A Walk With a Camera

I like to meander along city streets and take candid photographs of people and life unfolding around me. Nothing staged. Just the rhythms of everyday life.

I try to be discreet and respectful. An unobtrusive camera helps with that. For leisurely photo walks I favor my Fujifilm X-Pro3, a hybrid rangefinder with three small lenses: a 23mm, a 35mm, and a 50mm. All are light, weather sealed, and dependable. My favorite is the 35mm. It sees the world in a way that feels close to how I remember it.

The rest of the time, when running errands or moving through the day, I carry a small Ricoh GR in my pocket. It makes beautiful black and white images and is easy to forget about until something worth noticing appears. Occasionally I will use my iPhone.

The best camera is the one that happens to be in your hand when life drifts past.

I also carry a small leather notebook. When something catches my attention I jot down a sentence, an image, a fragment of thought. These little scraps of noticing often find their way into the stories and essays I publish at WeissJournal.com.

Street photography has become a way of slowing down.

It encourages wandering. You meet interesting people. You overhear small conversations. You notice the posture of strangers, the weathered face of a musician on a corner, the way late afternoon light slips between buildings.

A camera helps you see.

The cat in the photograph above does not accompany me on my walks. He has other priorities. Mostly napping.

But you might try the other part. Not the napping. The wandering.

Grab a small camera and wander through your town. Walk slowly. Notice the people, the light, the small scenes unfolding around you. Take a few photographs. Write down what you see.

You might discover something surprising. The world hasn’t become less interesting.

Most of us have simply stopped noticing.