„Ich würde nicht so weit gehen zu behaupten, dass Berlin der beste Platz auf der Welt ist für Straßenfotografie, denn das ist definitiv New York. Aber es ist relativ leicht hier seine Motive zu finden. Die zwei Grundzutaten, um an einem guten Ort für Straßenfotografie zu sein, sind zum einen Menschen und zum anderen eine interessante Umgebung. Berlin hat eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Stadtbezirke. Ich kann also, je nachdem was für Motive ich an einem Tag suche, einfach die U- oder S-Bahn an der passenden Station verlassen.“

Wie würdest Du Die Mentalität der Einheimischen gegenüber Fremden beschreiben?

„Die Berliner tun alles, um gegen ihr Image als unhöflichster Menschenschlag Deutschlands anzukommen. Obwohl Berliner in der Tat manchmal etwas ruppig wirken, sind sie dabei wenigstens aufrichtig und zudem hilfsbereit. Erwarte einfach nicht, angelächelt zu werden.“

Was ist dein größtes Ziel beziehungsweise die größte Herausforderung als Straßenfotograf?

„Die Grundidee von Straßenfotografie ist aus meiner Sicht das Leben um einen herum auf authentische Weise zu dokumentieren. Das spannende daran ist, dass man dafür wenig vorbereiten muss und eigentlich auch so gut wie nichts planbar ist. Man braucht viel Geduld, Erfahrung und vor allem auch eine große Portion Glück, um ein gutes Straßenfoto zu machen. Manchmal kommt alles zusammen und wenn das passiert, ist das Gefühl einzigartig. Das ist mit nichts zu vergleichen!“

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Geboren bin ich 1973 in einem kleinen Städtchen in Norddeutschland, direkt an der deutsch-niederländischen Grenze. Nach dem Studium der Wirtschafsinformatik bin ich wegen eines Jobs vor 14 Jahren zur spannenden Zeit des ersten Internet-Booms nach Berlin gezogen. Ich arbeite auch heute noch als Projektleiter für einen Internet-Dienstleister.

die.frau: Haben Sie irgendwelche Preise gewonnen?

Preise habe ich bisher nicht erhalten, nicht zuletzt, weil ich nie an entsprechenden Ausschreibungen teilgenommen habe und generell auch nicht viel davon halte.Arbeiten von mir sind in den letzten Jahren hier publiziert worden:
Leica Fotografie International (LFI) – 2012
Samsung NX200 Kampagne – 2011
Das Magazin – 2011
MOMENT Magazin – 2010
Basiswissen Fotografie – Addison Wesley – 2007
Deutsches Ärzteblatt – 2006
Ausstellungen:
Seconds2Real “Fascination Street” – Wien 2012
Seconds2Real “Fascination Street” – Berlin 2011
From Distant Streets” – Louisville USA 2011
Look11 – Liverpool 2001
BERLIN.REAL, Fenster61 Gallerie – Berlin 2009

die-frau: Was bedeutet für Sie Kunst?

Man hört oft ‘Kunst kommt von Können’. Ich finde das sehr passend, sicherlich ergänzt um den Anspruch, dass eine Arbeit auch immer einen eigenen Ausdruck haben sollte. Generell sollte Kunst den Betrachter ansprechen, positiv wie negativ. Meine Fotografie würde ich nicht als Kunst einstufen, eher als eine Dokumentation des Lebens vor der eigenen Haustür. Ich bin dabei wenig kreativ, lichte lediglich Situationen ab, die auch ohne mich so stattgefunden hätten. Im besten Fall schaffe ich damit ein Zeitdokument, sicherlich aber keine große Kunst.

die-frau: Warum machen Sie speziell Street Photography?

Ich bin zum Abschalten schon immer gerne spazieren gegangen und habe dabei fotografiert. Irgendwann habe ich dann angefangen mich auf eine bestimmte Art vonMotiven zu konzentrieren, und versucht diese besser herauszuarbeiten. Aus dem “ich gehe mal spazieren und nehme eine Kamera mit” ist dann recht schnell ein “ich geh mal Fotografieren” geworden. Mit der Zeit lernt man einige Dinge über das Treiben auf der Straße. Das sind Kleinigkeiten, aber irgendwann erkennt man im Voraus, wo sich eine interessante Situation entwickeln könnte und welche Straßenseite potentiell einen interessanteren Hintergrund bietet. Oft bleibe ich auch an “vielversprechenden” Leuten dran, suche dabei nach dem richtigen Abstand und warte auf einen ruhigen Moment. Wenn man lange genug in der gleichen Stadt fotografiert, dann weiß man irgendwann auch, wo zu welcher Zeit das Licht besonders gut ist, wo viele Menschen unterwegs sind, und an welchen Ecken es sich lohnt gegebenenfalls mal ein paar Minuten stehen zu bleiben. Was mich an Street Photography reizt, ist wahrscheinlich genau diese Mischung von Spannung und entspanntem Flanieren.

die-frau: Wer ist Ihr Vorbild? Wessen Arbeit respektieren Sie am meisten?

