Send your image to: digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com for the chance to be featured.

The image depicts workers adding tiles to the Universal Stella Nova Resort. Remarkably, this huge building is covered in 144,000 acid-washed tiles, each painstakingly installed by hand.

A key factor in the success of this image was Shannon's decision to use Adobe Photoshop to tweak the perspective and square everything up. The result is an image that looks like it was captured from the building opposite.

Given the circumstances, Shannon doesn't think she'd do anything different, were she put in the same situation. But, she did tell me, "They're working on a second building that I will go back and photograph next month when I am in Florida."

Shannon's top tips for architectural photography…

"Try shooting during different times of the day and in different weather conditions. Experiment with different angles and try both color and black-and-white imagery." Shannon also suggests that you include people in your architectural photos. This is a great suggestion because a human element can add a sense of scale, especially when photographing abstract buildings like the Universal Stella Nova Resort.

To see more of Shannon's work, visit her Flickr.

Check out previous Photo of the Day images, and the stories behind them. If you have an image you'd like us to consider for Photo of the Day, email it to us at digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com

Interested in architectural photography? Check out the best tripods for photography and the best photo editing software.

Two murder suspects in Spain probably thought they'd got away with their heinous crime, as it was committed over a year ago – but they didn't reckon on Google Street View snitching on them. An image captured by Google back in October in the rural Spanish town of Tajueco clearly displays a man stuffing a bulging object concealed in a white shroud – most likely a dead body – into the boot of a red car. Another Street View image seems to show a figure wheeling a large white sack down a street in a wheelbarrow.

You can still see the image on Street View right now, which has been trending on social media.

El Pais, the Spanish national newspaper, revealed that text messages also contributed to the arrest of the two suspects - a woman who was the victim's partner, and a man who was the woman's ex-boyfriend - for allegedly murdering and dismembering the Cuban victim.

Police had found the case hard to crack before the Google images came to light - they had been investigating for over a year. They initially began investigating the case on 23rd November 2023 when a relative of the 33-year-old man alerted police to say he had gone missing. The relative had received texts claiming to be from the victim, stating that he had met a new romantic partner and would be moving away and ditching his phone.

However, the relative became wary as the texts didn't sound like the man he knew, and contacted the police as a result.

Police arrested the suspects on 12th November 2024, then searched their homes and cars before eventually coming across the Google Street View images this week.

They stated that an extremely decomposed torso – apparently the victim's – had been discovered this month abandoned in a cemetery in Andaluz, in the province of Soria. Police say they located the corpse by using highly sophisticated forensic tech.

The suspects have been taken into custody and the case continues.

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All About Photo (AAP) has announced the winners of its most recent competition for issue 44 of its online magazine. Titled Street, the 25 winners span 11 different countries and 5 continents, representing the very best in street photography.

Street photography has been a staple of the medium since cameras were portable enough to be taken outdoors, although at that point the term street photography hadn't yet been coined. Now the best cameras for street photography can easily slip into your pocket, meaning documenting everyday life has never been easier.

The genre continues to evolve as photographers chronicle the dynamic rhythms of modern life, capturing how our interactions shape the urban landscape and the connections that define our shared experiences. The winners of the AAP Street competition represent this evolution.

As AAP reminds, iconic street photographer Robert Doisneau once said, "A photographer who made a picture from a splendid moment, an accidental pose of someone or a beautiful scenery, is the finder of a treasure."

AAP states, "The projects featured in this issue are exactly that – treasures. They capture the humor, the chaos, the beauty, and the poignancy of life on the streets, offering fresh perspectives on scenes we might otherwise overlook or take for granted."

Three main winners were announced for the issue, with Tommi Viitala from Finland taking the top spot for the series Hunting Shadows. The featured image is titled Long Shadows, and was taken from his workplace window noting that the beautiful sunset urged him to run to his desk to get a camera before it disappeared.

Second place went to Andrea Torrei, from Italy, for his image The Silent Wait, which "marks the days preceding the celebration of Saint Mary the Crowned of Carmel before everything melts into a riot of dances and songs".

Third place was awarded to Rens Dekker from The Netherlands, with the series Les Carolos: L’Âme du Pays Noir and the image titled Grande Pharmacie de Charleroi. The image was taken on a trip to the Belgium town of Charleroi, an old mining town and once named Europe's ugliest city.

The three main winners each received a prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,265 / AU$1,985) and will be showcased in the latest print issue, AAP 44: Street. Merit awards were awarded to 22 additional photographers, who will also feature in the new issue and the All About Photo Winners Gallery on the AAP website.

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Take a look at the best lenses for street photography, as well as the best books on street photography.

After receiving reports of women being filmed without their consent in Manchester, England, the police announced the arrest of a 27-year-old suspected of voyeurism and harassment. The arrest followed a notice from the department in April 2024 requesting that anyone that had been filmed to report the incident.

