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Street photography by a 16 year-old using film

Street photography with film is a magical experience: using film in the twenty-first century often requires one to slow down. Whilst this artificial sense of slowness may offer some people a sense of relaxation in their daily lives, I personally find that a false experience rarely appeals to me. Over the past century, the vast majority of street photography has been captured on film—yet this does not necessarily mean it has to be a slow photographic experience.

For this project, I used a Chinese-made Qingdao 6 camera, a replica of the German Agfa Optima Flash Sensor. The zone focus design allowed me to shoot faster and with greater confidence; in fact, being out of focus isn’t such a terrible thing. I also used a Soviet-made Fed 2 with an Industar 26 lens; if Picasso used these, then so can I. When taking these pictures, I wasn’t yet very proficient with this rangefinder camera. I’ve recently been practising some rangefinder techniques, and I hope to be more proficient the next time I shoot with it!

Enjoy the photos.