2020 was a very intense year for me, regarding Street Photography. Another blog post will follow in the coming days, in which I will review the year 2020. Today I have my personal top 10 of my street photos. The selection of some pictures was very easy for me. But in the end, it was pretty difficult to limit myself to only 10 photos. I could easily have made a top 15 or even a top 20. But my idea was, only choosing photos that really stand out for me personally. For each picture there is the story behind the picture, including informations about the location and the date of creation, as well as the camera's internal data on the lens, aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
Number 10:
Hannover, 05.09.2020: 23mm, F7,1; SS 1/250; ISO 200
This photo was taken at the main train station in Hanover. A bridge with frosted glass is stretched over the staircases to two tracks, where passengers can walk over the staircase. This photo reminds me of a business meeting. In fact, a couple met here. As they got closer, they hugged and stood with their feet together in a close pose for a long time. I also thought this photo was great, but the picture shown above leaves more room for interpretation, which is why I chose this one.
Number 9:
Brixen, Italy, 11.08.2020: 23mm, F6,4; SS 1/200; ISO 400
During my summer vacation in South Tyrol, I was out and about taking photos in the small town of Brixen on various days. The first thing I noticed was the old man with the hat. Then I saw that his tank top matched the color of the wall. For me, the old door fit perfectly into the picture. I first took some pictures of him, both in portrait and landscape format, when suddenly the elderly lady stepped into the frame from the right. I pressed the shutter button multiple times and this photo stood out. The facial expressions of the two people as well as the wearing of the masks under their chins made the picture special for me. Likewise the thoughtful look of the old gentleman. This photo was honored as an Honorable Mention at the ND Awards in the "Special - Street Photography" category.
Number 8:
Köln, 29.02.2020: 23mm; F11; SS 1/200; ISO 2000
At the end of February I was traveling to my second home in Cologne. I was still very fresh into street photography and stayed at the "Hansaring" S-Bahn station. There I discovered the large artwork on the wall. This in itself was worth a picture. When I saw the person on the track, I tried to somehow connect them to the background. At first she had her back to me and all the compositions were okay, but didn't were a banger to me. However, when the person turned to the right to look at the approaching train, I quickly composed the image so that the red line on the artwork "float" into or out her mouth. This allows for a wide range of possible interpretations. I knew straight away that the picture turned out great.
Number 7:
Hamburg, 22.05.2020: 23mm, F7,1; SS 1/500; ISO 400
This photo was taken near the fish market in Hamburg in the building of a savings bank. It's a much-photographed street photography spot. Still, I wanted one for my portfolio. Since I already walked a few kilometers that day, I took a break here. At first only the young woman was sitting at the window, which in itself was a great photo opportunity. Then the gentleman in the middle came in, who kept standing at the window or at the railing to the harbor. The third person on the right came in last and completed the scene for me. He seemed to be waiting for a friend to do sport together, because he warmed himself up for minutes in front of the glass facade. I probably took 60 or more pictures of the scenery. In the end, however, this image had the greatest impact on me.
Number 6:
Berlin, 02.10.2020: 23mm; F5,6; SS 1/250; ISO 640
At the beginning of October I was out and about in Berlin for one night with Dennis Gloth. On the first day after our arrival by train, we went to the East Side Gallery. This is where this "lucky shot" was made. I saw the street art, which has a lot more to offer in terms of width. Among other things, another person with a speech bubble is painted there. It was my intention to photograph a person walking by, so that it looks as if the speech bubble is coming out of their mouth. So I fully concentrated on it. When a group of three women came, I pulled the shutter several times. I hit the exact moment when the speech bubble started on the woman's mouth, but the body of the second person was completely in front of the content of the speech bubble. I was disappointed at first. When I looked at the picture on my PC at home, I noticed that the third person (the one in the picture above) was a perfect match to the woman painted in the background. She also looked into the camera. When editing the image, I had to crop the image as shown above. So this photo turned out to be a "perfect match" only afterwards.
Number 5:
Amsterdam, 25.07.2020: 23mm; F3,6; SS 1/125; ISO 4000
I named this photo "Under my umbrella". It was created in the summer when I went to Amsterdam for two nights just to take street photos. On the first day I started my walk from my hotel, which was near the museum district, towards the main train station without a plan. Around a corner, I stumbled into the metro station "Rokin". I always find subway stations very exciting. Without knowing what to expect there, I went down. I discovered various interesting murals on the tracks, including this one. Immediately a picture came into my mind: someone is walking along the umbrella so that it looks like the person is using it or standing under it. I didn't have to wait long to get this picture. The photo was selected by "Eye-Photo Magazine" in the September issue as an "eye-catching moment" and even served as the column cover for this section in the magazine.
