Interview with Peter Levi

“Capturing souls” through black and white street photography is what makes Peter Levi more than just your average husband, father and maintenance man.

Peter is a traveling Swede with an interesting street photography style. Some of his shots reflect a stunning street minimalism, while others reflect the chaos that is ever so present in humanity. Peter has a knack for capturing genuine emotions ranging from love and joy to fear and sadness, revealing human nature at its best, and sometimes, worst.

Peter gathers inspiration from many famous documentary and reportage photographers. He knows how to get up close and personal, without drawing too much attention, and he also has an eye for using architectural lines to frame his shots. His goal: to make art out of ordinary life. He was kind enough to share with us some of what he has learned from his photography heroes, as well as a few pointers from his own experience.

On his Flickr account, Peter explains just how he feels about black and white street photography by quoting Michael Kenna as saying, “I suggest though, that if we strive for perfect, digitally processed images and prints, the further away we might get from our own fallibility and accident prone humanity.”

To to hear our conversation with Peter, click the audio player below.