Es gibt einige Fotografen, deren Arbeiten ich sehr bewundere, allen voran Alex

die-frau: Was bedeutet Ihnen Fotografie?

Fotografie ist für mich der beste Weg meine Umwelt tiefgreifend wahrzunehmen,die kleinen, einzigartigen Momente zu erkennen, sie festzuhalten und mit anderen zu teilen.

die-frau: Denken Sie, dass durch PhotoShop etc. die Magie der Photographie verloren geht?

Das würde ich nicht sagen. Auch in der klassischen Dunkelkammer wurden Bilder jahrzehntelang manipuliert. In Photoshop geht dies heute sicherlich einfacher und braucht weniger Vorkenntnisse. Ich denke aber, dass es in beiden Fällengrundsätzlich auf das richtige Verhältnis ankommt.

die-frau: Welches ist/wäre Ihr Lieblingsmotiv?

Ich glaube es gibt noch viel zu sehen, die besten Bilder sind noch lange nicht gemacht. In diesem Sinne ist das nächste Motiv mein Lieblingsmotiv.

die-frau: Was macht Ihrer Meinung nach ein gutes Foto aus?

Da halte ich es mit dem Magnum-Fotografen David Alan Harvey: “Ein gutes Foto ist ein Foto, das unabhängig vom kulturellen Hintergrund des Betrachters wirkt. Ob man das Bild einem Inuit zeigt oder einem Bewohner Zentralafrikas – wenn er das Bild sieht, dann weiß er, worum es geht, dann ist es ein gutes Foto”

die-frau: Was bewegt Sie?

Mich bewegen Bilder, die eine kleine Geschichte erzählen. Je versteckter oder überraschender die Geschichte, desto bewegender das Bild.

die-frau: Wovon werden Sie inspiriert?

Ich fotografiere sehr intuitiv und lasse mich gerne überraschen von dem, was ummich herum passiert. Umgekehrt ist es aber so, dass ich bestimmte Aufnahmen wie Fotos von Obdachlosen etc. von vornherein ausschließe.

die-frau.: Was wollen Sie mit Ihrer Fotografie erreichen?

Ich bin in der sehr glücklichen Situation, einfach nur das fotografieren zu dürfen, was mich persönlich anspricht. Ganz ohne gestecktes Ziel und völlig ambitionsbefreit. Manchmal entstehen dadurch spannende Aufnahmen, die im besten Fall auch Andere ansprechen. Bei Ausstellungen halte ich mich gerne im Hintergrund und beobachte, wie Besucher auf meine Bilder reagieren. Wie sie hier und da verweilen, Dinge auf den Bildern entdecken, vielleicht sogar lachen. In solchen Fällen habe ich viel erreicht, ein Bild hat funktioniert und Andere angesprochen. Viel mehr kann man als Fotograf nicht erreichen.

die-frau: Was hat Sie zur Fotografie bewegt?

Ich denke, ich bin eher durch Zufall zur Fotografie gekommen. Mit 18 hat mir ein guter Freund eine Kamera geschenkt, die ich auch heute noch habe. Von Anfang an war die Dunkelkammer ein magischer Ort für mich – zu sehen, wie aus einem weißen Stück Papier ein fertiges Bild wird, finde ich nach wie vor spannend. DieseFaszination hat also bis heute angehalten.

die-frau: Sieht die Welt durch die Kamera anders aus?

Nein – aber eine Kamera kann Momente festhalten, die man ohne Kamera niemals sehen würde, oder die man ohne das fertige, und hoffentlich gute, Bild niemals mit anderen teilen könnte.

die-frau: Gibt es noch etwas, das Sie lernen sollten?

Ich sollte (noch) geduldiger werden. Ich denke Geduld ist in der Street Photography die wichtigste Tugend überhaupt.

die-frau: Welche Kamera benutzen Sie?

