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I te ndto be a ‘onecamera,onelens’guy
and my perfectcombinationis theX-Pro2
and 23mmf/1.4.I advisemy students
to stick with one focal length for street,
which trains their eye to see what thatlens
se es, speeding up reaction times. Havingsaid
th at, my all-time favourite lens is the56mmf/1.2.
I do a lot of night shooting, much ofit abstractwork,andthislens
al lows me to focus on the detail. n Visitfujifilm-x.comformoreinfo.
nWhyis streetphotographysuchan important
photographicsubjectto try?
Street photographyis perhapsthemostaccessible
an d democraticof all genres.Youdon’tneedto
ha ve massesof expensivekit or be a technicalguru
to producegreatwork.Andyoucando it anywhere
- on the dailycommute,on holiday,duringyour
lu nch breakor in thatsparehouron a Sunday
morning.Abstractionis partof whatwe do and
re flectionscanplaya keyrolein this– justlookat
th e workof SaulLeiteror ErnstHaas,bothof whom
pr oducedbeautifulstreetimagesbasedon simple
fo rms andshapesandoftenusingreflectionsto
gr eat effect.I liketo shootabstractimagesusing
re flectedlights,shapesor people– especiallyat
ni ght or intherain.
n What’syourfavouritestreetphotography
subject andwhy?
I love theabsurd!I’mverydrivenby ‘themoment’,
th at split-secondwhensomethinginteresting,
quirky orpeculiarhappensamidsteverydaylifeon
th e street.A lotof thestreetphotographywe see
is just randomshotsof peopledoingnothingand
completelylackingin thisessentialingredientwe
ca ll ‘the moment’.I thinkthere’san expectationthat
‘t he moment’shouldbe happeningall aroundus all
th e time,butit doesn’t.I cango fordays,or even
weeks, withoutgettinga trulyinterestingshot,
but then itcouldbe aroundthenextcorner.
n Do youhaveanywordsof streetphotography
wi sdomforourCameraSchoolstudents?
Look for detailin everything.Slowdown,be curious
an d look– reallylook– at what’saroundyou.Any
reflectivesurfacehas potential– shopwindows,
ca rs, puddles, wet pavements or mirrors. When
you’ve found the reflection, stop to think about
how to get the most out of it. Try alternative angles,
consider what other elements you need to make
the image work and wait until the scene is just right.
It’s like fishing – you need to be really patient. And in
street photography, rules are made to be broken!
Brian Lloyd Duckett is a Fujifilm X-Photographer
and founder of StreetSnappers. He runs street
photography workshops around the UK and
Europe. streetsnappers.com
PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT
Q&A BRIAN
LLOYD DUCKETT
Fujifilm X Series
photographer
Brian reflects on
finding new angles
in street scenes.
Above Brian’s eye is trained to spot photographic opportunities in reflections,
and then he waits until each of the elements in his scene is perfectly positioned.
Above Night-time street shooting is ripe for capturing colourful reflections,
and Brian’s quick reactions record moments that are gone again in seconds.
BRIAN’S FAVOURITE GEAR
FOR STREET
