Hit The Streets 84: Q&A and Photo Challenge

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This week my guest co-host is Ugo Cei. We answer questions about ways to remain inconspicuous on the streets and focal lengths. We announce the winners of the last photo challenge and announce a new one and much, much more!

Guest co-host bio

Ugo Cei is a passionate professional travel photographer and an educator who helps photography enthusiasts sharpen their skills, so that they can take amazing pictures. He does this in various ways. First of all, by providing a wealth of free content on his website, articles, eBooks, and tutorials.

He designs and leads photography tours and workshops on location around the world, including Italy (Venice, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Milan), Greece, Scotland, and Oman. His students and guest think he’s patient, knowledgeable and always willing to share what he knows.

He co-hosts and publishes a weekly podcast about travel photography, The Traveling Image Makers. Every week, they pick the brains of famous and not-so-famous travel photographers to learn what it means to travel for the love of photography and photograph for the love of travel. He loves to travel, having visited almost 50 countries, and to show the beauty of the world and its inhabitants to everybody. He thinks his is really an amazing planet we live on and every place and every culture possesses beauty that deserves to be shown.

Website: https://ucphoto.me

Tanzania VIP Photo Safari: https://tours.ucphoto.me/tours/tanzania-vip-photo-safari/

The Traveling Image Makers: http://ttim.photo

Q&A

Do you have any tips to help yourself 'invisible' to shoot that candid moment? I live in a fairly small location so it isn't really possible to merge in to the crowd locally - thought you might have some tips for the unobtrusive use of the camera to assist. Betsy Dougherty

You use 23mm exclusively. Do you feel that focal length is preferable to 35mm for street work? I am considering trading the 35 for a 23. Then I think the 35 was relatively inexpensive and I should keep it for close-in portraiture and get the 23 as well. I value your opinion, especially since I don't generally collect lenses. Keep up the great podcasts and guests! Michael

And the winners are...

Dennis Linden and Eric Kidwell. They will both receive an ebook of their choice from our friends at RockyNook.com

Winning image by Dennis Linden

Winning image by Eric Kidwell

Next Challenge: Creative Framing

Listen to the show and enter your best shot in the comment section below before May 24. Good luck!

Book Pick

Announcements

Tanzania VIP Photo Safari: https://tours.ucphoto.me/tours/tanzania-vip-photo-safari/

Out Of Chicago: https://www.outofchicago.com

Valerie's next webinar: How to capture awesome silhouettes

Samples of creative framing in street photography by Valerie Jardin:

Hit the Streets 78: The Wool Sock Project

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A few weeks ago, my good friend Joshua Coombes, founder of #DoSomethingForNothing, went to Anchorage Alaska to meet up with Mikey Huff, a young photographer who started a project called The Wool Sock Project. You all know how much I love those initiatives and I wanted to know a little more and reached out to Mikey who happened to be a podcast listener!

Bio

Mikey Huff  is a photographer and founder of ‘The Wool Sock Project’ based in Anchorage, Alaska. Mikey began distributing care packages to those living on the streets across Alaska, which included a pair of wool socks to help combat the freezing temperatures. Mikey exchanged these for a conversation, documenting these moments through portrait images. Mikey's career path is carved by his curiosity for humans, he believes the best way to improve the world around you is to use your strengths to lift up the community around you.

Project

Serving the Anchorage homeless community, our intent is to help each individual we interact with in some small way, whether it be with our care packages (wool socks, gloves, food, hand warmers, etc…) or simply by shaking hands and sharing stories.

Links

woolsock.org - mikeyhuff.com - instagram.com/woolsockproject or /mikeyhuff

Hit The Streets 77: Case Study 2: Finding Balance

Take a listen here, on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, etc.

This is a new case study episode. This week it’s another case that will benefit the community at large in one way or another. I received this email a few weeks ago from a podcast listener:

First, I have been wanting to set up my own website. I don’t expect to make money from my photography, but I would at least like to be able to sell prints or at least have my own online platform for displaying my photos. A website seems like a good idea, but I have several questions as follows:

It seems like a good idea, but is it really? Or should I focus my time on other things - like getting out with my camera more often?

What website vendor should I use? What are the differences and pros and cons between the major ones like Smug Mug, Wix, WordPress, etc? Maybe there others that may be more well suited for me. 

How many photos do I need to launch a website? I worry that I don’t have enough good content to make a website viable. ( I also worry in general that my work isn’t good enough to justify a website. That's a whole psychology angle that a lot of photographers probably struggle with.)

Should I set up a website so that it can take online orders?

I also wonder what to name my website and/or Instagram page. How do I brand myself? As you know I have two Instagrams: a private one for family snapshots and a more “serious” one where I post some of my better photos and avoid the family pics. I don’t need you to give me a name, but I wonder how to separate my photo “brand” from my day job where I work as a financial planner. When people Google my name, I don’t want them to be confused between two Mike Branch websites - one for financial planning and one for photography. I worry that my financial planning clients may wonder if I am serious about my real job or that it could create conflict with my professional brand. Long-story short I want to keep my photography and professional life separate. 

Should my website focus on one genre or specialty or have more variety. I enjoy street photography but I don’t limit myself to any one type of photography.

- Mike Branch

Because we are talking about balancing a full-time career with an emerging photography career, I invited special co-host and friend of the show, Steve Brokaw, to help me with this case.

Bio:

Mike Branch is an aspiring Minneapolis-based photographer with a busy day job and an active family life. His photographic interests include an eclectic mix of street photography, cityscapes, animals and other subjects that catch his eye. He dreams of one day traveling the world with his camera. Currently, you can find his work on Instagram @Leo.Logee

Links:

Mike Branch @Leo.Logee on Instagram

Steve Brokaw's website, Instagram

Send us your case study for an upcoming episode!

By contacting Valerie here

Hit The Streets 75: 28 Minutes with Valerie

Take a listen here or on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, etc.

This is a monologue episode as I have quite a few announcements this week... I also answer a listener question about anxiety on the streets.

Call For Entry

I am excited to be the juror for a new Call For Entry with the Minneapolis Photo Center. To enter, please visit the Mpls Photo Center website 

Theme:

The Eyes of A Stranger - Street Portraits

Making a good portrait of a complete stranger is a challenge that all serious photographers must eventually face. It is an acquired skill. 

It's one thing to take a picture of a pedestrian or stranger on the sly, and quite another to actually make a portrait of them. 

We can choose to engage them or not, but each encounter should result in a positive experience for the subject and the photographer. 

The desired end result is a strong photograph that does reveal the brief connection that we shared.

The eyes don't lie. Nor does the camera.

Timeline:

February 22: Call for Entry OPENS 

April 22: Call for Entry CLOSES

May 1: Judging completed and 60 exhibitors announcements are made

June 1: All exhibit photographs are framed and ready to hang in the gallery at MPC

June 8: Opening night at Mpls Photo Center for The Eyes of a Stranger and #DoSomethingForNothing NYC-Paris

Webinars

Coming soon! Sign up here to get notified when registration opens

Hit The Streets Worldwide Photowalks

Find all the details on the Hit The Streets Worldwide Photowalks FB Group

Workshops

1 spot open in NYC March 1-2

1 spot open in Normandy, France Oct. 24-30