Finding Focus

THE NEXT STAGE IN MY PHOTOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION, OR: HOW TRYING PURE STREET PHOTOGRAPHY HELPED ME TO FIND MY ROAD AHEAD

Have you ever looked at a vintage photograph and wondered who the people in that image were, how they lived, and how the cities seemed so different then?

As you can read on my About page, I grew up in a small village in the Netherlands, and when I got my first point-and-shoot camera in the early 1970s, I could not foresee that it would ignite a lifelong passion for photography.

While I explored different photographic genres over the years, since moving to the US and being driven by my passion for people, I have come home to my true passion: documentary-style street photography and essays.

When I talk about documentary-style photography, I don't mean documenting the 'big' things: famine, the US border crisis, global warming, deforestation.

Of course, if I get the chance, I will take images at a Women's March or similar events I might be able to attend (or stumble upon), but in general, I am more interested in the mundane of daily life.

Creating stories about regular people who make up the diverse population of my adopted country, showing how a small town looks today and the people in it; documenting small events like car shows that show the enthusiasts who come together there and create a unique culture; people at a horse race track, dancing, eating, gambling, having fun; telling the story of a master craftsman, who creates beautiful objects with his tools.

While maybe mundane, these all are unique pockets of the world we live in and the people who inhabit it. And when I do take pictures at events, I am more interested in the individuals attending (the proponents, the opponents, and the spectators) than in the event itself because I firmly believe that the individual stories provide the human connection to those events.

For some time, I thought creating and focusing on pure street photography images would satisfy my urge to tell these stories. So I started making what I thought were nice street photos and joined street photography groups on Facebook and Instagram.

The critique I received from experts in the field was an eye-opener and made me more critical about my and other photog's street images. And the more I learned about street photography, the more I (tried to) create street photography, and the more I looked at other photogs street photography, I found it unsatisfactory, boring, disappointing, and repetitive. So many images tagged as street photography are not, and I often saw a lot of copy-cats (how many iterations of pictures of people walking through a patch of light in an area otherwise in darkest shadow can one create?).

Understand me well: pure street photography is excellent, and I love looking at those images! But it also is rare and challenging to create.

Pure street photography is very much dependent on a decisive moment, and I realized there is so much more than the decisive moment: I want to capture a current moment, documenting in 1/125th of a second the sociohistorical situation of a particular place at a specific time. Wow, those are big words! But you probably understand what I ideally want to achieve.

Capturing a 'decisive moment' for me is a bonus, not a goal. There is so much more to show, achieve, share, and create awareness of that might not be captured when focusing on the decisive moment. Instead, I want to tell that broader story, which can be about people, a place, or an event and which, for obvious reasons, in most cases, is a combination of these.

While I like to work on projects to create photo essays, you can ask if a single 'snapshot' also can tell this broader story.' I think so. But I also want to explore how that single image relates to other pictures looking for patterns in human behavior.

Reading photo books helps me understand what I want to create.

On my journey to finding my focus, I have 'met' several current and past photographers whose work has influenced my thoughts about what I want to achieve and how to achieve it: Eugène Atget, W. Eugene Smith, Jill Friedman, Bob Friedlander, Helen Levitt, Robert Frank, Inge Morath, Sally Mann, O.N. Pruitt, Berenice Abbott, Jacob Riss, Dorothea Lange, Lewis Hine, the photographers who took the images in Lost London, Elliott Erwitt, and many others.

As mentioned above: making a good street photo is challenging. Is this next stage in my photographic evolution possibly a flight because it is too complicated?

To answer my question: No, composition, situation, image quality, light, and all other ingredients that make a pure street photo are also crucial to making the documentary-style photos and essays I (want to) create.

As I mention in my artist’s statement, inspired by a quote from Anais Nin, I want to share not the obvious but what we usually are unable to see: when I document, what can I show that others might not see?

Are you familiar with the phrase "write down to remember"? I want to "photograph to remember" and to help others remember. Now and, hopefully, in the future. While I create images and stories for me and my current audience, it would be great if I could make the 'vintage images of the future.' If even only one.

Looking back at the images I created over the years, especially since I live in the USA, it is not surprising that my journey is taking me in this direction. But with the help of the critique I received, seeing what current and past photographers create(d), and looking at street photography on social media, I have found the focus I was missing.

Now that I know better what type of images I want to create, I also can better define the tools I want to use. So while my camera setup underwent some changes last year, my main tools will continue to be the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and the Leica M4. Both with 35mm (or equivalent) lenses.

Why these?

Both are (relatively) small and discreet cameras and very well suited for the work described above, most of which still will happen on the streets.

Digital has all the positive assets we have learned to appreciate over the last couple of decades and cannot miss from any photographer's toolkit.

But why film?

First, even after scanning, film still has that unique look that is very difficult to emulate in digital post-processing.

Secondly, because of its limitations, working with film makes me more aware of the 'why' and 'what' to photograph.

And thirdly. There is no third. I do not use film because it 'makes me slow down.'

Of course, it slows me down: hand-metering light, manual focusing, manual film transport, only 36 images before I have to rewind and change the roll manually. And I will remember every time before pressing the shutter release button that every picture on film is far more expensive than one taken with the X-Pro1.

Now here is a curve ball.

Talking about film, I ponder using medium format for my documentary-style work. But that is a story for another day.

My journey is not over yet, and I still have a long way to go, but I have found focus and a road ahead.

Why You Should Use Third-Party Lenses on Fujifilm X-Series Cameras

It Is Probably Not For The Reason You Expect

In last week's article, I mentioned that I purchased a TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 lens for my Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

The initial motive for this purchase was to get a lens with a 35mm full-frame equivalent focal length. However, there is a second reason why I use this and other third-party lenses on the X-Pro 1.