Number 4:
Frankfurt, 29.07.2020: 23mm; F5,6; SS 1/1000; ISO 160
When I drove from Cologne to Frankfurt for one day in the summer to meet Stefan Lauterbach there, it was super hot. We started around 11:30 am at the main station. Not the best idea to take street photos in the midday heat. We went to the banking district, because I've never been to Frankfurt before and wanted to see "Mainhattan" up close. I discovered a beam of light in front of the Commerzbank building, which fell through the skyscrapers. I had the idea to make a nice silhouette. After a few minutes I saw a woman in a skirt approaching us. I composed the picture so that the shadow was the main subject. The woman passed us, I pressed the shutter several times. I knew straight away that it was a good shot. So I quickly stared at the display and I was thrilled by this picture. With this photo I was selected in the American Street Photography Magazine in the September issue together with 4 other photographers for the "Streetshooter of the month september".
Number 3:
Brixen, Italy, 06.08.2020: 23mm; F8,0; SS 1/500; ISO 160
Another photo from the small Italian town of Brixen. I walked with my wife through the alleys of this beautiful small town, passed the river over the bridge, away from the tourists and into the residential area of the locals. I immediately noticed this intersection. The shadow on the ground in front first drew my attention. Then I noticed the great buildings in the background. I crouched down a little, composed my picture and now had to wait. There was not much public traffic here. A few minutes later I saw a mother arriving with her child from the left. I was glad someone would walk into my picture. At the exact moment when they stepped into my frame, the child refused to go up the further corridor. The mother "pulled" the child behind her. At the same time, the other couple stepped into the shadow of my frame from the right and formed a wonderful silhouette. I just had to pull the trigger. I felt a sense of happiness. I later uploaded this photo to English street photographer Gareth Danks' Facebook group. He selected the picture for his self-published street photography magazine "F / 8" and wrote to me. It appeared with other great street photos in the second issue of this great magazine.
Number 2:
Hamburg, 08.05.2020: 23mm; F5,6; SS 1/480; ISO 160
I love this picture. It's in a little frame just above my office screen and I still love it. In May, that summer feeling was already popular in Hamburg. It was the second visit to Hamburg after the first lockdown and people increasingly dared to go on the streets again. As usual, I started my walk at the main station, went up the stairs and already discovered the shadows of the railing in the ground. So I went to the other side and looked over the railing. I tried a few perspectives and then noticed this young man half in the shade, half in the sun. I had to wait a little while until he put his cigarette in his mouth and the smoke became visible. Click! In post processing I cropped the image so that the shadow runs from top right to bottom left and the man is roughly on the first third of the golden section when viewed from the left. I think I will print this photo in large format!
Number 1:
Berlin, 04.10.2020: 55mm; F11; SS 1/500; ISO 200
My absolute number 1! On the second day of our Berlin trip, we walked around in this huge city. However, I really wanted to go to Museum Island, because I hoped to get something exciting in front of my lens with the interesting old buildings there. So we went along the Spree Canal, a small tributary of the river Spree. When we passed the James-Simon-Galerie, I first saw a large window on the other side of the Spree in which a woman was sitting, half in the shade, half in the sun. The 23mm lens was way too wide angled. I quickly decided to switch to my 55-200mm lens. At that very moment the woman got up. I was frustrated. We then walked a little further when I saw these two people sitting on the stairs. This time the lens was already mounted on my Fuji, so I could calmly observe the situation. When one of the women went downstairs, my moment came. I pulled the trigger and was immediately impressed. A super minimalist motif with a great shadow cast by the railing on an almost white wall. In addition, a couple (at least that's how it looked like) who are sitting about five meters away from each other and the person behind stares forward, lost in thought. I loved this picture right away. In the post-processing, a bit of contrast was added, the photo was drawn a little lighter and some distracting black spots on the wall were removed and my shot of the year 2020 was ready. This picture hangs large behind acrylic glass in the hallway of our apartment.
When choosing the pictures, I noticed several things afterwards:
1. 9 out of 10 pictures were taken with my 23mm lens. This does not surprise me, because 99% of the time I have this lens on when I am walking through the streets. My favorite picture was taken with the 55-200mm lens. I am happy I had this lens with me that day!
2. 6 pictures have a strong play of light and shadow and are mostly very minimalistic. That doesn't really surprise me either, because I noticed during the course of my photographic process that these images attract me the most.
3. 3 of 10 pictures are in color! That really surprised me, because I convert more than 95% of my pictures to black and white. In addition, two more pictures in color were shortlisted for the top 10. I'm curious how things will go in 2021 regarding this topic.
4. All the pictures were taken in cities that I had specifically chosen for taking street photos. So all the traveling was worth it when you look at the selection of pictures.
I am curious how I will rate this list with some distance and which pictures will make it into my top 10 in 2021.