A pink flash unit on a lamp post, with a startled man in a cap in the background.

“You cannot take photos at all, Michiel.”

Online there are always people who grumble for the sake of grumbling. It is another matter when one of them is suddenly standing in front of you.

Night photograph of a street corner with someone in a red coat beside traffic cones and a passing car.

No motivation at all? Now what?

The year starts grey and drizzly, and so do I. What helps: looking up something you have always wanted to learn.

Black and white photograph of two people with backpacks walking across a steel-framed bridge.

Slowing down

Anything you give attention to grows. Growing in photography only works if you keep focusing on what you really enjoy.

Black and white photograph of a boy crouching with his hands over his face in a doorway.

Ethics in street photography

Your ethics in street photography are your personal judgement of whether a photo may be made. It is not legislation.

Two women in the street among market stalls, one in a grey scarf, the other with red hair and a fur coat.

“I want you to delete that photo, now!”

A man came running at one of the participants on a photo walk. What happens next depends on how you stand there.

Someone raises a camera to photograph a blue door in a street.

My camera distracts me

My X100V is almost an extension of my arm. And still it gets in the way of reading, discovering, resting.

Black and white street photograph of a person walking under a concrete viaduct, with trees and buildings behind.

Street photography? No, from now on conceptual photography workshops on the street.

The street becomes infinitely richer the moment you walk through it with an idea.

Someone with an umbrella walks down a rainy street, with steam and skyscrapers in the background.

Too much inspiration? Impossible.

A change of surroundings is the most inspiring factor in my photography. Let it all happen and you are over the dip in no time.

Black and white photograph of a group of people in the street, two of them holding a camera.

An ambassador for photography as a way of thinking

Photography is not necessarily about photos. It is a way of looking, and a way of thinking.

Two people with umbrellas cross a square, with a television tower in the background.

The struggle called street photography

A photo, however well and respectfully taken, has become a threat to privacy. And still I keep documenting.

Black and white photograph of two pairs of legs and shoes from above, with long shadows on the paving.

Not being understood

A question from the back of the room made me realise how generalised my own rule was. You are never too old to learn about yourself.

A woman wearing headphones and a scarf walks through a shopping street in Antwerp.

Tomorrow I become a photographer

Later is too slow a shutter speed. It blurs your photo and makes you lose focus entirely.

Street art mural of a woman's face in purple, green and orange.

Reunited with an old friend

A brand has to suit you. The X-T5 felt like a lost friend coming home.

Black and white street photograph of someone walking alone, casting a long shadow on the cobblestones.

Spending money

I would rather buy a train ticket and a hotel night in a new city than a new camera.

A busy pedestrian crossing full of people.

Respect on the street

Are you allowed to photograph people on the street? The rules exist, but my most important rule is not among them.

Black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length hair.

How do you make an honest portrait for your book cover?

Your name is going on the cover. Your photo might be too. I explain how we prepare, make and choose a portrait you recognise yourself in.

Aerial photograph of two people walking along a quay beside the water.

The value of photography workshops

Knowledge is nice, but insight is nicer. What a workshop is worth to me lies in watching what other people do.

Black and white photograph of a bicycle park under a canopy at a railway station.

The exposure square

It is not a triangle at all. Without your personal touch your camera makes a well exposed photo, and nothing more.

Portrait of a woman with dark curly hair in a long coat, leaning against a glass wall with water in the background.

Where do you make the best portrait? 12 places worth thinking about

A good portrait does not start with a smile but with a choice: where do you make it?

Black and white photograph of a woman in glasses at a busy market, among other people.

Puzzling it out

I do not want to be put in a box. And if I have to be in one, I would rather build it myself.

Articles