A day out with Aaron in Chattanooga
It was time...
We have not gathered to shoot photos in quite some time now so Aaron found there was a beard competition happening in Chattanooga and decided to make his way down for it.
It was time...
We have not gathered to shoot photos in quite some time now so Aaron found there was a beard competition happening in Chattanooga and decided to make his way down for it.
The Setup: What I Shot With
For this day out with Aaron, I kept my setup simple:
Camera: Leica SL2 (full-frame mirrorless) Lens: Leica 50mm APO-Summicron Mode: Aperture priority with -2/3 exposure compensation ISO: Auto (probably ranged between 200-800) Settings: Wide open or close to it (f/2 to f/4 for subject separation)
Aaron was shooting with his new Nikon Z8, and we kept comparing how our cameras metered the scenes differently. The Leica wanted to overexpose about 2/3 stop compared to his Nikon, which meant I had to dial in negative exposure compensation the whole time. This is something you learn when shooting different camera systems together!
The SL2 is heavy (like really heavy compared to smaller mirrorless cameras or rangefinders), but it makes stunning images and the build quality is tank-like. I don't baby it on the streets, which is exactly how a street camera should be used!
Shot with Leica SL2 and 50mm during our Chattanooga day out with Aaron at the beard competition.
When he arrived we spent the evening playing with stuff (his new Z8 in particular) and catching up. But then it was off to bed so we could get up and start our big day of photography.
The next morning comes around and we down some coffee and make a plan to meet up about lunchtime as I had to go to our Church’s Association as a delegate. Seems I made a mistake and assumed I didn’t need to go… lol, I see what that got me. Anyway, I really enjoy Association so it wasn’t like a chore, it meant changing plans a little from the original plans for the day.
So after I finish with business at association, I head over to the Harley Davidson dealership which is where the beard competition is being held. There I find Aaron is short order and it is really crowded. He basically tells me to get my camera out and take a picture with it so I sheepishly do as I am told.
The beard competition at Harley Davidson in Chattanooga. This event was perfect for breaking down personal barriers to photographing strangers! People were there to be seen and photographed, making it easy practice for someone like me who's normally shy with the camera. Shot with Leica SL2 + 50mm.
This fellow was more than happy to pose for me at the beard competition! Events like this are perfect for overcoming shyness in street photography because people expect cameras and are happy to participate. Shot with Leica SL2 and 50mm. The afternoon light gave great contrast for portraits like this!
The atmosphere at the beard competition was incredible! Crowded but friendly, with people everywhere happy to get their photos taken. Aaron was right when he told me to just get my camera out and shoot. Sometimes you need that push from a friend! Leica SL2 + 50mm, aperture priority mode.
The atmosphere at the beard competition was incredible! Crowded but friendly, with people everywhere happy to get their photos taken. Aaron was right when he told me to just get my camera out and shoot. Sometimes you need that push from a friend! Leica SL2 + 50mm, aperture priority mode.
You see I am not very aggressive with my photography especially when it involves people. I will ask at times but most of the time, this is why I don’t shoot aggressive street stuff. So now I am starting to get some photos and it is exactly as he mentioned. People happy to get their photos captured are everywhere. Like this fellow below, he was more than happy to pose for me. I will be honest, this kind of event is the perfect thing to break down your personal barriers to shooting photos of people you don’t know.
The Leica SL2 with the 50mm APO Summicron is the perfect camera for a beard Competition!
Even the girls got in on the fun at the beard competition! Not everyone there had a beard, lol. Shot with Leica SL2 + 50mm at Harley Davidson in Chattanooga. This is why I love event photography as practice for street work!
Why Events Are Perfect for Shy Street Photographers
I mentioned I'm not very aggressive with my photography, especially when it involves people. This is something a lot of photographers struggle with! We want to capture candid moments and interesting people, but we don't want to be intrusive or make anyone uncomfortable.
Events like the beard competition are the perfect training ground because:
People expect cameras. They're there to be seen and photographed, so you're not the weird person with a camera. You're just another photographer at an event.
Subjects are willing. Most people will happily pose if you ask, and many will even seek you out to get their photo taken. This builds your confidence!
Low stakes. If someone says no or looks uncomfortable, there are dozens of other subjects around. You're not losing a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
Practice makes perfect. The more you shoot people at events, the more comfortable you get approaching strangers in regular street situations.
