Here's a few shots linked by the mobile phone. Folks on phones are probably the easiest people to shoot on the streets, as they're so connected (excuse the pun) to their phones that they tend not to notice a camera pointing straight at them. The first shot was taken outside Stills Gallery - Scotland's Centre For Photography in Edinburgh. The next two were shot in Glasgow.
We Are The Kage Collective :: An Announcement
I can finally announce the launch of The Kage Collective (pronounced Kaji), a project that I'm involved in with fellow photographers Patrick La Roque (Canada), Paul Pride (England) and Robert Catto (Australia), with me heading up the Scotland branch.
As you will see from the Kage Collective website, we are a group of international photographers shooting documentary projects about a wide variety of subjects. The one common thread that runs through the project and the thing that not only brought us together, but also binds us, is that we shoot with the Fujifilm X cameras. At the moment the X100, X-Pro1 and X-E1 are the models being used by the collective, but I'm sure other models will become available to us, and of course we can't wait to get our hands on the new XF lenses as they come available.
Kage Collective has been simmering away in the background for a few months, taking shape and getting refined ready for todays launch. It's been difficult not to let it slip a few times, especially on Twitter. I'm excited and thrilled to be a part of this collective and couldn't wish for a better group of photographers to collaborate with. To say we're on the same wavelength would be an understatement! So please take a look at the brand new Kage Collective website (built by our very own Patrick LaRoque) and have a look at our launch stories. The site will be updated regularly and will definitely give us all a bit of pressure to go out with our Fuji X cameras and document life as we see it!
The photo above is taken from my first story on the Kage site 'Running Into Darkness' which was shot on the streets of Italy this year. As you can see, my style is my style, so if you're a regular on 35mmStreet and you like my black and white photography, you should take a look at the Kage website. If you're not familiar with Patrick, Paul or Robert's work, you really are missing out on some great photography. Let me know in the comments what you think.
Hats On The Move
Here's a couple of shots from the X twins. The shot above was taken by the X-Pro1 and the 35mm f1.4. The shot bellow was taken by the E-E1 and the 18mm f2. Stay tuned for an announcement of something new on Thursday.
The Bank Job
There's an old British television show called The Sweeney that's just been made into a movie. The new version stars Ray Winston and the word is that it's very good. But I have some great memories watching the TV version starring John Thaw and Denis Waterman, in bed on my tiny black and white portable TV. The man in this shot reminds me so much of one of the bank robbing baddies (I'm sure thais man is a law abiding citizen though).
Mixed Bag :: The Edinburgh Arts Festival 2012
Here's a mixed bag of more X-Pro1 street shots from the Edinburgh Festival this year. 
Musicians On The Streets :: Edinburgh Arts Festival 2012
Here's a couple of interesting characters on the streets of Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival. I think the guy in the foreground might be Slash's (Guns & Roses) sisters friends cousins uncles neighbors step-son...but I could be wrong!
This street muso has decided that the more tone holes in his guitar the better. In fact it might have been the woodworm that decided!
Another street musician that's just surprised to be here.
This guys instrument was so poor that thief's stole his case and left the guitar.
I think someone's got instrument envy. Not that he wants one...more he'd like to be one! All these shots were taken with the X-Pro1.
Fujifilm X-E1 :: A Street Photographers Dream?
All of the photos posted on this site (for at least a year) have been taken with the X100 or the X-Pro1. Out of these two cameras I would say that the X100 is the best tool for the job due to there being less shutter lag. But the X100 has had quite a few firmware updates to give it the edge. Even so, it can still be a little frustrating at times when you see a shot, take it and then curse the thing when the viewfinder display screen pops up to reveal a different photo than the one you new you had taken.
Ladies and jiglly bits, I give you the Fujifilm X-E1. When I first saw the so called leaked (by the Fuji PR department) photos of this camera, I didn't give it much thought. The fact that it had no optical viewfinder made me write it off as being a camera that I wouldn't buy or use (even though I've been using the X-Pro1 EVF about 50% of the time recently. But I've started to look at it differently in the past week with the icing on the cake coming the other day with the news that it could focus in 0.1 seconds and had a shutter lag of just .005. If this is true and not just hype, the X-E1 could be one of the best street photography cameras on the market when it's released.
Take a look at my photography blog for more of my thoughts on the X-E1
A Seal Catching A Fish :: Edinburgh Arts Festival 2012
Talk about the decisive moment eh? I have another shot where he has his head in his hands and I really like it, but this "catching a fish" shot is priceless!.
This guy reminded me of the singer 'Seal', which tied in nicely with the shot above. Both shots taken with the X-Pro1 and the 35mm f1.4.
Fujifilm X-Pro1 Black & White at 3200 ISO :: Belladrum Music Festival
Balladrum Music Festival near Inverness in Scotland is a pretty interesting place and it's full to the brim with interesting people.
I was there as a musician playing last on the second stage, so there was plenty of time to walk around and catch a few shots with the X-Pro1 and the 35mm f1.4. I usually prefer something a bit wider, but I really enjoyed shooting with the 50mm focal length for a change.
All of these shots in this post were taken in low light at 3200 iso and the X-Pro1 performed fantastically (even the focus).
Festivals are a great excuse to dress up in what ever takes your fancy. Most people would like to look a few pounds lighter, but the guy in the photo above decided he would like something a little different.
Have a look at my other blog HERE to see more photos from this festival in both colour and black & White.
A Slice Of Italian Life
Just a small slice of Italian life. I had originally marked this one as a reject, but something kept drawing me back. It's not the best shot, but it has enough to keep the viewers attention for a while...I think? Not a lot I can say about the shot bellow. I don't know if he's waiting on someone or guarding the bike???