According to the Manchester police, the arrest is “thought to be the first in the country linked with several viral videos on social media platforms appearing to have filmed on nights out, some whilst in vulnerable positions.” The police noted that during the investigation, they discovered videos locked behind a paywall that included upskirting and suspected non-consensual nudity.

As of November 27, the suspect remained in custody for questioning.

The case is “a very new and complex issue,” Chief Inspector Stephen Wiggins said in a press release. “Everyone has the right to feel safe as they enjoy a night out, and these videos have made people, particularly women, not feel like that, which we can’t tolerate,” Wiggins said. “Filming in public is legal, however where this filming crosses the line into offences such as upskirting, stalking, or harassment, it’s important that we don’t allow that behaviour.”

In April, Manchester police appealed to the public, asking anyone who felt unsafe after being filmed without their knowledge to come forward. One TikTook influencer shared her story with BBC, saying she didn’t know she was being filmed until someone sent her a link to the video. Ironically, the influencer said she was walking with two other women that she didn’t know because she saw they were being harassed. BBC noted the video received “an abundance of misogynistic comments.”

The case should serve as a reminder to street photographers

The ethics of photographing someone without their knowledge have long been debated (and the street photography label often mis-applied to posed portraits of strangers). On one hand, photographing people in public places offers a glimpse of authenticity not often seen in posed photographs. On the other hand, sometimes introducing yourself after the shot can give the photograph more meaning when you hear their story.

That said, calling the unnamed suspect in this case a street photographer would be a travesty to the moral artists in the genre. Photography is an art form, voyeurism is a crime not worth being associated with the word photographer.

I won’t call the suspect in this case a photographer. But, the arrest can serve as a warning for how photographing strangers can be easily misconstrued.

I can still vividly remember when, while working as a photojournalist, I was photographing fairgoers enjoying carnival rides when I was approached by an angry mother. She was upset that I was taking photos of kids on the rides, pointing out that some children could be in foster care or custody battles where publishing their image could potentially be dangerous. I apologized to the mother, deleted the images of her children in front of her and did my best from that point on to introduce myself to anyone I photographed. Even though I thought I did everything right – wearing a press badge while standing in the open – I still made her feel uncomfortable and I’ve never forgotten the experience.

In many locations, like in Manchester, photographing people that are in a public space isn’t illegal. Photographers should, however, constantly check their behavior to make sure they do not toe the line nor make the subjects in their images feel unsafe.

Singling out a person because of their clothing or following someone to take their picture crosses the line. That feels like common sense to me, but as a female who has stood next to other photographers at a workshop and felt highly uncomfortable with the way that they talked to the female models, I know that’s not obvious advice to everyone.

Photography has the power to make someone feel beautiful, strong, and authentic. But, done wrong, it can also have the power to make someone feel vulnerable and unsafe. If you would feel uncomfortable photographing your grandmother in the same way that you are photographing strangers, it’s time to put the camera down.

For more, read up on our street photography tips or the best books for street photography.

This thought-provoking street portrait was captured in Guwahati's Fancy Bazaar by street and documentary photographer Richard Barman (AKA @richardbarman). Fancy Bazaar is one of the busiest markets in the city, but Richard tells of how the hustle and bustle of this once-thriving location was quelled during the pandemic. He told me: "People were locked in their homes, but essential workers continued to operate, ensuring food and supplies were delivered across the city."

Richard explains that the photograph depicts a vegetable supplier taking a brief moment of respite in the back of his van – using an umbrella as a shield against the relentless sun.

"I wanted to document the resilience and dedication of people like him, who were working day and night in challenging times," says Richard. "The image is part of my COVID series, where I aimed to capture the quiet strength of people who kept their communities running under extreme pressure. This image is a testament to their resilience and selflessness during those tough times."

A key element in much of Richard's work is using a black-and-white medium. He says it, "allows me to strip away distractions and focus on the core elements of a scene: light, shadow, composition, and expression. In street and documentary photography, color can sometimes overshadow these details.

"By removing it, the viewer's attention is directed more powerfully toward the story, emotions, and mood being conveyed. The lack of color emphasizes contrasts and textures, creating a more immediate, raw connection with the subject. Moreover, black-and-white images often possess a timeless quality, making them feel more universal and poignant.

"As society evolves and changes rapidly, I want to capture that sense of transformation those fleeting moments that speak to how we live, interact, and develop. Black and white gives me the freedom to focus purely on these essential elements, without the distraction of color. It allows me to freeze time in a way that feels eternal."

Many black-and-white photographers talk of how they've trained themselves to 'see' in black and white. And although the EVFs of the best mirrorless cameras have made this practice much easier, Richard still shoots with a Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR. "Over time, I’ve trained myself to see scenes in black and white, even as I look through the viewfinder," he says. "I automatically look for elements like contrast, texture, and shadow as I compose the shot. I think in terms of tones and shapes rather than colors."

