I posted a photo a few weeks backs on a photography group and someone on there commented that why do all Fujifilm shooters take dark photos. Now to be honest at the time, I didn’t really take any notice, but this comment obviously stuck with me as I've been noticing these dark shadow and silhouette photos more and more and whenever I see one its almost always been taken with a mirrorless camera, be it a Fuji, Sony or Leica.
Talking with fellow photographer Tom Jeavons, he has noticed this trend growing with more and more people using mirrorless cameras. Using mirrorless camera's you can see the photo before you take it (What you see, is what you get), making it easier to get the exposure right. I would also agree with him, using a DSLR or a film camera you would really have to know what you were doing to get these silhouette photos. So my question would be, is this a new trend and is it because of the mirrorless camera?
For myself I would say it’s not a new trend, there have been many photographers in the past doing this type of photography. But I also believe it’s becoming more popular because of the mirrorless camera, I think most people do it for a couple of reason, the first would be to get more likes on social media and the second would be because it’s easy to do.
The trouble is to get a great photo that really stands out you have to know how to use the light, how to wait for the right person, it’s not just a case of there are some light and person click. That does not make a great street photo, however therein lies the problem, the photographer will post this very boring photo and it’ll end up getting 100s of likes on Instagram and all this does is fuel more bad photos.
Photographers like myself and sixstreetunder will always do a good job with these photos, but that's because we have a true understanding of light and how to wait for the right person or moment and then how to combine all the elements to make a great photo and trust me when I say, I’m still trying to get it right lol
So the trouble for me and the rest of us is, we’re getting swamped with bland boring photos that all look the same. It’s again really hard for us to spot the truly amazing shadow photos or for them to stand out from the crowd. Now you might not agree with me on this one, and that’s ok, you might also look at my photos below and think, well there’s nothing special here and again this is ok. I will continue to take photos that have a dark noir look and feel to them, as I’ve always enjoyed this style of street photography but I’ll always continue to push myself into getting the best shot I can and I would encourage all other street photographers to do the same.
As always leave your comments below, I always enjoy reading them.
