Forward by Bernhard Wolf (edited by Chris Weeks)
I have a checklist when I leave home. Everyone has that (or at least I assume so). Mine contains: a cell phone, money and a camera. Takingthe camera with me is some sort of addiction – I try to refrain from taking it everywhere but at the same time I'm afraid of missing that shot –
the shot that will never come again. For instance, George Bush being naughty at the next supermarket I visit.
I was not always this way – the obsession actually started about a year-and-a-half ago when I got my first SLR – not just any SLR, it was abrand-new DSLR. My first lens, besides a crappy zoom, was a 50 mm prime. I guess it's been one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. When
you're shooting primes you have to work on your subject. You have to move. You have to interact – zooms make you lazy. Additionally,primes are fast glass – I started to appreciate shallow depth of fields and I learned how to use f-stops correctly.
I started to become interested in street life. In fact, I found myself hanging around and just watching people: How they treat each other, howthey talk, smile, laugh and shout. I love watching people. I started to photograph people – with the D70. I now feel like a bit of a coward
because of the different field of view due to the smaller sensor. Whenever I check my digital street shots, I feel that something is missing. Itfeels like part of the scene is missing because of the fast, spot-on auto-focus and the long (way too long) focal length. As I said – it is hard to
explain. I guess it is what fascinates me about street photography – the connection with your subject .. to be part of the situation .. to interact.
I switched “back” to analog at the beginning of this summer. I don't regret it. In fact, I am happy I did because there is so much more toexplore. Nothing matches a fiber print or a Kodak Tri-X negative. Right now I am shooting a fully manual Nikon FM – admittedly not the
perfect camera for street shots. By far not ... but it works. At least its better than the digital Nikon D70. Shooting is far more personal.
It is hard not to sound like Mr. Weeks but using a Leica M shows you a different world – a world that can only be seen through a range finder.Sadly, I have shot only a few rolls of film with Severin’s M6 but it has been a frustrating experience because all you've done in the past
regarding street shots becomes obsolete. I did some of my most personal shots with that camera. There is no loud shutter, no camera-body inyour face – eye contact, a smile. Everything you need.
I seek candid moments – ordinary people at ordinary places ... just acting the way they are ... that’s the street.
Bernhard (*zort)
Blog: http://zeitgeistler.wordpress.com/