A common mistake for those new to black-and-white photography is to aim for a 'perfect' exposure across the frame, producing a flat mid-tone gray appearance. As Richard explains: "A strong tonal range is crucial in black-and-white photography because it adds depth and contrast, giving the image dimension and life. In this photo, the bright whites of the umbrella contrast with the dark shadows surrounding the subject, which makes the scene more dynamic and visually interesting. Without this tonal range, black-and-white images can look flat."

Reacting to unfolding narratives is a key street photography skill. Richard uses manual mode so he has full control over his exposure settings. He also shoots in RAW+JPEG so he can quickly review or share the JPEG files while having access to all the data RAW files provide for post-processing.

The subject of the photograph is staring directly into the camera. Richard tells of how the moment was completely unscripted: "I approached and began taking a few pictures nearby, with one eye on him as I clicked. When he was watching me take the photos, I instinctively turned the camera toward him and captured the moment.

"It was a natural connection, no words, just an unspoken understanding. After I took the shot, I smiled and let him know I had captured his picture. His direct gaze adds a powerful, intimate layer to the image, drawing the viewer right into his world with striking authenticity."

Richard's top tips for street photography…

"My top tip for street and travel photography is to remain observant and patient. The essence of street photography lies in seamlessly blending into your surroundings and allowing moments to unfold organically. Avoid rushing or forcing a shot, instead, be present and attuned to the light, movement, and expressions around you.

"Composition plays a crucial role as well. consider framing, lines, and visual balance to enhance your imagery. Above all, approach your subjects with respect, capturing each moment with authenticity and empathy, as no two moments are ever the same."

To see more of Richard's incredible work, visit his website or Facebook.

Check out previous Photo of the Day images, and the stories behind them. If you have an image you'd like us to consider for Photo of the Day, email it to us at digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com

Interested in street photography? Check out the best camera for street photography and the best 50mm lens.

Undeniably one of the most influential color photographers of all time, Saul Leiter's breathtakingly beautiful photography continues to influence street photographers all over the globe. Many of your favorite photographers today would have taken inspiration from Leiter's color, compositions, or intimate approach to the medium, some without necessarily realizing it.

Leiter's life's work will be presented in Saul Leiter: An Unfinished World, a major retrospective exhibition at Foam, showcasing over 200 selected works that tell the story of his photographic journey. Leiter's early black-and-white work will sit alongside his most pioneering color photography, interweaved with his abstract paintings that informed his photographic approach and style.

For nearly 60 years, Leiter photographed daily life in New York City. He captured the vibrant hustle and bustle of the streets as well as rare intimate fragments of time when the city's fast pace seemed to pause. This ability to seek out and frame these special glimpses of New York is a testament to Leiter's skill as a photographer.

Leiter was taking photographs in this way before the term 'street photography' was coined, and his work, among others of the same era, helped carve this new genre, introducing many of its techniques and mediums.

As a self-taught photographer, Leiter held a lifelong sense of curiosity, leading to an experimental and spontaneous approach which coupled with the use of color, set his work apart from others. By shooting in the rain and snow, Leiter would use windows and other reflective surfaces to frame and create abstract images for what is now considered his signature painterly style.

The title of the retrospective is taken from a quote of Leiter's that sums up his attitude to his craft, Leiter says, "Photographs are often treated as important moments, but really they are fragments and souvenirs of an unfinished world".

This quote speaks to Leiter's poetic nature which is evident in both his painting and photography. Saul Leiter: An Unfinished World will be on display from January 24 – April 23, 2025, at Foam Amsterdam, Netherlands.

If you ever have the opportunity to experience Leiter's work in person, I highly recommend it. This artwork should not be viewed through a phone screen among countless imitative copies; it truly demands to be experienced in its physical form. I assure you, it will have a much more lasting emotional impact.

For more street photography tips and techniques check out our ultimate guide to street photography or our guide to books on street photography for some more inspiration

Marvin E. Newman is not one of the first names that typically pops into your head when thinking of the greatest street photographers of all time. In fact, for many, his name won't be familiar at all. Publisher Taschen aims to change this by publishing a major retrospective of his work and giving him the due recognition it deserves.

Marvin E Newman is the first major career retrospective photography book focused on the mid-century street photographer, showcasing his largely undiscovered yet brilliant photography. It hosts around 170 photographs that demonstrate Newman’s exceptional photographic technique and his allure to capturing the human condition through vivid New York cityscapes, sports shots and other innovative images.

In 1952, Newman became one of the first recipients of a Master of Science degree in photography at Chicago’s Institute of Design, after which he returned to his hometown of New York to chronicle the city. This documentation meant photographing life in the Big Apple, in a style that we now recognize as street photography.

