I love street photography. When not working for clients I take my camera out and hit the streets of Toronto. It’s an opportunity to freely play, explore new photography techniques and challenge myself. Below are a few images from my last outing with a couple of friends. Here is what I tried this time:

One Lens
I carried and used ONE lens, the canon 50mm f/1.4. For those of you who are not familiar with photography jargons and gear, this lens does not zoom in or out. The photographer has to move closer or farther from the subject to get what he/she wants in the frame. This was an exercise in moving quickly and unobtrusively.

Film Look
I love films and always been intrigued by the cinematic look. I tried some post processing and color grading techniques in an attempt to produce a cinematic look in my images. I’m far from it, but it was a good start and am looking forward to do more with this.

Don’t Think. Shoot!
Photography is a demanding mental exercise. Those of you who know or been around me on a shoot know how excited and passionate I get. I love it, but my brain turns into a vegetable after a shoot. It’s exhausting. There are a million things to process when considering a shot; Composition, light, shadows, focus, expressions, colors, background, distractions and so many other details and calculations related to each of these elements. This time I just wanted to shoot without thinking. Point and shoot without worrying too much about technicalities.

Enjoy your surrounding!
The fastest way to boredom for me is the beach. I need people, colors, urban vibe and energy. I love Toronto and I’d take a walk in its lively streets any day over a beach in the Caribbean. Our Toronto is full of life, culture, character and awesome people. Capturing its vibe with my camera is a privilege.

This was a joyful exercise. I probably won’t be adopting the ONE lens style. I enjoy a variety of lenses for different looks. I’ve seen many things that I wanted to capture that this lens did not let me. I love the cinematic film look and it was certainly freeing to shoot relying mostly on guts instead of brain.

Here are a few images from that outing with my camera! Comments and feedback are welcome!