Ich arbeite hauptsächlich mit einer unauffälligen, 25 Jahre alten analogen Kamera, einer Leica M6 mit leichtem Weitwinkelobjektiv und auf SW Film.

die-frau: Wo kann man Sie abends finden?

Ich befürchte, in dieser Hinsicht bin ich sehr bodenständig. Meine Abende verbringe ich entweder mit meiner Familie oder bei der Bearbeitung meiner Bilder.

die-frau: Haben Sie einen Lieblingsfilm?

Ich habe keine bestimmten Lieblingsfilm. Grundsätzlich kann ich mir aber alle Wim-Wenders-Filme beliebig oft anschauen.

die-frau: Ein Lieblingsbuch?

Fahrenheit 451 von Ray Bradbury. Die Verfilmung mit dem Wiener Schauspieler Oskar Werner ist übrigens auch sehr sehenswert.

die-frau: Welche Musik hören Sie?

Oh, da muss ich passen. Sämtliche Abspielgeräte sind bei uns mit den Hörgeschichten unserer 4-Jährigen Tochter belegt.

die-frau: Welche Zukunftswünsche haben Sie?

Mit fast 40 Jahren kommt man schon fast in das Alter, wo man sich vor allem wünscht, gesund und glücklich zu bleiben. Ansonsten hoffe ich zukünftig möglichst viele Städte bereisen zu können, und auch einmal in anderen Kulturkreisen zu fotografieren. Der Nahe Osten, insbesondere Iran, interessiert mich sehr. Ich hoffe, dass sich die politische Situation dort bald entspannt und dies möglich wird.

Das ganze Interview

The post Interview mit die-frau.at first appeared on guido-steenkamp.

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I started Street Photography in 2006. I wouldn’t say I consciously decided to focus on Street Photography, it’s more that I stumbled into it by accident. I like walking in the streets and I like to watch people. At some point I started to capture the moments when I noticed something unusual or funny – just small details of daily lives.

The most exciting aspect of Street Photography for me is that there is nothing you have to prepare and almost nothing you could plan. All you have to do is to step out on the street and have your camera ready. It needs a lot of patience, experience and mostly luck to get a decent shot. But when this happens, it’s fantastic – nothing beats that.

And how do you pay the bills?

I am fortunate enough not to have to earn my money by working as a photographer. I work as a head of a consulting department at a Berlin based software company. That’s not the most fun job in the world but at least I am free to photograph whatever I want to in my spare time.

Which photographers inspire you?

I admire the works of Alex Webb and Trent Parke, I own every single photo book they ever published. There are also some less known (Street) Photographers that I found to be very inspiring, Lukas Vasilikos and Jack Simon just to name two. (ST84Photo notes – Jack Simon was recently announced as one of the winners of the Street Photography Now Project, a year long project run by The Photographers’ Gallery)

Editing/selecting which images to show is crucial for a street photographer. Has being in a collective helped you with this process?

Indeed, editing and selecting images is the hardest part. As you may know the Seconds2Real members live in different cities, some in Germany, some in Austria. It happens only once or twice a year that we meet in person. Most of the editing is done via the internet. We use a forum for discussions, Dropbox to manage and edit our picture pool and Skype whenever something needs to be clarified short-term.

We all know that Flickr is certainly not the best place if one is looking for serious comments. That’s why I show my work to other Seconds2Real photographers whenever possible. Of course honest criticism is hard to take, particularly when it comes from friends, but it’s always very much appreciated.

In the UK, street photography has become very popular over the last year (the Street Photography Now book published, Format Festival dedicated to street photography, the London Street Photography Festival, your work on show at Look11, and lots of popular workshops). Have you felt that street photography has also been more popular recently in your own country? And do think that street photography will continue to be popular in this way?

That’s true. The recent one and a half years have been truly awesome for the Street Photography community in the UK. From my perspective all of this started when in-Public published their book ’10’ in 2010, followed by ‘Street Photography Now’ and the different festivals this year.

Unfortunately Street Photography in Germany is not as popular as in the UK. There are virtually no contemporary Street Photography exhibitions in Germany. Besides the very strict publication laws we have, I do believe the main problem is that there have never been such strong Street Photography advocates in Germany like you have in the UK with supporters like Nick Turpin and Matt Stuart. Hopefully this will change soon, at least we are doing our best to improve the situation. In the recents six months we already did Street Photography workshops in Hamburg and Berlin and we are working on two group exhibitions in Berlin and Vienna.