And it is not about image quality.

Why I Use Third-Party Lenses on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1

While there are multiple third-party lenses with excellent image quality, I mainly use lenses other than Fujinon x-mount ones because these have distance and depth-of-field scales.

According to Fujifilm's overview of x-mount lenses, there are currently only three lenses with distance/depth-of-field scales: the 14mm f/2.8 R, the 16mm f/1.4 R WR, and the 23mm f/1.4 R.

While the 23mm would perfectly do the job and probably be easier since it would auto-focus, it also is about seven times the cost of the TTArtisan 23mm. So that would be an additional reason to go third-party.

As mentioned last week, I added the 23mm to my toolbox for focal length consistency because it matches the 35mm full-frame equivalent of the Summaron on my Leica M4.

Sometimes, however, I want to use a slightly longer focal length. For example, when I do not want to get too close to my subjects or when I can not get close enough to them because of the actual situation.

In those cases, I want to use a lens with a full-frame equivalent focal length of (about) 50mm or 75mm.

For these instances, I have several third-party lenses available that can either be directly used on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 or by using an adapter:

• An AF Nikkor 35mm f/2.0D, which is a remains from my Nikon days

• An Industar 26M 50mm f/2.8, which usually lives on the FED-2

• A TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2, with x-mount

• And, of course, the Summaron 35mm f/2.8 from the M4

The x-mount TTArtisan goes directly on the X-Pro 1; I have specific adapters for the Nikkor, the Industar, and the Summaron.

Why Is A Depth-of-field Scale Important

As mentioned above, the depth-of-field scale is the main reason to use third-party lenses on a Fujifilm x-series camera.

This is important because it lets me use the zone and hyperfocal focusing techniques, allowing for extremely quick image-taking in the streets.

While all third-party lenses I have are either fully manual or only work as manual lenses on the X-Pro 1, zone-focusing with these lenses is quicker than autofocusing with Fujinon lenses!

If you don't know what zone-focusing is, you can read more about it in an article about zone-focusing with a Fujifilm x-series camera I published a while ago. In that article, you also can read how to zone-focus with x-series cameras when using lenses without depth-of-field scales (such as the fixed lens of the Fujifilm X100F).

How To Use Third-Party Lenses On A Fujifilm X-Series Camera

Since my third-party lenses only can be used as manual-focusing ones, I need to adjust several settings of the X-Pro 1.

First, set SHOOT WITHOUT LENS to 'ON' in Shooting Menu #3.

This allows for taking images without a Fujinon lens mounted.

Secondly, you can adjust the MOUNT ADAPTOR SETTING in Shooting Menu #3 to reflect the focal length of the lens you will be using. Note that this will not help or impact the actual use of the lens. This setting only registers the focal length of the lens you are using, which is then captured in the image's EXIF data.

Lastly, in Shooting Menu #5, I recommend setting MF ASSIST to PEAK. This will help get the correct focus using the Electronic View Finder (EVF). Focus peaking settings on the earlier x-series cameras, such as the X-Pro 1, are limited. The newer x-series cameras, however, have more extensive possibilities.

Notably, when zone-focusing with these manual lenses, I do not even have to use focus peaking and can actually use the Optical View Finder (OVF) of the X-Pro 1. However, especially with wider angle lenses, of course, I then need to be aware of possible parallax errors.

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Madrileñas

Madrid, Spain | Plaza Platería de Martinez | August 2019

Something that always strikes me in Spain is the strong and articulated women.

Irrespective of social status or age, they are Present, with a capital P.

After a stroll through Madrid's famous National Botanical Garden, my wife and I decided we earned some tapas and a refreshing drink. Since it was summer, most bars and restaurants had tables outside on the street, and we quickly found one near the botanical garden and the Prado museum.

While getting seated, I could not ignore these three ladies sitting at a table next to ours.

They were involved in deep conversation. One of the ladies passionately articulated her thoughts on a particular topic, while the other two listened with great attention.

I would have loved to eavesdrop to hear what they were so animated talking about, but that is not something one does. Also, my Spanish is not so good that I could fully understand what she said.

HOWEVER, what I could do was take my trustworthy Leica M4 and seize an image of this beautiful trio.

This photo might not capture a 'decisive moment', but, as I explained previously, street photography is not always about the decisive moment and is far more.

This image, for me, represents a typical situation that someone easily can encounter in Madrid. Or in any town and city of Spain.

Three ladies are having a great afternoon, enjoying some food and drinks and discussing current events, maybe talking about global wars and inflation, or gossiping about the new girlfriend of one of their sons.

Paying Attention

Washington, DC | Lincoln Memorial | August 2014

One of the joys of street photography, actually the reason I think most street photographers do what they do, is observing people.

People on their own, in small groups, or, as in this image, in large groups of individuals who are not in any way related to each other than for the fact that they are coincidentally in the same place at the same time.

When visiting the Lincoln Memorial in 2014 (obviously very much during pre-pandemic times) I noticed that most visitors are not really paying attention to the statue of the great man. Several were walking around in circles like lost in the vast space of the Memorial building, some were talking in groups, and quite a few were busy taking selfies with their omnipresent phones.

Except…

Except for this one woman, who stood still in the middle of the moving, chattering and self-focused crowd.

She was looking at the image of President Lincoln. Paying attention. As if to say: “What can you tell me. What can you teach me.”

And isn’t that what we all should do more often? Paying attention. Putting the phone away. Stop talking. Stop being focused on ourselves. And just pay attention.