Newman was of course not the first to document the hustle and bustle of New York, but he was one of the earliest adopters of color film photography – around a similar time to fellow New York native and renowned colorist, Saul Leiter. Color photography showcased the familiar New York scenes in an entirely new way, capturing the city's vibrant energy and its people.

Despite Newman's work being recognized by institutions such as MoMA for its brilliance, it has until now gone largely undiscovered beyond a prestigious collector and gallery circle.

"From Times Square to Wall Street, from Broadway to Little Italy, Newman’s vivid, original tableaux offer fresh perspectives on familiar New York landmarks but, above all, a unique sense for life in the city and for the drama and extremities that weld New York to so many hearts," says Taschen.

The book also features incredible sports shots capturing icons such as Cassius Clay and Pelé, along with an accompanying essay about Newman's work by art scholar and critic Lyle Rexer.

Marvin E. Newman is published by Taschen and is available now for $80 / £60 (Australian pricing to be confirmed). As with most Taschen releases, it also offers special editions with selected framed prints and larger format books.

Dubbed by many as one of the most overlooked photographers, if you are a fan of street photography, I urge you to check out Newman's work. It is a wonderful visual documentation of the US, from a time when few were shooting in color. His work was ahead of its time and echoes can still be seen in the modern street photography of today. I am glad it is getting its long-due recognition.

Check out our guides to the best books on street photography, the best camera for street photography, and the best film cameras.

In 2017, Thames & Hudson published Daido Moriyama's remarkable book of self-curated photographs taken from his journal magazine Record, resulting in a striking collection of black-and-white imagery depicting Moriyama's unique perspective of the world. Seven years on and we are getting a sequel, and it is beautiful!

Record 2 by Daido Moriyama is a new sequel volume presenting a collection of photographs featured in issues 31 to 50 of Moriyama's seminal magazine Record. Although no one would argue if you called his work street photography, his images aren't pigeonholed by a genre, instead offering viewers Moriyama's perspective of life more often than not from the streets.

Originally called Kiroku when started in 1972, Moriyama's magazine was universally referred to as Record. After a hiatus, the Japanese publisher Akio Nagasawa encouraged Moriyama to resume the publication in 2006 where it remains as prominent as ever and a staple of serial photography publications.

The publication provided a diaristic platform for Moriyama to express himself through his incredibly captivating and high-contrast black-and-white images, which enabled the viewer to see the world through his eyes. This is made all the more immersive by the use of full-bleed images that deplete the photographs of having any space to breathe.

Now in his 80s, Moriyama is no longer the avid traveler he once was and now practices a more reflective and philosophical approach to his work, with writings that are woven through the pages of Record 2. Moriyama reviews his life and the work that led him to be considered one of Japan's greatest-ever photographers.

The images in Record 2 are classically in Moriyama's signature aesthetic which earned him his iconic status. Moriyama honed his craft in his hometowns of Tokyo and Osaka, however, he also photographed the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Florence, Paris, and London in the same distinct manner.

Known for favoring a compact camera, with many sources alluding to the Ricoh GR III series, Moriyama shot from the hip capturing subjects that stood out to him as he made his way through life on the streets. Captured, is a melting pot of enthralling images from which he forms a complete and enticing narrative during the editing process.

Record 2 by Daido Moriyama is published by Thames & Hudson and edited by Mark Holborn. It is available in the UK as of today for £60, and available for preorder in the US now for $75 with a scheduled release on October 22.

For me, Thames & Hudson has knocked it out of the park with the quality and presentation of this beautiful book, and I would urge anybody who is a fan of black and white street photography to add it to your Christmas list. Better yet, take advantage of the Amazon Big Deal Days and pick it up for a steal!

You might be interested in our article series on The Ultimate Guide to Street Photography for further inspiration. You can also check out our guides on the best cameras for black and white photography and the best camera for street photography.

Learning how to capture candid street photography is really exciting because you never know what images you're going to come home with. And while it certainly helps, you don't need the best camera for street photography, either. Any camera and a standard lens will serve you very well indeed. Heck, you could even use one of the best film cameras if you're so inclined. 

But while street photography is one of the most accessible genres, it's also one of the most challenging to excel at. After all, you and your camera have to be able to react to the world around you. It's something you can't plan ahead for, but you can plan for success and hope for the best. Here are my top tips... 

1. Pack light

Street photography is about observing your surroundings and reacting to the situations that unfold. You may find yourself covering a large distance, so a light kit bag is essential. Some street photogs swear by a 'nifty fifty' 50mm lens on its own, others prefer a couple of primes or a standard zoom. Just don't bring the kitchen sink.

• Read more: The best lens for street photography

2. Camera settings

Street photography is all about being reactive to your surroundings. Know your camera inside and out, and consider using a semi-automatic mode such as Aperture Priority or Manual mode with Auto ISO to help out. Amend your exposure settings as you move around, too, so that you're always ready to react and shoot. 

