Episode #6 - Where's your comfort zone? Also - monochrome cameras, street competitions, a hot book recommendation, street photography definitions - and a recipe!

Street photography zines, buying used gear from Japan, YouTube channels for street and the Nikon F2

Click here to EMAIL BRIAN with your questions, comments and suggestions for the show! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2570310/fan_mail/new] Street photography can feel like a never-ending hunt for isolated 'keepers' until you put your images next to each other and realise what they are actually saying. That’s where zines come in, and we make a direct, practical case for why every street photographer should be creating them. We break down what a street photography zine is (from a folded sheet to a beautifully printed booklet) and why it matters more than another Instagram post: a zine is curated, sequenced, and permanent. We talk about how making one forces you to edit properly, build flow and pacing, and shape a narrative arc. Most importantly, it helps you find your voice, because you stop asking “is this a good picture?” and start asking “does this belong in the story I’m telling?” That single change is often the moment street photography turns into a coherent body of work. From there we pivot to the first pick in a new 'street photography cameras you should try before you die' series: the Nikon F2. We unpack the appeal of a tough, mostly mechanical film camera, why reliability and feel matter, and how great older Nikkor lenses can be without Leica-level pricing. There’s also a no-nonsense guide to buying used cameras from Japan on eBay, including what to watch for and why import duties can still leave you with a great deal. We finish with a listener question on post-processing ethics, keeping street photography authentic, and a simple darkroom-style rule for edits that still respects reality. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a photographer friend, and leave a review. What’s the one zine you wish you had made, and what would you call it? ____________ LINKS FROM TODAY'S SHOW: Brian's new zine - 'Reality Czech' [https://streetsnappers.com/street-photography-books-zines/p/prague] StreetSnappers workshops [https://www.streetsnappers.com] Klick Magazine: https://www.klickmagazine.com [https://www.klickmagazine.com] Brian's email: brian@streetsnappers.com

Growth Happens In The Stretch Zone!

Click here to EMAIL BRIAN with your questions, comments and suggestions for the show! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2570310/fan_mail/new] Street photography is meant to feel alive, but online it can turn into constant arguments about who’s doing it “properly”. Think of the StreetSnappers podcast as a virtual pub instead: honest chat, no sniping, and enough practical detail that you can actually improve your work. That starts with a listener question that every zine-maker has faced sooner or later: why do my black and white images lose their punch in CMYK printing? We dig into rich black on uncoated paper, why screens lie, and how better tonal separation, proper greyscale conversion, and smart curve work in Lightroom, Photoshop, or Capture One can lift your pages from grey salad to crisp blacks and clean whites. Then we go deeper on a creative problem that sits behind most ‘stuck’ portfolios: comfort zones. Using the comfort-stretch-panic model (borrowed from military training), we break down what each zone looks like for street photographers, why growth happens near the top of stretch, and why panic is not brave, it is counterproductive. If your work feels empty or predictable, the answer is not a reckless leap, it is a controlled push with repeatable challenges you can sustain. Along the way there’s a quick beer review, a grounded take on The Art of Street Photography by Josh Jackson and Sean Tucker, and a personal update on shooting high contrast monochrome JPEGs on the Leica M11 after a week in Prague. We also answer a question about having a co-host, and I finish by lobbing an ex-Army hand grenade at a stubborn myth: expensive gear will not make you a better street photographer. If you’ve got thoughts, record a short voice note and send it over, then subscribe, share the show with a mate, and leave a review so more street shooters can find us. ____________ LINKS FROM TODAY'S SHOW: StreetSnappers workshops [https://www.streetsnappers.com] Klick Magazine: https://www.klickmagazine.com [https://www.klickmagazine.com] Brian's email: brian@streetsnappers.com

From North Wales to Noir: Street photography with Neil Johansson

Click here to EMAIL BRIAN with your questions, comments and suggestions for the show! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2570310/fan_mail/new] Prague is calling, my bag is getting packed, and I’m thinking about the kind of street photography that actually says something about modern cities. Over-tourism is one of those subjects that’s both visually rich and slightly grim: tacky souvenir shops, tourist menus, crowded streets, and a place that starts to feel like a theme park for weekenders. It’s great for photographs, but it raises bigger questions about what gets lost when a city becomes a product.  Before I hit the road, I sit down with Neil Johansson, a street photographer I’ve watched grow for over a decade. Neil is a passionate amateur with a seriously distinctive eye: conceptual, often abstract, and strongly rooted in black and white. We talk about how his work took shape, from early photography at school through a key Royal Photographic Society competition result and the Goldsmiths International Urban Photography Summer School. We also get into influences done properly: taking inspiration from photographers like Saul Leiter and Daido Moriyama, plus cinema and art, while still making images that feel like yours rather than a tribute act.  You’ll hear practical, grounded ideas on finding your voice, shooting without an agenda, and why long-term projects can be the difference between coming home empty-handed and building real bodies of work. Neil shares what he’s working on now, how he thinks about zines and books, why competitions can be a numbers game, and how printing changes your relationship with your own photographs. We even detour into camera collecting, Ricoh GR love, and the pull of monochrome. Subscribe, share the show with a photographer friend, and leave a review telling us what you’re shooting next. __________ LINKS FROM TODAY'S SHOW: Neil's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sven804/] Neil's website [https://neil-johansson.pixelrights.com/] StreetSnappers workshops [https://www.streetsnappers.com]

