Daily Inspiration #273 by Lorenzo van Galen

Hi Steve!

First of all, I love your site! Been following the site for about a year now and it’s been really helpful and inspirational. Also the old articles were really useful and enjoyable to read.
Now I’m probably one of the youngest readers of your site and lover/practitioner of street photography (19). I’ve been photographing for about 3 years now and starting taking pictures on the street for about a year ago. Since I’ve bought the Fuji X100 I’m in love with street photography and observing on the streets. I try to go out as much as possible in my home town Rotterdam, the city were famous streetphotographer Otto Snoek have been photographing for about 25 years.
After my adventure with my X100 and reading more and more on this site and learning more about street photography and the old masters I noticed that most of the people were using Leica camera’s. I decided to sell my X100 and get a Leica M8 with a 40mm Nokton 1.4  which I’ve been shooting for 3 months now. I really love it. It shoots different that my Canon 7D and let me think about the photographs I take and about what I want to take. Of course it doesn’t shoot 8fps and it slows me down in a way but I fell in love with shooting with a rangefinder! I’m still nowhere with my skills with the rangefinder and focussing but I keep practicing and practicing and try to get out there as much as possible.
I’m always looking for a interesting background and then wait for the ”decisive moment”. For some more work you can check my site:
          www.lorenzovangalen.com
                                 &
Here are some of, in my opinion, my best shots since I’ve been photographing on the streets (all taken with the Leica M8). Here they are:

31 Comments

  1. Just another proof, that money and equipment do not make a good photographer. Sry, your pictures are scrap.

  2. Hmmm, so comments here do get ‘screened’…

    Lorenzo, you’re such a great photographer. Love your flickr images- they were far more amazing than these three photos. 😉

    • Thank you for the kind words. I personally really like these shots (tastes differ luckily) so I decided to post these photo’s. Your words mean a lot to me, actually all the comments mean a lot to me.

      It’s pretty hard to get real, constructive and honest feedback on photographs, people often say; ”Yeah, nice picture dude, nice clothes!” but nothing about composition etc. This site and in particular this article, daily inspiration, is a great oportunity for photographers to get their honest feedback on their work with these real, knowledgeble people here on this site giving feedback.

      Sure there is other work I do, like portraits but I really like street photography en I hope to flourish in this genre and that’s partly why I decided to publish these photo’s and get some constructive feedback en honest opinions about them. Some people like them, some people don’t. This was sure a great opportunity for me to show my pictures I’ve taken so far and see what people think about my street photography. I’m really thankful for this opportunity Steve!:)

  3. Hi Lorenzo,

    I found stunning photos on your web page! Especially this girl in the woods – I LOVE the colors!

    But as many others before you you did not choose the best one to publish here. You can do much better.

    1. nice idea but due to proportion billboard-man unimpressive

    2. same as 1, could have been great if the guy’s facial espression was a) visible and b) special

    3. “beaten to death” or not, what about shodows and subjects have same proportions? Would have saved the photo.

    BR
    Heiner

  4. Hi, Lorenzo!

    Umm, I don’t know why you have chosen these three pics when you have far more awesome photographs taken with your 7D and X100!

    And oh, you and your GF make a good-looking couple. 😉

  5. Its just the good old trap beginners always fall in: picturing pictures. Looks good, because a good photog has taken those advertisment pix.
    Ask yourself: are “your” people, those you added to the adverts, in a position, that makes a great graphic. Or gives a decisive moment?
    The answer is no.
    Practice more, google “fibonacci”, avoid billboards.

  6. Just remembered: you contacted me on Youtbe at some point Lorenzo! Great to hear you got into street photography (recall you were shooting a horror film on your 7D at the time). We should get together sometime next year to shoot around Rotterdam!

  7. Hope to run in to you some time Lorenzo! Trying to spend more time after uni (I study at Erasmus) shooting out on the street, and next year I’ll be joining the M gang with a black M9-P. Oh, and I’m 20! Keep on shooting!

    • Yes it’s was a real leap of faith! Never shot with Rangefinder, but I can say now after a few months using this beast, I enjoy it some much using it. The way of shooting, compactness, build quality and overall experience is so much different than for example with a DSLR. I don’t say that these could only be made with a Leica but I just enjoy these type of camera’s..

  8. First of all very nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

    Just another thing – it’s a riddle to me that anyone would like to use old fashioned manual focus (which I have used a lot on my OM-1) when AF has been invented.

    Well, manual focus may be a nice option for macro-photography, but that is very easy to obtain on all Nikon G-series lenses with manual override – similar options on several Canon lenses – not to mention the X100 where the AFL/AEL button can be used to obtain quick approximate focus in manual mode and then the focus ring can be used for fine tuning.

  9. OK, riddle me this: I keep hearing this ” _LET’S_ me think more than my <insert name of some less exotic and more common gear" ad nauseum. Can any of posters of the same explain rationally why they can not do same with "less exotic" gear? Does less exotic gear punch them in the nose and refuses orders whenever they try to set it to manual control or try to think about exposure, focus and composition?

    • No you of course can do manual control on lots of other devices. The manual control on an M-series Leica and lenses is a very nice setup however. For example, manual focus on my X100 just plain sucks. Manual control on my old Canon 5dII wasn’t anywhere the experience as my M9. No manual aperture ring, etc. Depends on the gear of course.

  10. Ok the old pig comment…I dunno if the girl in the Allround section of your site is your GF but make a long-term commitment soon man, she is stunning…lol… sorry for that one

    • Haha! Yes it’s actually my girlfriend! Nice subject to practice my portrait photography with!

  11. I like the ads/Bill board ones, nice timing and a good mood… The upside down shadow one has been beaten to death, and that includes pics in water potholes. Mind you I still shoot them, my friends love it when I give such a shot to them. So keep shooting pal I will follow your stuff on your website. Congrats for the M8 and if you need something to go with it, Sony NEX5 with an adaptor so you can use you M lense, AND it is cheap to purchase (especially that the NEX 5N is out)

    Have fun out there.

  12. Mm, I have to be honest, I do not like them. But that does not matter, it is only a personal opinion.

    • no unfortunately, though I casually browse on Flickr, I have never come across yours.. the reverse shadow shot reminded me of an earlier post here; the one of Eric Kim..

      i do agree with Francis’ comment (#8), upside down shadows have been beaten to death.. that’s why I thought I’ve already seen your shot somewhere.. when it turns out it was someone else..

      and again agree with lxania’s comment (#17).. he does have a point.. try not to shoot others’ already processed shots..

      one good thing I liked is that you shot B&W.. i’m biased towards it, but I do distinguish between good / bad processing.. yours were ok..

  13. I’m a youngster, too. I’m 20 and just got a NEX-3 over the summer. Gotta say that I’m pretty jealous of you and your Leica! I really your “portrait of ads/billboards concept.”

  14. Great to see the youngsters are just as dedicated as us old folks (38 :-))…to get out there and shoot shoot shoot! Well done Lorenzo, I bet being featured here will make you even more inspired! Good stuff.

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