3. Focus and recompose

The focus-and-recompose method is precise in thick crowds. Use single-point AF, keep the focus point centered and lock onto your subject with AF-S. Keep the shutter button half pressed so it doesn't refocus while you recompose – without moving forwards or backwards – and take the photo. 

4. Remain inconspicuous

Avoid anything that draws attention, such as a huge camera, kitbag or tripod. If your camera has a tilting screen, flip it out and use it as a waist-level viewfinder. Finally, get used to dialling in your settings before you raise the viewfinder to your eye, so you can quickly take the photo and move on to your next scene. 

5. Black and white

You can offset busy urban locations by working in black and white. A mono conversion is a great way to simplify a scene by muting colorful distractions. However, color images can be extremely powerful, too. Look for contrasting or complementary colors to inject uniformity across busy street scenes.

• Read more: I don't shoot anything in color, and it's the best photography decision I've ever made

Following the global success of the 2023 competition, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its 6th annual Concrete in Life photography competition with a chance to win up to $10,000!

Concrete is one of the most widely used man-made products globally and is essential for modern living, providing secure structures for houses, roads, bridges, sea barriers, and more. It can often get a bad rap for being aesthetically lacking, however, the Concrete in Life photography competition challenges this perception, highlighting its striking and underappreciated beauty.

The 2024/25 competition is open to everyone all over the world and from all photography levels. It features four distinct categories; Urban Design and Use, Concrete Infrastructure, Concrete in Daily Life, and Beauty and Design. It is also free to enter!

To enter, all you have to do is upload your image to either Instagram or X making sure to include #ConcreteInLife2425, the hashtag of the category you are entering (one per photo), and the hashtag of the country where you took the photograph – it's that easy to be in with a chance of winning some amazing cash prizes.

Entries will be judged by an esteemed judging panel made up of industry professionals from the worlds of both photography and concrete. The shortlist is scheduled to be revealed later this year and winners announced in early 2025.

There will also be a People's Choice award where the public will be able to vote on their favorite images from the shortlist.

Global Co‑Chair of Gensler Diane Hoskins states, “The places and spaces where we spend our time shape our experience of the world. Concrete is one of the most versatile and ubiquitous building materials, opening up an incredible opportunity for innovation and creativity. As architects and designers, we strive to achieve beauty, function, and resilience in our work. This is the power and promise of the built environment and the materials that bring it to life.”

Dubbed 'the sustainable building material of choice' by the GCCA, concrete provides safe, durable, and resilient structures, the basis for renewable energy infrastructure. It is instrumental in creating wind farms, sea barriers, and bridges that connect communities.

This competition can be used as an excuse to create a new photography project transforming the buildings you walk past or work in every day into art worthy of a $10,000 prize.

The full details and terms and conditions can be found on the official competition website, with the closing date for entries being November 30.

You be interested in our guide to the best tilt-shift lenses and the best cameras for landscape.

Pioneering Japanese photographer, filmmaker, and professor Eikoh Hosoe passed away on September 16, in Tokyo at the age of 91.

Renowned for his striking high-contrast black-and-white images, Hosoe is recognized as one of the most influential Japanese photographers to ever pick up a camera. 

Hosoe was a key figure in the acceptance of photography as fine art in post-war Japan, establishing an infrastructure that enabled and encouraged the medium in his home country, paving the way for photographers such as Daidō Moriyama.

Born in 1933, Hosoe's photographic career spanned over 70 years, during which he contributed immeasurable advancement to photography in Japan, as well as having a pivotal role in introducing contemporary Western photographers to Asian audiences.

Above: A fantastic interview where Hosoe discusses photographic philosophies and his body of work, Kamaitachi .

His photographic collaborations became the stuff of legend, often working with numerous important cultural and artistic figures from the world of literature, film, dance, and art.

One of his most significant body of works that arose from one of these collaborations was his series Barakei (Ordeal by Roses), which includes portraits of controversial Japanese author Yukio Mishima. At the time, it is said to have caused a stir internationally both in Japan and the USA due to its themes of birth, death, sex, entrapment, isolation, and references to the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

His influence on photography did not stop with his own work as he held many positions to elevate photography in the region and championed those around him by providing platforms for the work to be shared.

On the listing of his exceptional self-titled book, Eikoh Hosoe, Mack, the book publisher, states, "Since the mid-1950s, Eikoh Hosoe has been at the forefront of photographic practice in Japan: as an image-maker encompassing a broad range of subjects; a curator introducing works of master European and American photographers to Japan in 1968; a teacher informing the careers of numerous distinguished photographers."

It continues, "He co-established an influential lens-based art journal, co-founded the photographic cooperative Vivo and later the progressive Photography Workshop, created a university education curriculum and photography collection, and exhibited and published numerous books and catalogues of his own photographs in Japan".