Creative shock therapy, aspect ratios, my workflow, street portraits - and why Lisbon?

Click here to EMAIL BRIAN with your questions, comments and suggestions for the show! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2570310/fan_mail/new] London can make you feel like you have lost your eye. You walk for days, you chase the same old 'street moments', and somehow the city gives you nothing back. We talk candidly about that exact feeling and why it is not just a bad patch, it can be a sign that your work needs a real change. The big question I keep returning to is simple: if you do what you have always done, will you get what you've always got? To jolt the creativity back into motion, Imake a serious commitment: from 1 July I am shooting black and white only, on a 28mm lens only, for at least six months. No colour. No swapping focal lengths. Just one tight creative constraint designed to change how I really notice light, shape, gesture and composition. If you have been stuck with street photography, documentary photography, or your personal projects, this is a practical experiment you can borrow. I also answer listener questions with a no-nonsense post-shoot workflow: importing and culling fast in Photo Mechanic, embedding copyright and keyword metadata for archiving and SEO, then doing only basic darkroom-style edits in Adobe Camera Raw or Photoshop. From there we jump into one of my favourite photo books, Sergio Larrain’s 'London 1959', I share thoughts on cropping and aspect ratios  and I have a big rant about empty street portraits made without purpose. Finally, we head to Lisbon with a detailed street photography guide covering light, neighbourhoods and how to get around. Thanks for tuning into the StreetSnappers Street Photography Podcast. Do subscribe for the next show, share this with a photographer who feels stuck, and, if it resonates, leave a review so more people can find the podcast. LINKS: Sergio Larrain's book 'London 1959' - here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0500545413?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzbrianduc-21&creativeASIN=0500545413&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.186V5RX0JX3YU&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d_asin] Subscribe to Brian's street photography newsletter - here [https://streetsnappers.com/street-photography-newsletter/] Book a street photography workshop with Brian - www.streetsnappers.com [https://www.streetsnappers.com]

Why shoot square? Should you join the RPS? Why does the right camera make you shoot more?

Click here to EMAIL BRIAN with your questions, comments and suggestions for the show! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2570310/fan_mail/new] The camera that improves your street photography might not be the newest, fastest, or most expensive, it is the one you cannot stop picking up. We dig into what makes certain cameras feel 'alive' in the hand, why that emotional pull leads to more shooting, and how early experiences with classics like the Zorki 4, Rolleiflex, and old-school rangefinders can shape the way we see. If you have ever wondered why a Leica or a Fujifilm X100 feels different, we get into the real reason without drowning in tech. From there, we tackle a question that keeps coming up for UK photographers: is the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) worth it for street photography? We share a straw poll of member experiences, including distinctions like LRPS and ARPS, the value of groups and days out, and the frustrations that can come with cost, access, and judging. The takeaway is practical: match your membership to your goals, and be clear whether you want structured progression or freedom to build your own projects. We also get hands-on with the everyday kit that keeps you moving: wrist straps versus neck straps, what to prioritise for comfort and speed, and a useful London stop for coffee when you need to reset mid-shoot. Then comes a frank rant about street photography Facebook groups, why low standards get rewarded, and why smaller, critique-led communities often produce better work. Finally, we make a strong case for shooting square. The 1:1 format changes pacing, simplifies clutter, makes the centre powerful, and can shift the emotional tone of your images. Try a square project on your next walk, then subscribe, share, and leave a review if it helps. What camera, group, or format has genuinely made your street photography better? SHOW LINKS: Wotancraft straps & bags  www.wotancraft.tw [https://www.wotancraft.tw] Check out my workshops  www.streetsnappers.com [https://www.streetsnappers.com] Watch my YouTube videos www.youtube.com/streetsnappers [https://www.youtube.com/streetsnappers] Follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/streetsnappers [https://www.instagram.com/streetsnappers] Join the Facebook Community - www.facebook.com/groups/streetsnappersworldwide [https://www.facebook.com/groups/streetsnappersworldwide]