Todays Street photography interview is with the one and only *AlexJHH





- How long have you been shooting (in total) and when did you start shooting Street?


Well, according to dA, my first DSLR shot (that I put up) is early 2006.... I could've sworn it was longer than that. I think I shot using a little digi compact for a fair while before that (Don't knock them, use them to learn composition!), but didn't go out specifically to shoot - it was always just something I had with me. I started shooting street shortly after getting my first 50mm prime lens, around February of 2006, and it became something I really loved doing when I toured Europe later that year.

- What inspired you to shoot street?

An absolute fascination with people. That sounds quite voyeuristic, but I love seeing how people interact. In some ways, it was a natural continuation from people-watching. I read a lot, and quite regularly sit in/outside a cafe reading. After finishing reading an article or whatever, I'd sit and watch the world go by, fascinated by peoples conversations, interactions and facial expressions, and the little moments that defined people's lives. I guess that's a bit of a romanticised view of things, but I tend to hold a romanticised view of things. When I started using a camera a lot more, street shooting just became a natural extension of that. The encouragement from people like `cweeks and =vietkatthroughlense was also a massive influence, as well.


- What goes through your mind while you explore the streets?


Anything, really. I tend to find shooting a solitary activity, so I can be musing on any number of things. Also, it's not that often that I go out with the intention of shooting street, but more that I have my camera with me when I see something I want to capture. So more often than not it's the podcast or music that I'm listening to. If I go out expressly to shoot street, I try to keep a clear head. I find that focussing on looking for one thing in front of you blinds you more to the interactions on either side, or behind you. In fact, when I go out to shoot, I try not to think about shooting at all, because I find it very hard to force myself to take pictures. It becomes just another of the processes I go through as I walk. One of the more intense ones, sure, but just another process all the same.


- At first did you feel comfortable shooting people?


Not at all! It's part of the challenge of shooting street, and it's kind of a big thing to get over, especially seeing as I'm not a fan of being in front of the camera myself.


- How did you overcome that fear (or) Do you have any advice for people looking to overcome that fear?


I kind of weighed it up in my head as to whether it was a moment I wanted to miss, and probably to forget (I'm very forgetful and scatterbrained). The fact was, it wasn't. It was something I wanted to remember, to show other people. I wanted to be able to show people this 'moment' and say to them, "look, people can be nice" or "people can be a force for good", or sometimes just "look, there is something really wrong". It's that desire to communicate that's important, or to preserve. If you want the shot enough, you'll take it (sometimes at some risk to yourself). If you're too scared to do so without permission, then ask, and you'll be surprised at how willing people will be. If it's a 'moment' picture, then they're probably so involved that they won't notice a bystander anyway. I was always quite scared of going for shots like [link] and [link] until I realised that often, people don't pay much attention to what's going on around them. Also, once you've taken one shot, it's a lot easier to continue


- Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from your gallery) and explain why it is your ?


My favourite from my gallery is probably



because it's one of the first street shots I took, and definitely the first where I opened it up on my PC and thought "wow, I actually managed to catch something worth catching there". The juxtaposition struck both a darkly-humorous sense of irony, and a sadness at the state of things at the same time for me. Also, it was one of the first pictures selected for *StreetDDs, which was a great sense of achievement for me. I guess it was the first picture I got praised highly for (especially from my Dad, which is high praise for me indeed), and so it's printed large on my wall to remind me that I've taken at least one good picture


- Can you show us your favorite street photograph (from ANY dA gallery) and explain why it is your ?


I'm really not on top of things like faves, probably because I keep forgetting that the button is there in the first place. So I don't have an all time Fave, but I really love this shot from =vietkatthroughlense



I love it because Kat had the opportunity to go to Vietnam and hang around getting all these amazing shots - such an awesome adventure, that I love the sound of when I finally finish uni. Also, the depth of field and the lines, as well as the expression on the woman's face is perfect, a true 'moment' captured - I bet she didn't have that expression for too long, and Kat pressed the shutter just at the right time. There's an infinite amount of time either side of the 3 seconds or so she had that expression that Kat COULD'VE missed the shot in, but she didn't. Also, Kat is awesome - always helpful, and when I was new on the site and to #photographers we used to chat a lot, trade advice and opinions. She also likes a band called Explosions in the Sky as much as I do. They're awesome, really


- On the street, what is your favorite subject?


People. People people people people people people people. Also, juxtapositions between different people, or people in odd environments. I love irony. But seriously, I rarely take pictures that don't have people in them, and even with landscapes, often consider that they might be vastly improved with some distant figure or silhouette to add either a sense of scale or a sense of the absurd. Also, apparently in German there is a term 'Zeitgeist', meaning 'spirit of the times'. This is important too. My German is terrible, but I thing geist means spirit. So I think I'm on the lookout for those shots that demonstrate Zeitgeist, Place-geist, and Human-geist. Those things that make us who we are, our environment what it is, and humans what they are. And how they combine.


- What is the best tip you can give to others?


In terms of Street? Have a sense of why you're doing what you're doing. Have a love for your subject matter. That sounds introspective, but street shooting can seem really pointless if you don't feel like you're doing something fulfilling.

Know your equipment through endless practice. You'll miss a few moments, but it'll come with time.

Use normal to wide lenses. If you love people this much, then getting closer to them will be a pleasure. Also, the perspective compression given by telephotos is great for portraits, but doesn't hold much allure for street photographs. It's all about a sense of depth. On that note, use Depth of Field to isolate necessary elements, especially if you're trying to make a point.

Give using prime lenses a shot. As well as being able to isolate subjects, you'll be more familiar with being able to put yourself in position before a shot because you'll 'know' the focal length. Also, the 50mm prime lens is the greatest lens you'll ever buy for a film camera, and maybe a 28 or a 35 for a digital cropped sensor.

Don't listen to music as you walk, the noise of a street will help get you in a better frame of mind than the latest Britney Spears album.

Be prepared to walk away rather quickly from dodgy situations. I'm not condoning taking excessive risks, but sometimes the shot is completely worth it

And of course, have fun! If you don't enjoy doing it, then don't continue. On the other hand, don't say how boring it is before you give it a shot! (Pun completely and utterly intended).




- Alex