Any tips or “words of wisdom” for other street photographers?

I don’t think I am the right person to give advice on this, but I am happy to summarize what worked for me:

* A good way to start Street Photography is to attend public events or to visit touristic spots. Photographers are expected at these types of events or places and no one will bother you when taking pictures.

* Learn to use hyperfocal focusing. A lens with a depth of field scale marked on it will help (like most Rangefinder lenses have).

* Learn to get close to the subject. Don’t make yourself think that a picture of someone’s back will look good – this is usually not the case.

* Find places with lots of people, know the times when they are present and the light is good.

* Make sure to read “Ways of working” at 2POINT8

* Learn to accept that getting a decent Street Shot is just a happy accident. As you get better you have more happy accidents.

What would be your ideal gear for doing street photography with?

Ah, the Inevitable gear question. I guess I am now supposed to say “It’s the photographer, not the camera!”? This of course is true, but I am quite gear head too. Now then, I did about 95% of my work with a Leica M6, loaded with Tri-X and using Summicron 35mm or 50mm lenses. I must admit though that I found myself using digital more and more recently.

With analog the choice of camera is very easy, get a Leica and you are done. With digital it’s way more complicated. Either the camera sucks because of poor battery life, like the Leica M9 I owned for some months, or it’s unusable because it’s too big/too loud to be used on the streets.

My current digital gear consists of a Nikon D700 I use at bigger events and a Nikon D7000 that serves as my carry-with-me-always camera, both with 35mm/35mm equivalent lenses. The Nikons are decent cameras but they are not ideal for Street Photography. For me it still feels wrong using a DSLR on the streets. Camera-wise I certainly enjoy Street Photography the most when using my 25-years old Leica.

The post Interview with ST84Photo first appeared on guido-steenkamp.

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Mein Name ist Guido Steenkamp, ich bin 38 Jahre alt und lebe seit 14 Jahren in Berlin. Ich fotografiere seit meinem 18. Lebensjahr mehr oder weniger regelmäßig. Anfangs die üblichen Bilder von Katzen und Freunden, dann die obligatorische HDR-Phase mit Bildern von düsteren Friedhöfen und maroden Gemäuern.

Seit 2006 fotografiere ich fast ausschließlich Menschen und Situationen auf der Straße, arbeite also in dem Bereich, der sich gemeinhin “Street Photography” nennt. 2008 habe ich mich mit knapp zehn Fotografen aus Deutschland und Österreich zusammen getan, die einen ähnlichen Schwerpunkt haben. Wir haben hierzu die Fotografen-Kooperative Seconds2Real gegründet und arbeiten seitdem gemeinsam an Ausstellungen, Workshops und Publikationen.

[…]

Interview mit dem kwerfeldein Magazin 2011/10/17

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Q: When was the Seconds2Real collective formed? Who came up with the idea for the collective or how did it get initiated?

A: Seconds2Real actually started as a simple Street Photography Flickr group created by Ronny Künniger in 2007. After some time the most active members decided to set up Seconds2Real as real-life Street Photographers collective. It was in 2008 when we first met in person in Vienna. Since then we gather once or twice a year, each time in a different city. I guess what differentiates Seconds2Real the most is the fact that it is not just another online project. We help motivate, criticize, and value each other constantly. It’s a close family of like-minded individuals. The following photographers are members of Seconds2Real:

Alex Magedler – Vienna, Austria
Andreas Stelter – Minden, Germany
Christian Reister – Berlin, Germany
Elisabeth Schuh – Vienna, Austria
Friedrich Schiller – Vienna, Austria
Guido Steenkamp – Berlin, Germany
Heiko Menze – Vienna, Austria
Kay von Aspern – Vienna, Austria
Mario Cuic – Munich, Germany
Natalie Opocensky – Vienna, Austria
Ronny Künniger – Augsburg, Germany
Siegfried Hansen – Hamburg, Germany
Thorsten Strasas – Berlin, Germany

Q: What’s the main goal of the collective?

A: The otherwise rather neglected Street Photography has evolved in recent years, but mainly in the anglo-american world. Seconds2real’s focus is therefore on promoting Street Photography from our home countries, Germany and Austria.

Q: What’s your role in the collective?