Aaron's advice was simple: "Get your camera out and take a picture with it." Sounds obvious, but when you're standing there feeling shy, you need someone to tell you it's okay to just shoot!
Start with events. Work up to regular street photography. Your shyness will fade as your confidence grows! Back to the story in progress…
Well the beard competition winds down about 3 or so in the afternoon and we decide to rearrange the rest of the day to shoot some street photography in downtown and also to go have supper at a great Italian restaurant later on.
The streets of Chattanooga were busier than usual with it being a holiday weekend but it still wasnt really bad where we went for our walk.
We found this mural with light reflecting from the building across the alley and it was just something we couldn't pass up! This is what afternoon light does in downtown Chattanooga. The light spill creates scenes you don't get at other times of day. Leica SL2 + 50mm on our photowalk route through Main and Broad Streets.
We started on Main Street and then headed down Market Street to about 7th where we turned over to Broad Street and then back towards Main eventually diverting over to Cowart street before arriving at the truck.
So now you have the route, let see what we got. I kept joking about channeling my inner Eggleston as I would take photos of the mundane. Another thing I have learned is my Leica wants to shoot about 2/3 stop over exposed compared to my friends Nikon cameras. I kept -2/3 stop exposure compensation dialed in the whole time. I did this to keep the sky from being blown out as the shadows would be dark due to the bright afternoon sun. I will dig into the setup on my camera more to see if I can find out why it is doing that.
The Tivoli Theater is an iconic landmark in downtown Chattanooga Tennessee and never disappoints for a photograph.
Along the way we saw a lot of cool stuff to photograph, like in the images below where it is different light so the images come out different from my usual time of day. With the light further over to the west we kept getting these awesome light spill shots like the one below of the old Rone Regency Jewelers location. This location will be sorely missed by me when they finally do something with this building. I love the gritty nature of the old signage and it wasn’t long ago that the windows were not boarded up so you could actually see inside the store. Even so, the black painted plywood makes a nice contrast to the lighter color of the upper section of the building bringing balance to the image.
The old Rone Regency Jewelers location with afternoon light spilling across the facade. This location will be sorely missed by me when they finally do something with this building. I love the gritty nature of the old signage! The black painted plywood makes a nice contrast to the lighter color of the upper section, bringing balance to the image. Shot with Leica SL2 + 50mm Summicron on our downtown Chattanooga photowalk with Aaron.
We also found a few people to photograph as well. It was not quite as busy as I had figured it would be for a holiday weekend in the downtown area, but there were a few people out and about and I was able to grab a few photos of them. The Leica SL2 is a great camera for this kind of photography as it makes stunning portraits as well as makes for a wonderful, albeit heavy, street camera.
Why Afternoon Light Changed Everything
I usually shoot at different times of day (mid-morning usually), so this late afternoon session was different for me. With the sun further over to the west, we kept getting these awesome, direct sun light spill shots that I don't normally see.
What made afternoon light special:
Hard shadows: The bright afternoon sun created strong shadows and high contrast. Great for black and white or dramatic color shots.
Light spill: Buildings reflecting light into alleys and onto other buildings. This is what made the Rone Regency Jewelers shot work so well!
Window light: Storefronts and windows become light sources, creating interesting reflections and secondary lighting.
Challenge mode: Protecting highlights meant I had to underexpose a bit (-2/3 stop), which made shadows darker. This forced me to look for scenes that worked with that contrast.
Different light means different photos. Don't just shoot at the same time every day! Mix it up and see what you discover.
All in all we had a great time and then even got to go eat wonderful Italian cuisine later too. What more could you ask for? Well, there is one more thing I could ask for…
Lightroom Classic… I did it, I went over to the dark side and installed Lightroom back on my system again. It has the power to edit like I need finally and I kept running into problems that Exposure couldn’t easily solve for me so it was time to upgrade…or move over laterally to or what ever you call it…So going forward, I will be learning how to use Lightroom to edit my photos…wish me luck.
If you want to see more abotu this day, I made a vlog cideo about the photowalk portion of the day and it can be watched here.
What I Look For in Street Photography
During the photowalk, Aaron joked about me "channeling my inner Eggleston" as I photographed mundane things. But that's what street photography is about! Here's some of the things that I look for:
Light: Always first. How is the light hitting the subject? Is there interesting shadow play? Is it spilling from one building to another?
