The Love of Black and White Street Portrait Photography

Paul talks about his love for Black and white portrait photography showing photographs taken with the Leica Q2 Monochrom monochrome sensor and the Leica M6 with Kodak TRI X.

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[frankiacone]

Paul, this is great, but I would appreciate it if you shared your ideas and how you edit the portraits so we can oleanr and get better.

[andrewwright]

Hey Paul. Love your work. I know you’ve been using the Q2 mono for quite a while. I was wondering which of the in-camera lens-length options you use. Cheers.

[RikMaxSpeed]

Awesome set of photographs! I’d love to know about your editing technique too.

[bernverified]

Hey, Paul. New subscriber and I’m binging your content. Love your perspective. Keep it coming. I would second the idea of a video about your post-production to print “process” for lack of a better word. Heck, I’d even pay for a mini-online workshop about that. The thing is, and maybe this is true for a lot of your followers; your images are so compelling and emotive that it makes one think that they MUST have a monochrome sensor to achieve that feeling… and maybe you do to an extent. Man, I just dig everything you’re squeezing out of your images — helping us aspiring B&W documentarians tease more emotion out of our already captured images would be brilliant. Cheers, friend.

[tundrusphoto]

Hello, Paul: Thank you for the great videos. They are very much appreciated. If I may ask a few questions...Do you provide the subjects in your photographs with a copy? Do you keep track of their names and contact information? Lastly, do you give them a copy in some form?
Thanks again.

[garymepsted]

Fabulous portraits Paul. Any further news as to when your book might be out?

[shaddring]

Love your work. If you had to choice only one would you pick the Leica Q2 Monochrome or the Q3?

[domannicette]

Your work is just astonishing!!! Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. It's very refreshing and above all inspiring! :)

[alexfrederickson]

Fanatastic, Paul 😮 Are you shooting at 28mm here? I’ve always thought you’d get distortion so wide.

[Spearmanmark]

Hey Paul, do you ever use an ND filter to shoot wide-open in bright sun? I know the electronic shutter will go high enough to accommodate it, but I use a three stop ND filter on my Q3 so that I can actually get the feedback of hearing the shutter click. That’s a weird idiosyncrasy maybe, but I love using it.

[russellsprout]

Only recently discovered your excellent channel, but gutted to learn that you've since moved from my native Carlisle. A workshop here would have been ideal.

[JohnBlack-emc]

Just found you on YouTube. I love your delivery and your photography. I've got a bit too much going on at the moment but will certainly join one of your future workshops in Scotland.

[ablinder]

Hi Paul. Love this! Amazing work.

What camera/lens do you use?

[angelaatkins]

Just wondering if you have any plans to run workshops in Birmingham.

[martingreenberg]

“ I’ll pluck up the courage and actually ask them to if they would pose for me.”

I am a street photographer and occasionally take street portraits. I sneak them. I don’t ask for permission. I don’t pose my subjects. I just take a candid portrait.

Could you explain what you say to your subject to obtain their permission to photograph them. Also, how do you pose your subject? This sounds like a video.

Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[RikMaxSpeed]

So you ask your random street strangers to pose? Look up? Look straight at you etc.?

[sebastianop.]

I am not a professional photographer I like street photography and is common for me notice a person I would like to take a portrait but I don't have yet the courage to ask, and I always "kick my self" how you said.
For you o for a professional is much easier because you can justify but as amateur people are suspicious, and I don't have confidence to convince them or discuss my reasons.

[bryangideon]

Fantastic portraits Paul they are inspirational

[andreaspretali]

Dear Paul, a really great and inspiring video. Thank you for the valuable tips! I'm really looking forward to the 'Photographing Strangers' workshop in London tomorrow!

[stefansipl]

Yes, fantastic portraits. Is there a tutorial where you show how you do you post production to achieve such beautiful black and white results? And: Did you use your Q2 Monochrome for all these pictures in this video? Thanks a lot!