Street Photography with Snapshot Cameras and Bokeh-Monster

In August Amy and I went along to an afternoon Street Photography Workshop and Fujifilm X-Series Hands On hosted by Snapshot Cameras and Sven Shroeter. Sven is known as Bokeh-Monster and has made quite a name for himself as a self-taught photographer specialising in Street.

I’ve followed Sven on Instagram and Twitter for a while and I’m quite a fan of his intimate approach to photographing the people he meets on the street. Photographing strangers is not something that comes easy to me so whilst I was interested in the new Fujifilm X-Series cameras, it was Sven that I paid my workshop registration fee for.

Sven spent an hour or so taking us through some of his images and talking about what inspires him when he is making his photographs.
I particularly like his treatment of light and use of wide apertures. I probably under (and over) expose my images more than is proper for street photography but when he said that you can influence part of the creation in Street Portraiture, then I thought … ‘hell, its my photograph to make and if I take the difference in them that they are showing me and light is my only amendment, then thats okay too’. I also like wide apertures that often remove the subject from their location. Its a little different with Pet Photography when that location is part of the story but maybe, I hope, using wide apertures is still possible.

Street Photography is candid, its real people in real places, its a documentary of that moment in time. After we looked at the new Fujifilm X-Series cameras (and most people selected one to take on the walk), I grabbed my trusty Nikon and tagged along. I like the idea of a mirrorless however I’ve just upgraded to a full-frame this year and we’re not quite making the photographs together that I want just yet so I’m not letting it out of my hand for another just yet! We walked down Victoria Street to Garden Place, around the centre and then down and along the riverfront. I learned a lot from that afternoon and wouldn’t hesitate to sign up for another.

A few of my images from the Street Photography walk;