Like every year, I wanted to inflict on you some photos taken during the holidays with the children. Just to make up for my lack of inspiration to write. But then I read a very interesting blog by Alex Coghe in which he reacted to an article written by Michael Ernest Sweet which took stock of the Street Photography ‘scene’, claiming that the hype had died down and that there were fewer and fewer blogs or sites devoted to Street Photography. This article was written in 2020 … Oh shit! And yet I’ve spent the last 4 years doing what I do best, which is walking the streets and capturing moments in life. Funnily enough, it seems to coincide with my departure from Aix-en-Provence. I didn’t think my departure would cause such a cataclysm!
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What’s up Doc ?
That’s it! I’ve sold my Fujifilm X100F! I was asking 750€ for it and I let it go for 700€ to a guy who wanted to start out in Street Photography in the south of Reunion Island. It was quite fun to talk to someone about the practice. I think the last time I did that was with a young girl who wanted to interview me because she was doing a book project to validate her Graphic Design studies and as she loved street photography, she had worked on it. That brings me back to 2017! Basically, it had been 7 years since I’d last spoken to someone about Street Photography. For the last few years, I’ve been living Street Photography. I don’t talk about it any more except when I’m ranting in my Blogs.
Used Fujifilm X100F to sell …
Do you think it’s a joke that I’m doing a Blog because I’m so uninspired? Not really. This week I put up for sale my X100F that I bought just 3 months ago. Quite an investment for me back in the day – €890 for a second-hand camera! I’m putting it back up for sale at €750, negotiable if you know anyone who might be interested. I’ve been trying for weeks, but I still can’t get used to the size and weight of the camera. As far as image quality is concerned, I have nothing to complain about this Fujifilm. It’s a very good camera, but it’s heavy!
35 mm vs 28 mm
This is street! Pretentious, some might say. But I can live with that. This recent photo has all the ingredients I love about street photography. The same gestures repeated. A moment captured with a certain energy. I took this photo last Saturday and it’s good for me because it makes me forget my rather low-key start to the year so far.
Seems that 2024 hasn’t started yet …
In 15 days it’ll already be April and I’ve got this strange feeling that 2024 hasn’t even started yet… It’s true that I was off to a flying start with this trip to Thailand. The trip was a photographic orgy. Both Street and more personal photos. If I’m honest, I miss that period, but apart from being called John Harper and wandering all over the world from Las Vegas to Turkey via Venice, I have to admit that this kind of escapade is impossible for me! So I’m teasing my dear John. It was a reference to his last Blog where he talked about this very subject. I invite you to go and read it here. As usual, it’s full of great photos. By the way, John is still on his way to Las Vegas and has already planned to meet other photographers on a forthcoming trip.
First steps with the Fujifilm X100F
I guess I’m always going against the grain! I’m writing a blog about the Fujifilm X100F just as the X100 VI is scheduled for release on the 20th of February. The announced price is enough to make you jump: between €1600 and €1700! Much more expensive than the X100V … Oh yes, you have to pay for the 40 MP! The good thing about this is that it’s going to make a mockery of all those profiteers who have the nerve to sell their second-hand Fujifilm X100 V for more than €1,500! Yes, I’m well aware that it’s a question of supply and demand. But I’m a bit annoyed by this kind of behaviour. In any case, I chose the Fujifilm X100F because it was a relatively recent camera. I mean, it came out in 2017.
Back to normal
The almost 3 weeks I spent in Thailand were a Street photography parenthesis. In fact, my “Street Photo” year ended on 27th of December 2023 and the new year didn’t start until 15th of January 2024. There are a lot of photos of Thailand that I like. It’s not the exotic side, but you have to admit that the streets of Thailand have a lot more to offer than the streets of my home town of Saint-Denis. As I’ve often said, we ‘street photographers’ are dependent on what the street has to offer. There have to be people, activity, the unexpected… In short, a whole host of things that we try as hard as we can to organise within a frame. In Thailand, whether in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Phuket, everything came together. Wherever I went, there was raw material to work with. I think that’s the case in any big city. It’s no coincidence that the greatest street photographers come from the biggest cities… Below are a few photos from Thailand that I haven’t shared and that I find interesting.
GEAR matters !
I’ve been talking about Gear in my articles for several Blogs now. The thing is, I’ve written so much about Street Photography since 2016 that I sometimes feel like I’m repeating myself. A bit normal, you might say, for a Blog that is essentially focused on Street Photography. If I’ve written a lot on this subject, it’s because this Blog was a bit of a diary about my journey and my beginnings in the practice. For several years now, long before I left Aix-en-Provence, I hadn’t had much to say about Street Photography. I’ve reached a stage where I don’t really ask myself any more questions. I just take photos and that’s that. That’s probably why I talk more about Gear now.
Continue reading GEAR matters !
35 mm Street Photography
I’m finishing this blog as our stay in Thailand draws to a close. Back to square one in Bangkok to catch our return flight to Reunion Island where a tropical storm awaits us! We’re hoping to get home before the airport closes for 48 hours… I was going to take one last trip to Kaohsan Road this evening, but the children are too tired and so I’ll pass. Too bad ! I’ll have to come back to Bangkok!
Going 35 mm !
I’m taking advantage of this little free time to write to you from Don Mueang airport in Bangkok. It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything on this Blog and I apologise for that. You’ve even missed my usual last post of the year with my best photos of 2023! I’ll try to do a little post on that, just to show you some of my work over the last few months. I haven’t been idle, even if I haven’t shared anything with you. For those who are interested, I’ve posted a slideshow on YouTube. Continue reading Going 35 mm !