Layers: Foreground, midground, background. The best street photos have depth and multiple elements working together.
People: Not always necessary, but human presence adds scale and story. Even just a silhouette or someone walking through the frame.
Color or contrast: Bright colors that pop, or strong black and white contrast. Something that makes the eye stop.
Geometry: Leading lines, patterns, shapes, architecture. The bones of a good composition.
Moments: Candid expressions, interesting gestures, unexpected juxtapositions.
The mundane: Everyday things that become interesting when you isolate them with your camera.
Don't overthink it! Just walk and shoot what catches your eye. You can analyze it later when you're editing. Then you can take inventory of what you shoot the most and see if those images have some meaning or if it is just what you like to shoot…either way, it is good to get out and shoot photos so go have some fun.
Frequently Asked Questions About Street Photography and Chattanooga Photowalks
How do you overcome shyness when photographing strangers?
Honestly, I still struggle with this! I'm not aggressive with my photography, especially when people are involved. I'll ask permission sometimes, but most of the time I just shoot what feels natural without getting in people's faces. What helped at the beard competition was that people were already there to be seen and photographed. They were happy to pose! Events like this are perfect for breaking down those personal barriers to shooting photos of people you don't know. Start with events where people expect cameras, then work your way up to regular street photography. Aaron's advice of "get your camera out and take a picture with it" is the best cure for shyness, even if it feels awkward at first!
What's the best time of day for street photography in downtown Chattanooga?
The afternoon worked great for us! With the sun further over to the west, we kept getting these awesome light spill shots bouncing off buildings. The light was different from my usual shooting times, and it created some really interesting shadows and contrasts. Late afternoon (around 3-5pm) gives you that warm golden light that looks great for both architecture and people. Early morning works too, but afternoons tend to have more people out and about, which is what you want for street photography. Avoid harsh midday sun if you can, unless you're going for high-contrast black and white work!
What's a good street photography route in downtown Chattanooga?
The route Aaron and I took worked really well: Start on Main Street, head down Market Street to about 7th, turn over to Broad Street, then back towards Main, and eventually divert over to Cowart Street. This gives you a good mix of architecture, street scenes, and people. You'll pass old buildings like the Rone Regency Jewelers location (which has great gritty signage), modern storefronts, alleys with interesting light, and public spaces where people gather. The whole loop is maybe 2-3 miles depending on how much you wander, perfect for a couple hours of shooting!
Is the Leica SL2 too heavy for street photography?
Yes and no, lol. The SL2 is definitely heavy compared to smaller mirrorless cameras or rangefinders. But it makes stunning portraits and the image quality is just incredible. I kept it paired with just the 50mm lens to keep things simple. Is it the "ideal" street camera? Probably not if you're walking all day. But does it work? Absolutely! The weight actually helps stabilize handheld shots, and the build quality means I don't baby it. If you've got one, use it for street photography. Don't let the weight stop you. Your shoulders might complain, but the photos will be worth it!
Why was your Leica exposing differently than Aaron's Nikon?
Great question! I noticed my Leica SL2 wants to shoot about 2/3 stop overexposed compared to Aaron's Nikon cameras. I kept -2/3 stop exposure compensation dialed in the whole time to keep the sky from being blown out. The shadows would be dark anyway due to the bright afternoon sun, so I was protecting the highlights. Different camera brands meter scenes differently, and Leica tends to be a bit generous with exposure to preserve shadow detail. This is something you learn when shooting with multiple camera systems. Just dial in the compensation and keep shooting! I need to dig into my camera setup more to see if there's a metering mode that matches my shooting style better.
What camera settings do you use for street photography?
For this photowalk with the Leica SL2, I was shooting mostly in aperture priority mode with the 50mm lens. I kept -2/3 exposure compensation dialed in (as mentioned above). ISO was probably auto, and I let the camera pick the shutter speed. For street photography, I like to shoot wide open or close to it (f/2 to f/4) to get that subject separation, but I'll stop down if I need more depth of field. The key is to keep your settings simple so you're reacting to moments, not fiddling with dials. Set it and forget it, then just focus on composition and timing!
Can you photograph people at public events without permission?
