Once I got over my fears and got a better
(digital) camera, I realised I was never really
interested in what I’ll call ‘classical street
photography’ to begin with. I wanted to tell
stories, but I don’t think I ever wanted to tell
the story of reality. I’m way more interested
in psychological and existential stories.
More like a David Lynch film and less like
a docu-drama – not what is happening right
there in that image, but what is happening
always and eternally throughout our minds
in history.
For people and the relationship between
them to be more symbolic than real, you
need some abstraction. They kind of have
to be props or archetypes, more defined by
their function in the picture than by who they
actually are. So even as my gear got better,
my pictures remained abstract. I just slowly
got more control over what I wanted to be
clear and what should remain mysterious.What sort of role do you think platforms
like Instagram have had in developing
your style?
I’d like to say it hasn’t been an influence
at all, but I don’t think that’s true. It is
my main platform for how I reach people
with my photographs. I definitely edit for
Instagram: I often crop closer than would
be necessary for a print or a larger screen,
and I’m a bit less subtle with colours and
contrast than I’d otherwise be. Because the
feed encourages quick, endless scrolling,
an image really has to pop for it to grab
our attention. I don’t think it influences
how I shoot, except when I see something
inspiring and try to emulate it as a learning
experience. I think that, thankfully, trying
to shoot pictures to please an audience is
something we couldn’t do if we wanted to.
What has influenced me the most
on Instagram is having conversations
with people. Beneath the layer of spam
comments there is a real community
there, and there are about 20 people I
talk with almost daily, and not just about
photography. Hearing how other people
interpret the work you do is incredibly
helpful. To develop a style you need to be
aware of what makes your work uniquely
you, and it’s often hard to see that yourself.
Just don’t get scared into pleasing followers,
and get a circle of people around you that
are supportive but also critical.
How would you describe your approach
to photography now?
I used to go ‘fishing’ a lot: two or three
scenes a day, that I’d each work for hours,
taking 2,000-3,000 pictures to pick out the
best moment in hindsight. It worked well to
get really complex layered shots nice and
clean, but it drained all joy and spontaneity
from shooting after a while.Now I’m back to where I started: I just
walk around, and react to what is happening.
If something really interesting or important
is going on I’ll stick around, but gone are the
days of thousands of shots trying to get a
reflection or silhouette just right.
I do think it is more educational for your
technique to take thousands of shots of one
thing than the other way around, but you
miss out on practice in reacting to things
spontaneously. I try to maintain flow at all
costs, usually following either light until a
good subject appears, or a good subject,
until he or she walks in good light.Do you ever encounter any problems on
the street? Do people try to prevent you
from taking photos or challenge you if
they think you’re photographing them?
I do get noticed a lot, mostly because I like
to take my time and work different angles. I
never ask for permission, but when I notice
someone is freaked out I’ll do my best to
be proactive and comfort them even before
they say anything. I don’t underestimate
people and always just tell them exactly
what I’m trying to do. I carry a little booklet
with 10x15 prints to show them my usual
style, just in case they still worry. I’ll also
offer to remove the picture, but I don’t
always do it. I know I’m not doing anything
wrong: I’d never picture someone in an
uncomfortable or shameful situation, so
there’s no reason for them to actually worry.
I just do it to bring them some comfort.
Don’t confuse being polite with being
apologetic: being polite and lighthearted
makes them feel less uptight about their
worries, being apologetic confirms their
initial attitude that you’re doing something
wrong. I’ve only had serious trouble twice,
with a man telling me he’d kill me if he
wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness, to which I
replied I was glad his faith gave him some
peace. It was a man in his late 70s, and
I had already demonstrated to him that he
wasn’t even in the picture, so some people
are just hard to please.
Another time I shot into a van to capture
a reflection, and only then realised that
the man inside was snorting a huge
line of powder from the top of his glove
department. We made eye contact, and he
immediately dropped what he was doing. I
took a sprint, as I didn’t feel an explanation
there would’ve saved me from a beat down.Bottom right
Childlike Wonder
i love this picture...
Street photographers
have to observe actively
and see the world as a
new and strange place.
the glass wall with
bubbles is a mirror, i’m
as amazed as he is!Top right
Memorial Day
i shot this during
a silent march on
memorial day. the
women in all black and
the rain reflects the
mourning, and
the sunlight represents
the glimmer of hopeBottom left
Parisian
i was following this
captivating hat for a
while near Museumplein
in Amsterdam when
i spotted the old-
fashioned lantern.
it was just a match
made in heavenTop left
Persona/Shadow
this helped to discover
my style. the boy is in a
bus and the silhouette
is projected onto the
window. ‘persona’ is what
we present to the world,
and ‘the shadow’ is our
unknown deeper selfGenerally, I try to go by instinct and be
honest about what I’m doing, and 99.9 per
cent of the time there’s either no reaction
or it’s positive.What equipment do you prefer and why?
I shoot both 35mm film and digital,
although mostly the latter. I use Fujifilm
X (now the X-H1) and Leica M (Typ 240
digital and M3 analogue) cameras. I shoot
mostly in 50mm and 85mm equivalents, the
Leica for 50 and shorter, and the Fuji for 85
and longer. The X-H1 is great for low-light
shooting and more abstract work because
of the image stabilisation, which allows me
to play with slow shutter speeds, so it is
my go-to camera at night. I also take it with
me whenever I have to produce, because
previewing the exposure, and the various
focus and metering modes, help me get the
shot when I absolutely have to.
I bought the Leica M more recently,
and it’s my everyday camera for street
photography. I like the size and ergonomics,
which give it a low profile and encourages
me to take it everywhere. It is also very
limited technically, which makes me more
involved in shooting and keeps my pictures
more spontaneous. You really have to think
about what you’re doing constantly. The
meter is not reliable enough for auto-
exposure and it’s manual focus only, so
I constantly have to adjust and plan ahead.
Another challenge is the imperfect
framing, as the rangefinder system doesn’t
always show the exact frame, you have
to think and guess what is going to be
cut off. The fact that you look through an
optical finder also means that you can’t
just preview the scene and adjust, you
really have to understand light. This makes
it harder to doze off and keeps me alert. It
is also just a joy to shoot, and gives much
more satisfaction when you nail a shot. As a
tool, it is more limited than the Fuji, but as
a camera, it inspires me and forces me to
keep getting better.
On the Fuji, I use the XF 56 f/1.2 99 per
cent of the time. I just love that lens, the
out-of-focus rendering is gorgeous. The fact
that it has the framing of an 85mm, but
only the depth of field of a 56mm (because
of the APS-C sensor) makes it usable for
street photography, where you can’t always
nail focus and might like the perspective
and flatness of 85mm, but still want to showinterview