Eikoh Hosoe's imprint on the world of photography is legendary and much of the work we see today out of Japan, is thanks to him paving the way for future generations.

If you are not familiar with his work and love black and white photography, I recommend taking a look along with some of the photographers that he has influenced.

Within the first ten minutes of David Loftus’ interview on the Go To Food Podcast, the internationally acclaimed photographer covered the worst celebrity he’s ever worked with, getting attacked while shooting in New Orleans, what Gordon Ramsey's really like (it's not good) and why his moniker of "Lord" came out of bullying rather than affection. 

"The nickname was given to me on a plane with a load of other photographers," he explains. "One of them said, 'Oh David gets everything,' calling me Little Lord Fauntleroy, then said I should be called Lord Loftus."

Ranked the 65th most influential photographer of all time by Professional Photographer – noting that "It gave me quite a lot of pleasure when I saw that Rankin was in at 100" – Loftus has shot the cookbooks of the biggest names in food, from Rachel Davis to Jamie Oliver. Loftus and Oliver have a longstanding relationship, selling over 30 million cookbooks.

Loftus tells a terrifying tale of being knocked unconscious by a stranger in New Orleans while shooting an end-of-line event, a jazz band behind a funeral march, for a series about the US and food culture.

"The food was amazing," he said, "but of course, all the people in this thing were taking a lot of crack. The police said to me afterwards, 'You were in the worst place at the worst time and you were very lucky not to have been shot.'"

Describing Gwyneth Paltrow as "charming" and revealing a desire to shoot Michael Stipe, Loftus also shared the lament of many a photographer: "Sometimes you get a real shocker."

Sadly, the person in question was bleeped from the recording. However, Loftus revealed, "I shot her for Marie Claire, not nice at all. It was at the editor's parents' house, and the shoot was a Halloween theme with multiple famous actresses, everyone there was just buying drugs on the shoot and it was disgraceful. 

"Julian McDonald, the fashion designer – one of the most arrogant people I’ve ever met – was pulling coats off the rack and saying I'm going to keep this – $1,500 coats."

On the same shoot, Loftus reveals that the exasperating coked-up crowd also ripped out and used a page of a first-edition copy of Wind in the Willows to snort their drugs.

And don’t get him started on Gordon Ramsey. The words "bullying", "hideousness", "racist", "misogynistic", and "ghastly" were used.

Lamenting that photography fees have stayed the same for 25 years, Loftus finished by revealing that he finds it deeply upsetting when a chef he has worked with goes with someone else, noting this had happened with chefs and cooks Nathan Outlaw, Dr Rupy Aujla and Thomas Straker.

"I promise you I get properly heartbroken when someone goes somewhere else," he said. "I get very upset, I take it very personally, and often I only discover it by the person posting on Instagram."

Take a look at our guides to the best cameras for food photography, and the best lenses for food photography. 

Perhaps not a name often mentioned today, except perhaps amongst the photography purists, but Louis Stettner was one of the greatest photographers to grace the medium, and his work is now finally getting the recognition it deserves with a new major retrospective exhibition and book.  

Louis Stettner is published by Thames & Hudson and will accompany a major retrospective exhibition of the American photographer's work. The largest retrospective of Stettner's to date features images from his extensive career, which starting as a teenager in the early twentieth century, spanned almost eighty years.

• See more of the best coffee table books

After picking up the camera as a teenager, Stettner quickly made a name for himself working with New York's Photo League, a cooperative of New York-based photographers who banded together to combat social and creative issues and featured the likes of Sid Grossman and Weegee.

Like many photographers of the era, Stettner's work did not fall into one category; instead, it spanned multiple disciplines, all shot from a genuine love for humankind. As a Marxist, Stettner photographed the lives of ordinary working-class men and women in their every day, celebrating the beauty in the individual and finding the inner humanity in all. This combination led to Stettner creating a vast body of work, that observed, then captured life.

His career saw him photograph around the world, where he found a particular love for Paris, enamored by the city and its people. Stettner plays a huge part in how we view street photography today, blending the grittier street photographs taken in New York, with the romanticism of Paris, which led to a style that was instinctively natural and provided the viewer a window into the lives of others.

Many of the compositional techniques we see in today's street photography, such as reflections and frame within a frame, started with Stettner's genuine love for capturing people and his ability with the camera – a true testament to his timeless work and the subjects he chose to turn his lens towards. 

Stettner also shot beautiful portraits, and his small series taken of Spanish fishermen in the harsh sunlight has always been an inspiration to me personally. 

This large retrospective spans the entirety of Stettner's career chronologically. From his earliest work on the streets of New York and then Paris, through to his experimentations with color, and onto his peaceful captures of the Les Alpilles landscape. The edit of this monograph should be highlighted, as it pays great respect to the life and journey of one of the great photographers.

