Street photography used to be something I did regularly, capturing the life and gestures of those around me in the city. Of course the streets became much quieter during the Covid pandemic so I focused on other genres of photography. I wanted to get back onto the streets with my camera so when I saw a workshop devoted to Saul' Leiter’s style of street photography I jumped at the chance.
Rather than going in cold I decided to use my day off yesterday to get some practice in and see if I could begin to see the world like Saul Leiter. His photos often use colour and texture so I spent the day in London looking for these things. He often shot through things, such as windows, to create depth so I tried my hand at this too, using the architecture of Borough Market to frame this image.
Leiter’s photos don’t always include people so I didn’t shy away from photographing other subjects when they caught my eye.
More windows on London life…
After a walk along the river I ended up at Tate Modern, which I find is always a rich hunting ground for people watching. This very dapper chap caught my eye and, even though he’s engrossed in his phone, I couldn’t resist taking a quick photo.
I love the way the light catches this chap as he’s engrossed in one of the art installations.
Reflected colour
Just as I was about to leave the gallery the heavens opened and this scene was visible above one of the stairwells. Such scenes appear in several of Leiter’s photos and he once said he found a photo of a rainy window more interesting than a portrait of a famous person.
Eventually the rain eased off and I braved the gusty winds across the Millennium Bridge.
As I walked near St Paul’s Cathedral I tried capturing the colour and movement around me with slower shutter speeds.
Movement and reflections around these eye catching bollards.
A passing bus. I’m probably stretching things a little too far here, but you don’t know unless you try!
Using intentional camera movement on one of London’s most iconic designs.
The stroll along Cheapside brought me more opportunities to play with colour and reflections.
And finally, this is one of my favourites from today. I saw the George Clooney advert and wondered if it might create an interesting element in a photo, then this gentleman came along and looked up quizzically at the perfect moment!
It’s debatable whether I’ve captured any of Saul Leiter’s style here, but I had a fun day playing and it helped me get my nerve back for taking photos around strangers on the street. No doubt I’ll learn a lot more at Monday’s workshop and I’ll be sure to share the results here.
Photos taken 12th January 2023