A: Actually we do not have a clear division of responsibilities at Seconds2Real. We are a equal group where everyone does what they do best. Some are specialized in printing, others in doing public relations or in organizing events. Because it’s close to what I do in my day-time job, I take care of our website as well as of our social media activities.

Q: What are the main characteristics of the collective’s members?

A: One of the main characteristics is – of course – the passion for Street Photography. But beyond that, the collective has a wide range of photographic styles, from classic black and white to modern street shots in colour. Photographic diversity is one of the strengths of Seconds2Real, and as a result our members must be very open-minded about other styles.

Q: What are some of the projects and activities that have come out of Seconds2Real?

A: Most of our members exhibitions and publications are individual and therefore not organzied by the group. However a group exhibition always was something we wanted to do. We are delighted to present our first group exhibition “fascination street” in Berlin this October. As the participating photographers work very differently, I think this exhibition will very well show how many facets contemporary street photography does have. Next year we will show “fascination street” in Vienna. Other cities are being considered too.

Q: If someone is interested in joining the collective, what’s your advice for them?

A: Well, we do not aim to be the biggest “street photographers club” or something like that. We are far more interested in establishing a stable community of street photographers that are willing to work hard on joint projects. For this of course, the chemistry between the photographers has to be right. If in doubt, this point goes to the photographic skills.

A geographically distributed organization like ours only works if we keep the number of photographers to a manageable size. We are therefore very cautious when it comes to adding new members, but are not completely closed. At the end of the year there will be probably a new group member joining Seconds2Real.

Q: What’s the collective’s relationship with Leica?

Street Photography in general has been dominated by Leica photographers the last couple of decades. This has not changed with today’s Leica M9, which is generally considered as the gold standard for digital street photography tools.

Together, with the cameras high responsiveness and small size, it’s actually the rangefinder system itself that sets the Leica apart from other cameras and makes it particularly suitable for our type of Street Photography. With rangefinder cameras the clear view of the subject remains even during exposure and guarantees extremely fast and precise focusing. You don’t get this from any of the omnipresent SLR cameras. It is therefore not surprising that most of the Seconds2Real photographers are using digital or analog Leica Rangefinder cameras for their work.

Personally I use a 25-year-old Leica M6 most of the time and for colour work the M9, both with the Summicron 35mm ASPH lens.

Q: Can you share more information about the street photography exhibition in Berlin this month. Where will it take place?

MEINBLAU Kunsthaus
Christinenstrasse 18/Schönhauser Allee 176
10119 Berlin
Germany

Q: How long will it be available to see?

A: The exhibition, which is solely sponsored by Seconds2Real. will be shown from 15th October until 30th October 2011 (admission free). The opening is on 14th October 2011 at 7 pm (admission free).

Q: What do you want people to know about the exhibition?

A: Seconds2Real, a co-operative of thirteen passionate Austrian and German street photographers are going to be hosting an exhibition titled: “Fascination Street”, their first group exhibition of contemporary Street Photography. Seconds2Real will be showing more than 120 Street Photography prints at the unique Meinblau Gallery in Beriln. This event will be a very comprehensive exhibition devoted to Street Photography from German speaking countries.

Q: How were the photos selected for the exhibition?

A: Seconds2Real members live in different cities, some in Germany, some in Austria. It happens only once or twice a year that we meet in person. Therefore more of the editing is done via the internet. We use an internal forum for discussions, Dropbox to manage and edit our picture pool, Skype whenever something needs to be clarified short-term and Doodle to vote on images. In fact, an organization like Seconds2Real would be inconceivable without the Internet.

Q: What can people look forward to from Seconds2Real in the future?

A: As already mentioned above, besides our current show in Berlin, we are planning to show “fascination street” 2012 in Vienna and probably in some other cities too. Besides that we also working on a book of contemporary Street Photography from Germany and Austria. We hope to have the book published in 2012.

Guido Steenkamp, thank you very much!

Interview at LFI

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I grew up in a small town in west germany, close to the dutch border. I moved to Berlin about 12 years ago to start my first job. I began to take pictures more or less by accident when a friend gave a camera to me. Right from the beginning the darkroom was a kind of magical place for me – the moment you see the first contours of a picture on what was a piece of white paper seconds before – fantastic.

2. What kinds of photos did you start shooting initially?

When i moved to Berlin i started to take pictures of abandoned military bases. A vast amount of facilities like this can be found in the area around Berlin that have been given up by the Red Army a long time ago. After 2 or 3 years of doing this, i got bored by photographing dead stuff. Instead i focussed on street photography which is all about life in its various forms.