The exceptional images are accompanied by written texts and essays from David Campany, Sally Martin Katz, James Iffland, Karl Orend, and Stettner himself, who wrote extensively throughout his career. The texts add another dimension and provide further context to the work, and its impact on the medium.

The retrospective monograph accompanies a traveling exhibition of the same name, which was shown at MAPFRE Madrid from June to August 2023 and is at MAPFRE Barcelona from June to September 2024.

Louis Stettner by Louis Stettner, David Campany, et al, and published by Thames & Hudson is available now in the UK and for preorder in the US and Australia for a September 10 release. The book is available for $75 / £50 / AU $100.

Thames & Hudson are among the best publishers of art books and the physical books themselves are never short of exceptional, in both content and quality. I highly recommend checking out the recent releases featuring the work of Man Ray, Mary Ellen Mark, and Simon Carter, and keeping your eyes open for more brilliant titles soon.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best coffee table books and the best books on photography.

Armed with my iPhone, I am always looking for ways to take my photography to the next level. It is lightweight and always in my hand, which gives me the opportunity to capture images at a moment’s notice and share them online. The iPhone also allows you to enjoy the convenience of doing everything with one device, including shooting, editing and sharing to social media. However, I personally try to keep editing to a minimum as I want my images to be as close to reality as possible.

It was by the riverside where I rediscovered my passion for photography. One day, while walking a dog called Alfie for a friend, I took a photograph of him and sent it to her – and this became the first of many. As I started to notice my surroundings more, I began to photograph other subjects too.

Growing up, I spent my summer holidays with my grandmother by the sea in Norway. She gave me an appreciation of nature. There I gained a love of being by water, which is why I think it appears in so many different forms in my photographs.

Water has been a great influence and I enjoy using it as a reflective surface in my photography. However, because the weather determines whether water is a viable part of the image, I have introduced other reflective surfaces into my work, whether that’s windows, cars, buildings or mirrors.

I decided to focus my attention on shooting in black and white as, in my opinion, this produces a classic image that’s clean, uncluttered and creates fewer distractions. It also allows you to focus on the subject matter, emotions, lines and forms, and light and shade.

I am based in Nottingham, UK, and can usually be spotted crouching by puddles around the city, as they are what I predominantly use to capture my reflection shots. I have had many people walking by and giving me strange looks as they wonder what I am doing. 

These days, as I have become better known, I get a few people asking me ‘Are you Emma Wright?’ However, on the odd occasion, I get people asking me if I’m okay. This one time, an elderly lady stopped and asked me whether I needed a hand-up... she thought I’d fallen over! Through my work, I’ve gained a large following on my Instagram account and it makes a wonderful creative community for getting feedback and exchanging ideas.

Since 2008, Canadian artist Jon Rafman has been collecting screenshots from Google Street View cameras as part of his ongoing project ‘Nine Eyes of Google Street View’.

He began isolating images from Google’s massive database, publishing them on blogs, as PDFs, in books, and as large C-prints for gallery exhibitions.

Named for the initial design of nine cameras on a Google Street View camera, Rafman’s work is not only an impressive archival project, but also a comment on the position of photography in a shifted world of automated imaging making on an industrial scale.

Google Street View was launched as a feature in 2007, and users can drop a pin on almost every street throughout the world and get 360 degree views captured by a fleet of cars outfitted with nine cameras on a tall pole.

Speaking in 2013 with The 6th Floor, part of The New York Times, Rafman said:

“Around 2007 or 2008, when this project started, I was surfing the internet as a daily routine as part of my artistic practice. There was something about all these virtual worlds that had emerged online that really excited me, especially the sheer vastness of Google Street View.

“Never before in history has anyone, or any company, attempted to photograph the entire world from a street-level perspective. I saw myself as a sort of virtual explorer, exploring these new vast virtual landscapes.”

There have been numerous concerns about privacy since the launch of Google Street View, and the photographs Rafman has managed to access included the aftermath of a bad bicycle accident, and a mother breastfeeding her child.

It’s no longer possible to request the removal of an image, only to blur it, which is something Google attempts to do with all faces and number plates (license plates).

Rafman collected an image of an elephant with a blurred face as part of his project.

He said:

“The blurring is done by an algorithm most of the time. It sees a face, two eyes and a mouth — I don’t know how it does it — it’ll blur that. The intimation of face or license plates, it’ll blur it. Of course, it’s going to get things wrong a lot of the time.” 

Rafman isn’t the first artist to find inspiration in automated photography.

Finnish artist and photographer Tatu Gustafsson spent one week every month, for four years living in his car, capturing self-portraits on the 700 weather cameras dotted around Finland.

This project has strong ties to the history of street photography, according to Rafman, who would monitor the Google Street View website looking for the location of the camera cars, and therefore the newest photos.

“Revved up on energy drinks,” Rafman would run around after the vehicles all day.