At events like the beard competition where people are specifically there to show off and be seen? Yes! Most people were happy to be photographed and many posed for us. That said, I still try to be respectful. If someone looks uncomfortable or waves me off, I move on. For regular street photography, it's trickier. I generally don't ask permission before shooting (it kills the moment), but if someone objects after I've taken their photo, I delete it. Know your local laws, be respectful, and don't be creepy. Events are the easiest place to start because people expect cameras!
What makes a good subject for street photography?
Honestly? Almost anything! During the photowalk I kept joking about channeling my inner Eggleston as I would take photos of the mundane. Look for interesting light (like that spill on the Rone Regency Jewelers building), patterns, textures, people doing everyday things, architectural details, reflections, shadows... anything that catches your eye. Don't overthink it. I shot everything from bearded bikers to boarded-up buildings to random street corners. The beauty of street photography is finding the interesting in the ordinary. Just walk around and let things reveal themselves to you!
Should I shoot RAW or JPEG for street photography?
I shoot RAW because I like having the flexibility in post-processing. For this shoot, I ended up using Lightroom Classic to edit (I went back to the "dark side" after trying to use Exposure, lol). RAW gives me the power to recover highlights, lift shadows, and adjust colors the way I want them. That said, if you're comfortable with your camera's JPEG processing and you don't want to spend time editing, shoot JPEG! The best format is the one that gets you shooting. Street photography is about being out there capturing moments, not agonizing over file formats!
How do you choose which photos to keep from a street photography session?
I wish I had a good systematic answer for this, lol. Honestly, I just go through them and keep the ones that speak to me. Does the composition work? Is the light interesting? Did I capture a genuine moment or expression? Is there something about the image that makes me want to look at it again? I'm pretty ruthless in culling, especially with street photography where you might shoot hundreds of frames. If it doesn't grab me immediately, it gets deleted. The photos I shared in this post were the ones that stood out when I was editing. Trust your gut, and don't be afraid to delete mediocre shots. Only keep the good stuff!
BONUS QUESTION: What's the best way to learn street photography?
Go out with a friend like Aaron who will tell you to "get your camera out and take a picture with it"! Seriously, having a photography buddy makes a huge difference. You push each other, share ideas, and it's way less awkward than being alone with a camera on the street. Start with events (like the beard competition) where cameras are expected, then work up to regular street shooting. Use a simple setup (one camera, one lens), set your camera to aperture priority or full manual, and just walk. Don't overthink it. The best teacher is just getting out there and shooting. Oh, and watch Aaron's work or other street photographers you admire, but then go do your own thing. Your style will develop over time!
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Getting a fresh perspective on a common event.
Today I had a thought about what sets my Sacred Harp photos apart from everyone else’s photos.
I thought about this for a while and figured out that my goal is not to simply capture every leader (although that is kind of a side quest) but rather I want to capture the essence of the event as a whole. The reason I say this is because I see others capturing images of just the leaders and usually just from the front straight on. Now to be fair, this does produce good images but for me they are not as interesting. Hence…
When I goto a Sacred Harp singing there is a specific location that I want to be at in the room. It is near the bass section where it meets the tenor section. Now if I were more serious about the photos, and less serious about singing with the class, I would actually goto the other side of the room as most people mark time with their right hand. This makes getting a good photo, which I will spell my recipe for below, even harder since I am on their right side and their hand blocks their face alot.
My “recipe” for a good photo is as follows:
I want them looking at the crowd and not their book if possible (I want to see their eyes)
I would love a strong expression
I want the face to look relaxed and not contorted from singing a strong note
I want their hand in motion and slightly blurred from movement
I want their face properly exposed
I want good white balance
I want them 75 to 80% offset to the side for deep “look space”
Finally, I also want photos of the rest of the event (this is kinda separate but it helps tell the story)
So with that daunting list of requirements delineated let’s take a look at them a little more in depth.
I want them looking at the crowd.
This is kinda standard composition information but this creates a bond in the photo between the leader and the class visually. I want the photo to hold the viewer and have them explore the image.
I love getting a strong expression.
This is really hard to do most of the time. I have certain leaders that I know will give me this and I actually look forward to these leaders for this reason alone. This draws the viewer into the photo and lends an emotional aspect to the image.
I want the face of the leader to look relaxed.
