Vienna photowalk

A couple of weeks ago had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Vienna and brought my equipment with me. Here is a list of my equipment for this occasion:

Olympus E3

Olympus E30

Olympus Flash FL-50R (Very useful while inside a Barn)

Sigma 30mm 1.4

Zuiko 8mm 3.5 (great for cow and calf close-ups)

Zuiko 50-200mm 2.8

Zuiko Teleconverter 2X EC-20

Zuiko 11-22mm 2.8

ND Filters

Small Table top tripod

Hoya Polarizer Filters

Most of the sites worth visiting in Vienna are contained within the city center and easy to get around either by walking or tram.

Here is an overview of the walk by using my AMOD GPS tracker as well as GeoSetter for attaching  GPS coordinates for my Olympus Raw Files. One thing I have found out while traveling on old cities with narrow streets is that it will be common for the GPS to lose connection with the satellites, so make sure you adjust your settings to your Software accordingly to ensure that you tag the picture to the closest available tracking point.

A good way to track the main sites to photograph is by using the Rick Steves guides for Europe, I always travel with one as the contain easy to follow maps as well as tips for avoiding crowds, using public transportation, etc.

Some of the highlights of the city are:

NaschtMarket:

Located between the left and right Wienzeile, the Naschmarkt extends from the Kettenbrückengasse to the Getreidemark, on an elevation to the Secession.

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Differently to as the name implies, there aren’t only sweets to buy at the Naschmarkt: Fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world, exotic spices, meat, fish and ecological foods are offered for sale on the colorful market stands. Early in the morning cooks and chefs already crowd around the market looking for fresh specialties. Later, after a Viennese breakfast in one of the numerous cafes, bars or delis located around the Naschmarkt, the "laymen" start their search for culinary treats. Delicacies from the Naschmarkt make a favorite gift with Vienna holiday-makers.

On Saturdays you'll not only find delicious treats at the food market but also curiosities, old and beautiful things on the street market stalls adjacent to the Naschmarkt. The wares offered are completely mixed, for beautiful souvenirs it helps to be a skillful bargainer.

There are great opportunities for those that also want to take candid pictures of people haggling (specially on the antiquities area at the end of the market), friends having breakfast and the intellectual crowd.

Opera House and Concert Hall

Try to attend a music concert either on the Opera or the Music Concert Hall. Its allowed to bring your camera but not a tripod. You can see people dressed as in the times of Mozart. As well a both buildings have great architectural detail. Make sure to boost the ISO and bring a sharp lens

City Center

Within the Opernring there are lots of opportunities to take advantage of the city architecture. Some examples are St Stephens Cathedral, Rathaus, State Opera, among others. It gets very crowded, what I ended up doing was getup at sunrise to take full advantage of the buildings without any crowds. You can check the sunrise and sunset times throughout the year for most cities in the world here.

 

Tips on <Street, Candids>

Less is more

In terms of equipment less is more. If you are traipsing the streets of a city for hours on end you'll want to cut down on the baggage so a good pair of walking shoes and a comfortable camera strap should not be negotiated. Additionally youll want to blend in to catch subjects unawares; erecting a tripod or using a telephoto lens wont suggest sublety

Off the beaten track

Street photography is not tourist photography, so go off the beaten track and capture what us being done behind the scenes. Goung out an an unusual timecan help you find great shots and because street photography us nit dependent of perfect light settings, you have no excuse not to get out early and say out until late

Stolen Moments

The key to successful street shooting us to be on the lookout for an opportunity before it happens. Anticipate action by scouring groups of potential clashes or bonds, judge the atmosphere of a crowd and react to the body language and facial expressions

True Colours

Colorful clothing or backgrounds can sometimes be a distraction when you want to concentrate on facial expressions and gesture, and for this reason the genre blends itself to black and white. However, there will be opportunities where lurid and gaudy colours collide and it would be a crime to convert to B&W

In the background

By paying attention to the background, you can catch some stolen movements, Look for billboards. signs, graffiti or other visual elements that could be used to make humorous, ironic or incongruous statements

Dare to go diagonal

Exploit the diagonal lines and perspectives of the urban architecture. By playing with angles and available geometries you provide force and dynamism and a kind of harmony between the man and the urban architecture

Opposites attract

Look for compositions that reveal dichotomy to build a story or challenge and assumption. Try splitting the composition between the reflections on the ground and the scene above or capture part of a building half i nthe dark, half in the light

Performance

Street entertainers make ideal subjects, but try to capture from a different viewpoint, Wether its a parade, buskers, free runners, skateboarders, or breakdancers they offer something a little different to your average street scene. Experiment with your compositions and choose a high shutter speed to capture the action

Off the Streets

Despite its name the genre does lend itself to other recreational areas especially those where people expect cameras to be present. Seaside, fairgrounds, parks, zoo, sporting events or the zoo

New angle

Get down low or find a higher viewpoint for an unusual angle. Multi story car parks are great for this, as you dont have to shoot through glass and give a viewpoint in town centers. Be careful that your camera is secured; the last thing you want is to drop your camera and hurt someone.

Practice makes perfect

With your camera pre-set pick a spot on the street and proceed with calmness sesitivity and poise. With practice you will make great street photographs

Fortune favors the brave

If your pictures arent good enough, you are not close enough. Shots taken in the thich of the action will draw the viewer in. so force yourself to press the button and prepare to deal with the consequences, Better that than regretting missing an opportunity that will never happen again

Fun in the Sun

Use the sun's glare ti your advantage. When the sun is low in urban environments it produces long shadows and shafts if light, creating high contrast patch works, This can trouble a camera's meter. so make sure you use the manual mode and expose for the highlights

Ready to pounce

The opportunity for a great shot may be fleeting so be cued up and ready to shoot. Have your camera out, finger at the ready and for when the situation demands, matrix metering and autofocus activated

Revise and Revisit

If you see a scene that has potential dont be afraid of revisiting the same location and spend some time there to get a better shot. Revisit in different weather conditions and different times of the year to see a change

Frozen motion

Movement is a key part of capturing the human zoo. Keep shutter speeds fast and at hand steady or find something to support your camera. To capture people moving across af rame a minimum of 1/125 sec is recommend and an ISO not slower than 400

Street wallpaper

I prefer it if my subjects don’t know Im there, or else are too busy to be aware of my presence.

Life trough a lense

Exaggerating perspective will help set your subject in context and provide am more forgiving DOF thats why most street photographers say a lightweight wide angle lense is their weapon of choice Also consider fisheye lenses and the potential of panoramic shoots

Expect the Expected

People are generally more suspicious in today's social climate, which makes street photography a potential minefield of hot-tempered confrontation. Try shooting subjects in places where people expect shots to be taken, but be aware that you may be regarded with suspicion, Smile, be polite and be willing to delete images if the subject asks

Location, Location, Location

Places where people interact with one another are a prime target for street photography, street corners, pedestrian crossings, outside piublic houses, bus stops, woekers puring into the streets at rush hour, etc. As crowding increases people's personal space decreases allowing you and your camera to get much closer.

Sign reds... Ministry of Culture...

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