I had set aside a week in October to get started again after a long Corona period without too much travel. At least not the really dedicated trips. When I think about it, I have been to Malmö (S), one trip to Gothenburg (S) for a street photo festival, and a trip to Åmål (S) with an exhibition, and a trip to Krakow (PL) in the spring, -all these trips earlier this year, so it is definitely not the first trip after the corona… Any way, Being able to go to a foreign space, digging into the work all the way, without having to pay the least attention to others, -it is a luxury for a photographer. Then you get produced. It always gives results.
Budapest, the city by the Danube river
In recent years I have worked extensively with street photography. Unposed snapshots taken in more or less urban environments. In any case, urban environments seen in relation to the culture of the place where you are. This time the election fell on Hungary and the capital Budapest. A city with a rich history and a political background that can interest me far beyond the motifs the city gives itself. But I mean to see that longterm political cultures also shape the people, the buildings and the whole of the place. You both see and feel like that if you are sensitive to it. I think this is shaping my personal expression, -can it just be me, but at least I like to believe it. Often I can take myself into choosing motifs that in a way will confirm the story. In any case, confirm the story I believe and think I want to convey. If I succeed, others get to judge, but if there is anything in this, then it is to be regarded as a photographic quality.
Lots of black and white
I work mostly in black and white. Why? The short answer is: -I don’t know! It has to do with feelings. I just like it. Really as simple as that. The colors can many times distract me. I feel that colorless motifs, based only on gray scale, provide less derailment from the story that is often in humans. Of course, it requires that there are people in the motives, but it is mostly in my street photographs. Misunderstand me right, colors are fine too, but it does not dress all the motifs and vice versa.
I’ll take you a little behind the facade today. I’ll say a little about the process. What am I doing? What do I think?
What does it take to find the motifs?
Well, it’s about being present. You have to move around and you have to think about photography and motifs all the time. I do it from early morning to late night. Every day, all the time. That’s what gives you the impulses. I’m ready! Always have the camera ready. I photograph exclusively with 35mm (light wide angle) fixed focal length. I mostly photograph with manual settings. In alternating lighting conditions, I put ISO on auto, but put the shutter and f.stop manually. Then it’s spout and run.
ICM – new field to plow
On this trip I had decided in advance that I wanted to test one for me new technique. So -called ICM photography. ICM stands for “Intentional Camera Movement”. Then long shutter speeds (eg 1/6 sec) are used, high aperture numbers (eg 22) and then the camera is moved at the moment to create a form of controlled movement. Well, controlled is a strong concept in that way. For control you hardly have. But you know that you end up with either a little too little effect, a little too much effect or hopefully just fit. Only the last one here normally gives you a motif that works.
So thought, so done. But only with post-control on a small camera display do I have to admit that I was concerned about the result. I felt so hard that I actually had to take some pictures in the old way, so I had something to fall back on if everything was just nonsense. The answer to this I showed that would not be available until I was back home. So I safe. Half the days went to traditional street photography and half the day I spent on this new concept I had in mind.
Bruce Gilden technique right into the faces
Then I also wanted to try street photography with flash. Yes, that means that with a short distance (still uses 35mm) you have to direct both the camera and the flash quite directly to random victims of the madness. This is probably not my thing, but I give you a little taste of the result. According to my son he thought that with that sport there, it is only a matter of time before you get a hook rigt in your face …
well it went surprisingly good…
All the pictures from the trip are posted on a separate page for those who have password access. You will also find a link below to an article from the hidden part of my trip, -a saturday night party trip story.
For you others, you have to carefully with the “samples” that appear in the article. The reason for this is that I only give small drips to the public, so I have exciting things to show in new exhibitions and book releases when the occasions offer at a later date.
Link to see the full production from this trip (you need a password)
Link to “The hidden part of my trip to Budapest” (you need other pasword)