Most of the time, when people lead, they are nervous and it shows in the photos. So I watch for them to relax a little. This usually happens towards the end of the song so I will watch for opportunities to get a better photo then if I can. Sometimes people have odd expressions when they sing as well and this contorts the face to make them look less appealing in the photo, so I will look for pauses in the music to where they might be catching their breath or their part is silent so I can grab a quick photo then. My goal here is to get them actually enjoying the song and not just leading it.
I want the motion blur of them marking time with their hand.
This gets me that “action” look that I am wanting that shows something is happening and that they are not just standing there I want that photos to show that the event is “alive” with activity if possible. By having a little motion blur from the hand moving, it does this without making the whole image blurry. At least for me, it does.
I want their face properly exposed.
This as it turns out, is a really hard thing for me to get right while on the fly. Seems there is almost always a window in the frame and the sunlight is wreaking havoc on the light meter in the camera. I do my best to compensate for this, but sometimes it just doesn’t work right and the person is almost a black silhouette. As a good photographic rule though, this is normally a well exposed part of the image.
I want good white balance.
Again, you would think this would be a no brainer, but as it turns out, this is a lot harder than you would think. You see these events happen normally in venues that are poorly lit with mixed color temperature lights so you never really know what to expect. I will normally grab a white balance value at the beginning, and again at lunch as the sunlight will dope the reading and make your pictures look yellow…
I want them offset way over to one side.
We are talking way past the rule of thirds concept as I am not trying to follow that concept at all, but rather I am wanting to tell a story and it is not about one person, but the class as a whole with the leader just one part of it. The singers are just as important so I want as many of them in the frame as possible to give more context to the image. Sometimes I get a good image and this isn’t the case like with Terry (1st at the top), but this is not what my usual goal is. He leads very uniquely and I love photographing him for this reason.
I want photos of the rest of the event.
You see, there is more than just the singers and the leaders and them singing songs. There are people just there to hear it, kids playing and people eating… Plus this is sometimes the only venue where some people ever meet up so there are lively conversations sometimes as well and lots of laughter. I want to try to capture this as well.
The desert table alone is worth the trip in my book!
This is a tall order to be sure, but I normally get one or two “real keepers” from these singings that will meet either all or nearly all of my rules for leaders. So of those rules are pretty low hanging fruit, like proper white balance, just takes me remembering to take a sample of the interior occasionally to make sure it has not changed on me. some are much harder, like getting position and facial expression and exposure right when they are moving around while they lead… Something I dont strive for though is perfectly sharp images, a little motion blur just adds character to the photo and makes it look like they are actually doing something instead of posting up static for a photo. Also I dont care if the eye isnt tack sharp either as the photo isnt a portrait but rather something closer to reportage in my mind. I like it when the eyes are sharp but it isnt on the list if you will notice. I dont list it because the story is more important to me than that aspect. I dont know why, but that is how I see it. Everyone loves the images when I share them too so I am happy with most of them too…
Do you have a favorite venue or event you like to shoot and do you have a set of personal rules that make us your perfect photo from that event? I would like to hear about your version of this story!!!
Photographing Sacred Harp singings with a Leica/Nikon hybrid system
First, yes, you read that right. I shoot my Sacred Harp singings with a Nikon lens adapted to the Leica SL2. This is for 4 reasons, well maybe 5 but the fifth is trivial in my book.
I really like the images from my Leica SL2 camera plus the interaction with the camera is just plain fun.
I did some experimenting and found that I shoot most of the photos at these events at about 105mm give or take a little.
In my opinion, the Nikon 105mm f2 DC Nikkor lens is one of the finest portrait lenses available in this focal length.
The f2 maximum aperture on the 105mm lens also gives me another stop of light in dimly lit buildings too.
Trivial, but I like to use manual focus, it is part of that interaction with the camera that I just plain enjoy.
Let’s expand on these a little and see if there is someting in here that will help you when you shoot certain events or subjects.
The image quality of the Leica SL2 is hard to beat. The features in that camera that I REALLY like are things like the EVF, the IBIS works better than any other I have ever used, the colors are amazing right out of camera, I can confidently handhold this camera, with a vintage 105mm lens mind you, and shoot at 1 second confidently and get sharp photos. That in itself is s a feat of engineering. The Electronic View Finder is the next reason I love this camera. The EVF has such high resolution that it doesn’t seem like a display but more like a window, it just has to be seen to understand. The 47 megapixel sensor also gives me plenty of image to do some creative cropping to adjust compositions at times to correct for things like having to hurry to get the moment captured and knowing that I can cut a significant amount of the image away and it will still look great is always a bonus. I have really come to understand why people like certain devices when they engage in an activity, if it is the right tool for the job AND you enjoy using it, the product of this will be stellar!
