In 2023, I had the opportunity to photograph three famous locations for street photography. Coney Island, Rome, and Paris were three destinations where I put my skills to the test
Why photograph these locations?
I believe that photographing at a famous location is difficult because these are the hotspots where you see lots of photographs made. As a street photographer, we can leave our own mark at these spots through our unique perspective. Photographing at these landmark locations is simply a fun challenge.
Coney Island
Go where the action is
During my weekend in New York City, I had the opportunity to photograph on the beach of Coney Island. I preferred walking along the shoreline and utilizing the various activities by the water to become my subject matter. By facing my back towards the ocean, and looking towards the boardwalk, I was able to include the famous amusement ride in the background. There was a game of basketball taking place on the beach, which was extremely different from anything I’ve ever seen before. Because of this, I honed in on the moments where the boys went for a dunk. You could say I slam dunked this famous location for street photography!
Rome
Study the scene
The most obvious landmark in Rome is the Colosseum. Of course, I wanted to get a photograph here. By walking towards the Colosseum each and every day for weeks, I studied the light and the different ways I could tackle this landmark. There’s something to be said about studying the location and showing up at the right time. Particularly, the golden hour was the right time for me to be at this scene because of the striking light and shadowplay. I also realize that in order to achieve a photograph with the Colosseum in the background, I actually needed to stay from a bit far of the distance. As tourists passed through the lane, I waited patiently. To get this shot, I lined up the Colosseum in the back of my frame, observing people passing, and the way the shadows casted across the wall.
Paris
Find the layers
I spent two days in Paris in 2023. Upon my arrival late at night, I did not want to go to sleep until I made a photograph of the Eiffel tower. Because I had such a short amount of time here, I had to make the most out of it. I decided to position myself in the distance across a bridge from the Eiffel Tower. I was observing different woman making pictures along this wall and decided they were the perfect subject to capture the beauty and elegance of Paris. I positioned myself and my camera at a strategic location by the curb. This allowed me to layer the photograph from the foreground, middle ground, and background. I wanted movement of people passing through the sidewalk in the foreground while the focus being on the woman sitting on the ledge. Photographing the Eiffel tower at night seemed to be the perfect timing because it was lit up and easily distinguishable. At 1/20 of the second, I waited patiently and made many photographs at this scene to achieve this composition.