Film Camera, Zone Focusing, and Street Photography in Tokyo, All Wrapped in One Video

Do you have major street photography blues? Come and immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo streets while learning a thing or two about using zone focusing and how it can change your shooting experience.

Not going to lie, it seems so long ago that we got to experience busy streets full of moving lights, traffic, sounds, and of course — people. If you're a street photographer, you might get by and satisfy your thirst for shooting in your local neighborhood but I am confident that many of us are still missing that feeling when you dive in a busy city scene and photograph moments unfolding around you. Whatever your shooting style, be it a more voyeuristic or a more active and engaging one, the beauty of a city that hardly ever stops moving is that there's something to be found for everyone. 

To ease our longings for wandering around the city and shooting, photographer and filmmaker Benjamin Lee has created a mix of point-of-view style visual journey around Tokyo combined with practical guidance on using zone focusing when you're shooting. This method of focusing and shooting can work great for quick and fleeting moments but you will definitely need to learn to judge the distance between yourself and your subject to quickly determine if it is in focus or not. If you are daring enough, you can jump straight into using film camera same as Lee did or you can play it more safe and practice this with a digital camera next time you're outside.

So, what do you miss more, the traveling or shooting?

Lead images used with the permission of Benjamin Lee. 

Anete Lusina's picture

Anete Lusina is a photographer based in West Yorkshire, UK. You'll either find her shooting weddings, documentary, or street photography across the U.K. and Europe, or perhaps doing the occasional conceptual shoot.

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