In days gone by I have used an array of cameras and lenses to photograph these singings. Some were large rigs like the Nikon D810 with battery grip and the 70-200mm f2.8 telephoto zoom, and some were small, like the Fuji XT3 with a vintage 55mm f1.8 Asahi Optical prime lens. I looked back over several of these singings and started noticing that I was ending up on the 105mm focal length more and more when I would be using zoom lenses. Now of course this is not possible when using a prime lens, but I was still favoring longer focal lengths instead of wide angle lenses. So I decided to do some experimenting and used my 24-90mm Leica zoom and found that I shot most of the images with the lens racked fully out and wanted to have even more zoom… I even ran this giant lens on the Leica CL once and still found I had most photos at the longer end of the range. So I started using the 105mm and it is the right focal length for capturing the actual song leaders as well as the candid photos in the breaks between sessions as well.
Another reason I really like the 105mm f2 is that it is a stellar lens to pair with the SL2. The performance of this lens is really good with minimal artifacts and it has three features not available on many other lenses (well not on many NEWER lenses). The Defocus Control, an aperture ring AND the large aperture (more on this in a minute). The Defocus Control really is a trivial item to be honest. It only changes the out of focus areas of the photo ever so slightly, but it does add for a smoother background when shooting wide open (which I tend to do for two reasons). I normally set the defocus control to “2B” and just leave it there, this adds a little to the image that is hard for people to describe and it keeps me from having to remember to check it if I go outside on a break or at lunch or the sun starts spilling though the window and I end up stopping down for some reason. You see, if the defocus control is set higher than the aperture on the lens, it does strange things to the photo and it is not appealing, so less is more here.
Aperture is a big deal, just ask anyone who shoots photos indoors, the bigger the better. This is not for those blurry backgrounds either, although this is a byproduct, it is more because the rooms are normally very dimly lit and this helps keep the ISO down below 1Trillion…I normally shoot wide open for this reason alone, but if the building has windows and there is a good bit of light in the room , I will stop down to f4, but that is about it. Actually, I don’t think I have ever deliberately stopped down past f4 indoors ever. There just isn’t enough light…
This is going to be controversial but I like manual focus. I don’t know why exactly. but I like it. It is something to do with the interaction with the equipment, I just enjoy tinkering and this is something to tinker with. The fact that the focus isn’t looking for what I want to grab and then grabbing someone else, is a comforting feeling. The 105mm f2 is also manual aperture, so I get to control that manually too, although I rarely change this for reasons mentioned above. This rig is a fairly heavy system too, with the camera being a pro camera and the lens also being of the pro variety these are built very well and will last a lifetime with minimal maintenance.
All photos in this blog were taken at the 2022 United Sacred Harp Convention at Antioch Baptist Church in Ider, Alabama. These events are usually held at churches and the acoustics are usually really good because of this, but the light is dim…
Another thing I try to do is capture the “atmosphere” of the event as well. This means that I am taking photos of everything, not just the song leaders. I will get photos of the kids playing, people talking, the food tables (this is a rule or something that the photog HAS to get the food tables LOL) so it tells a more complete story than just song leading. A particularly special thing to record is the children and the elderly as these statistically are the ones that will change the most in just a few years. So I really try to get these people photographed so people will be able to remember them more easily. Also something I have learned to photograph at ALL events is ANY candid opportunity that involved emotion. The photo of Cass and Isaac above is a great example of this. These types of photos are honestly very hard to capture unless you spend a lot of time just watching and then you can get them fairly easily. They are fleeting moments and sometimes they are also “built” on a scene that you can predict as you watch it develop. You will learn to get these kinds of photos if you just watch the scene around you for a while.
If you have not found a niche genre of photography for you, I implore you to do some exploration and find something that you like a lot and then get your camera out and do some photos to see if it is your niche.
If you want to learn more about Sacred Harp or you want to try to find a singing to go hear it, follow this link to the FaSoLa.org website.