3. Did you study photography – and if so, where?

I didn’t study photography, i studied business management. I am head of a consulting department at a Berlin based software company.

4. What got you into street photography?

That’s quite easy to explain. I like walking in the streets and I like to watch people. The most exciting aspect of street photograpy is that there is only little that you have to prepare and almost nothing you can plan. All you have to do is to step out on the street and have your camera for the small details of daily lives. I would rather call this „voyeuristic documentation“ than street photography. For me the basic idea of this kind of photography is to document life in its candid moments.

5. What makes Berlin a good place for this kind of photography?

Well, Berlin is where i live and therefore I take most of my pictures here. I wouldn’t say Berlin is the best place in the world for tstreet photography (that would be NYC), but it’s relatively easy in Berlin. The two things that are obviously required for street photography are people and an interesting environments. Berlin has got a large number of (very different) districts. What i really like about the city, is the fact that i can always decide what type of street photography i want to do, simply by leaving the subway at a different station.

6. You mentioned in your blog you don’t like going “East” – why is that?

When i am on the streets, i am always in search of interesting subjects. I most likely find this type of subjects in west-berlin districts. When i wrote that i don’t like going “East”, i was referring to districts like Prenzlauer Berg or Friedrichshain. I am well aware of the popularity of this areas by young people, but this is also what makes them boring in a certain way. If you spend some time there, you will notice that people all look alike; they wear the same type of clothes and they are mostly between 20-40 years old, elder people are virtually not existent. Personally, i therefore prefer to shoot in classical west-berlin districts like Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg or Neukölln as i believe they are far more balanced in terms of their population.

7. What equipment do you use (camera make / digital or film etc.)? If film, do you have your own darkroom / developing suite etc.?

Most of the time i use a small camera, a 25 years old Leica that no one takes serious. I do the bw development by myself, followed by scanning and some post processing using Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop. I started to use a digital camera recently, now that with the Leica M9 a decent digital camera is finally available. I still have to work on my digital workflow though in order to get the same level of quality from digital that i get from film based cameras.

8. What local equipment or developing shops would you recommend?

The best developing service i found in Berlin is Phototechnik Fehling in Berlin Schöneberg. It’s a rather small shop but the people working there really know their stuff. For new equipment the Leica Store in Fasanenstrasse (close to Kudamm) is my first point of call. Their products and customer service are outstanding but a little on the pricey side.

9. Which Berlin (or German) photographers do you most admire and why?

There are three german photographers i’d like to name:

Harald Hauswald – For documenting the daily life in the former GRD and for founding Berlins famous Ostkreuz photo agency.

Thomas Höpker – Well known MAGNUM photographer who has been documenting history for more than five decades.

Andy Spyra – A young photographer i only discovered recently when i saw his work at the C/O gallery in Berlin. The exhibition is running for another 3 weeks. If you are in Berlin make sure to go there.

10. Name five of your favourite “slow” places or activities in Berlin (cafes, markets, places to stroll, parks, anything…)

Buchhandlung Walther König at the Museumsinsel – When it comes to books about photography or art in general, Walther König is the best arranged bookstore in town.

Camera Work gallery in Kantstrasse – There are always interesting photo exhibitions at Camera Work, either by well known photo icons or by young and up-coming artists. Admission is free!

KaDeWe in Tauentzien Strasse – You will for sure find Berlin’s premium department store in every Travel Guide. Nevertheless, the KaDeWe is always worth a visit, not only for tourists but also for people living in Berlin.

Turkish market on Maybachufer – Twice a week you can buy everything there from fuits and vegetables over meat and dairy products to clothing.

Familienrestaurant KiiWii in Güntzelstrasse – A great place for having a relaxed Latte Machiatto or a fine dinner while watching the Kids playing in the indoor play room.

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As most Street photographers I use the lens at it’s hyperfocal distance. For those not familiar with hyperfocal focusing: The basic idea is to take advantage of the depth of field to achieve the greatest amount of apparent focus. With a 35mm lens and by using an opening like f/8 or f/11, depth of field will extend from the close foreground to a point (hopefully) behind the subject, thereby achieving acceptably sharp focus throughout the relevant parts of the image. The main advantage is that you can take a picture almost in a split-second. As you don’t have to focus, all you have to take care of is to compose the frame and to press the shutter when the moment is right. That’s actually done a lot easier than explaining it

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