“There’s something inherently exciting knowing that you might be the first person to ever gaze upon a scene that happened in the past. It’s almost like looking at a memory that nobody really had. Photographs are so connected to human memory, but these are photographs of no one’s memories.”

As well as the efficacy of Google Street View, Rafman is also interested in its glitches, including an image of an elderly man walking down the street in France in 2012, with his doppelganger, duplicated, following him down the street.

“That’s my favorite glitch too. I don’t know what happened, but maybe the car stopped for some reason or the camera didn’t take pictures fast enough. Somehow this man who’s clearly moving really slowly was able to move into the second picture that was going to be stitched together with the first one, which very rarely happens.”

Take a look at the best cameras for portraits. We've also put together guides to the best dash cameras, and the best camera drones on the market.

One of the most intriguing aspects of humans is their natural curiosity, which naturally leads to exploring the diversity of life. The bustling streets of cosmopolitan cities offer a perfect platform for observing people from different parts of the world. Through capturing their visual impressions, we can learn a lot about their cultures, traditions and ways of life.

Although the exceptions may prove the rule, there are still many stereotypes that stand out, especially when we encounter tourists from different cultures. For instance, the cliche is that Germans wear Birkenstock shoes, while the English are known for wearing shorts in cold weather. The rich variety and diversity of people from different backgrounds and cultures make street photography appealing, not only for us as photographers but also for delivering impactful insights. 

However, it’s important not just to focus on the tourists and visitors but also to capture the people who live in the city. They are the ones who bring the urban landscape to life. These faces are the missing puzzle pieces that add authenticity to your perspective of street life, making your portfolio stand out. 

By communicating with the locals as you photograph them, you can discover insider information that isn’t found in most city guidebooks. This is particularly valuable if you’re new to the city or have limited time to explore as they give a more comprehensive understanding of life in that location.

We talked to street photographer Jamie Canning and asked him about his top five communication techniques to get you out of your comfort zone when shooting on the streets, whether you're rocking the Fujifilm X100VI or your camera phone… 

Jamie's 5 tips

1. Be polite 
When connecting with strangers, approach them with respect. I usually engage subjects with a genuine smile, it can work wonders! 

2. Introduce yourself
Explain what your work is about and why you are photographing people on the streets. This will help them understand your goals and projects.

3. Show your work 
Have your phone ready to show your work on Instagram or other social media platforms. This will give the person a better idea of what you are doing.

4. Establishing a connection
I seek their unique story. Show interest and be open to their thoughts and input. And don’t forget, everyone has a ‘good’ side. 

5. Don’t give up!
Not everyone will be happy to get photographed and sometimes you might get rejected. But when a stranger is willing to appear in front of your camera, then the feeling of rejection will disappear in a second.

Take a look at the best cameras for street photography, along with the best lenses for street photography.

"My photo series, ‘Relaxation zone’, documents places that look simple but are anything but straightforward. I found all these places in Katowice, a city in Poland with over 300,000 residents. 

The Silesian metropolis, of which the city is a part, is inhabited by two million people. Historically, this area was connected with heavy industry, such as copper mining and stone quarrying.

In the middle of this city, spaces have been transformed into resting places with the ‘furniture’ being made from whatever was available, from things that might be considered redundant, and created with a unique sense of aesthetics. At first glance, they look ugly but they are intriguing too. We often wonder how one could even function here. To grasp that, we need to understand the creators’ perspective and put ourselves in their shoes.

Each of these photos tells a story of a specific person or family. It shows their social status, interests and sometimes aspirations. Have a closer look at the details, they tell us much about the economic, political and cultural transformations that have occurred in Poland in recent years.

I captured the first ‘Relaxation zones’ in 2018 as stand-alone works but I kept stumbling upon such places. I looked back at my work and saw a pattern, a connection between those settings – that’s how the idea of creating a series came to be. I kept working on that project and, at this point, it features over 60 locations from Katowice and nearby cities.

There is no point in searching for people in these photos – I have excluded humans on purpose. Firstly, I do not intend to stigmatise anybody. I want to avoid creating awkward situations, caused by somebody misunderstanding what I’m trying to convey. Especially because, at times, the exhibitions are located fairly close to where the photo was taken. Secondly, the artefacts should speak for themselves – I want the viewer to look for them and be inclined to reflect. As for me, the details are by far the most exciting aspect. I sometimes go back to revisit those places – it’s like checking in on an old friend and asking ‘What’s up?’

The name of this series is a reaction to the strange, yet increasingly popular way of describing certain areas, such as ‘Parking zone’, ‘Passenger zone’… and ‘Relaxation zone’. When it is being displayed in galleries, I enjoy observing the guests during the exhibition – at times, I even eavesdrop. When I do, I often hear: “We had a table like this 10 years ago”, or “Look! Your mother has the same sofa”. That’s fascinating – the fact that viewers do not detach, but instead identify themselves with what they see".