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Table of Contents

Interview with Meryl Meisler

Street Photography: The Hunt for the Woman in the Red Dress

San Telmo – La Boca: Art, Rebellion & Tango

Geometrical Saigon

Street View in Colour

Street Shooters of May 2019

Street View in Colour

Andreas Kamoutsis

Last month I fulfilled one of my greatest desires to visit the distant country of Cuba, which is situated on the other hemisphere, very far from where I live, my country, Greece. For this journey I had with me the new mirrorless camera, the Fujifilm XT3 camera and three zoom lenses, which helped me move quietly in the streets of Havana and Trinidad.

I call this journey “a great desire ” as I always admired the culture and the harassed people of this country. What I earned from my stay there, was an outstanding photographic experience and much more. Wandering for several days in the streets of these cities and mingling with amazing unknown people coming from a different cultural background offered me the experience of feeling the cultural pulse of this country and certainly left its mark on me.

In this article, which is neither a photographic reportage nor a travel shooting, as you probably expected, I’m going to try to analyse my thoughts, starting from the type of photography I worked on, my personal concerns and the way I moved. In addition, I’m referring to the technique and the equipment I used as well as the creation of a personal photo project, shooting constantly all these days.

The Type of Photography I Worked On

In general, when I shoot, I let myself go, since my aim is to express a hidden part of me through the art of photography and this is my way to it.

I acted in a free style in Cuba, as I always do, similarly to the street photography which cannot be defined or confined. Therefore, I started shooting the active life around me. I ‘d describe it as love of conceiving the simple and spontaneous which is unnoticed before our eyes and is converted into something special in the viewers’ eyes. I might call it “art of observation”. The result of a cerebral response. A constant challenge that keeps provoking my senses as a photographer. The reason I emphasize the kind of photography I chose is because the sights in a country like this are several, for example, the architecture, the nature and all the details which, by the way, may lead to confusion. Therefore, choosing to focus on a particular type of photography made it easier to complete a photographic project.

Study of the Environment

To fulfil my goals successfully on the first week, I had to walk for miles in the city; to talk with the locals; to discover and feel this new-to-me world before I touch my camera and start shooting. That’s in opposition to the most photographers who visit this country, as I found out from discussions I had with them. The reason for this is that they take quick photos of everything they see, recording everything from this “Mecca” of photography where it seems like time has stopped.

My main concern was to avoid a plain, repeated recording of life and social events about which several articles have been written and published for this country. For me, the dominant elements are the mystery and the feelings in combination with harmony and simplicity which play an important role to my frames and cannot be obtained other than focusing on each place by studying it.

The Theoretical and Practical Part

I believe that a photo should tell a story and trigger the viewer’s imagination making him feel like he was present. So, every time I picked up my camera , I didn’t want to shock the viewer showing the poverty and people’s hardship but, instead, to communicate the way of life of the local community through my personal view, staying unnoticed and moving around like a resident of the city.

As for the practical part, I was walking for many hours every day and needed loads of patience to support this daily effort. It was also essential to carry a pair of comfortable trainers, a hat, suncream and lots of bottled water as the temperatures were high and the sun very hot during the day. As Cuba is known for its tropical climate, I also needed a transparent, waterproof, protective wrap for my bag in case of rain, which saved my equipment a lot of times – even though it was waterproof by construction – as I even came across floods.

My Concerns and the Equipment I Used

Quite a lot of times I ran into photographers who gave seminars and showed their students techniques and spots in the city regarding to street photography. A lot of questions crossed my mind I ‘d like to share with you. Can something beautiful be repeated? Can street photography be taught?

Undoubtedly, the right technique and the equipment help a photographer in his work, plus that technique can be improved over time. In my view, however, talent and personal view come from within, someone’s inner self and cannot be copied or imparted.

The equipment I used was Fujifilm XT3 exclusively with the XF18-55, XF55-200, XF10-24. The zoom lens offered me the easiness I wanted so as to have focal distance at my disposal and all these fitted in a small shoulder bag.

A lot of times other photographers stopped me in the street and asked me about my camera showing interest in its size and efficiency.

A Project is Born

As mentioned above, the study of the environment played an important role as I was wandering a lot, trying to avoid the usual touristic sites. My decision about what I would ultimately capture in my frame and if I would follow the common philosophy was important as well. When referred to Cuba, our mind inevitably travels to colour, body language and the wild pulses of life in this lively city giving us a vivid effect. This way “Street View in Colour” was born joining each frame with everyday life and vivid colours dominating everywhere. It includes images with shadows, figures, movement; thousands of moments, infinite possibilities, lines intended to show the magic that gives the instant and as if the unexpected face of the art of Street Photography.

Techniques, Settings and Incidents

The distinctiveness of this country led me to start creating timeless images. Paying attention to entire scene and things like the unique colored backgrounds, the affective lighting, perspective etc. all these days across the city, I was starting to imagine my frames through my camera before I captured them!
My interaction with my subjects was vital during the shooting, since I could not sit back in all this burst of emotions. So, a lot of times I had to talk or spend time with the locals in order to blend in with their feelings and the existing environment naturally.

Most of all, street photography is about spontaneity. Everything happens in a split second. Therefore, wandering in the streets and shooting was not just a walk. My camera was the whole time hanging from its strap secured to me or I held it in my hands and in combination with its quick autofocus XT3, which is the best of Fujifilm’s X-series, especially with night shots, was a big help to achieve the desired capture. From the settings I used pre focus and sometimes, CL (low-speed burst) in drive mode as everything was happening within seconds.

All the photos I present are in JPG format. They’ve had minimum editing as I chose the vivid film simulation from my settings and depending on the lighting conditions, I increased the contrast according to my taste.

As far as the incidents are concerned, since I was always alert for the unexpected, there were many times that I popped into streets full of traffic seeking for the moment and the drivers hooted constantly at me as they usually do in Cuba. Luckily, nothing worse happened.

Personal Pleasure

To sum up, I would like to highlight the beautiful feeling that street photography gives me. I enjoyed the process more than anything! And that’s above all! My constant experimenting with amazing small mirrorless camera, made me forget about the numerous kilometres I walked every day in the streets of Havana and Trinidad and apply myself to what I love the most: true photography; the one you meet spontaneously in the world’s streets, unstaged and unplanned.

Andreas Kamoutsis

I was born and raised in Athens, Greece, I’m Official Fujifilm X-Photographer and my photos have been published on numerous websites and magazines in Greece and abroad. My primary photographic goal is to capture strong visual elements, such as mystery, feelings, harmony & simplicity. This unique art also exists as an artistic expression of myself, a great field of continuous self – discovery, a path for personal creative fulfillment through the ever-changing vision of this world…

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Articles
May 2019

Interview with Meryl Meisler

A veteran street shooter talks about her time documenting disco in the 70s and how powerful printing your work can really be.

Street Photography: The Hunt for the Woman in the Red Dress

The key to the perfect, scenic street shot? The woman in the red dress. Here's how to find her.

San Telmo – La Boca: Art, Rebellion & Tango

A kind of pilgrimage takes a couple to a unique area of Buenos Aires where a passion for art, rebellion and tango is in the air.

Geometrical Saigon

Capturing minimalist geometrical images in the chaotic city of Saigon is no easy task - but Victor is up for the challenge.

Street View in Colour

Is it possible to see the ever popular Cuba in a new light? Andreas explains his approach to this well-photographed city.

Street Shooters of May 2019

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