Last year in September I went on an automotive press trip to Firenze, and had an afternoon free to discover the city in all its glory, but alas, in the tourist season, I was not alone…
What better thing to do, as an avid photographer, to leave the art treasures and monuments for what they are, and direct my lens to the people in this magnificent historic and iconic place.
The street scenes which unfold in front of your lens – I had my compact Canon G9X – tell about the vibrant life in this city, and has a much more interesting subject than ancient stones: people.
I took care when I started my afternoon stroll form my hotel to be dressed as comfortable as possible, and I limited my photo equipment to just my compact Canon. It is rather ideal as it is unobtrusive. To avoid that my subjects are out of focus, depth of field is paramount. In street photography, I find that photographing the subject in its surroundings is important. Never forget, one has to tell a story, or at least capture a decisive moment with the person being in a certain position or having a specific expression. So as I selected a lowish aperture, say F 8, and set the ISO rather high for a summer lit afternoon, this got me sharp images in virtually all circumstances, as the shutter speed is then at 1/250 or thereabouts.
I strolled down from my hotel De La Ville, which is facing the Chiesa del Santi Michele e Gaetano, towards the Terrazza Sul Duomo. The square around the Duomo was packed with tourists, so I was looking for an interesting motif in the evening light, trying to isolate it more or less with the zoom in maximum telephoto position. I know that one of the laws of street photography is all about being (very) close to the subject using a wide-angle lens, but I find there is nothing wrong about choosing a longer focal length to get a nice cropped shot which makes the subject stand out. I wanted to convey here the youthful elegance of the young woman, contrasting with the loosely clad crowds of tourists amidst the general hustle and bustle. See title photo above…
I was struck by the enthusiasm of the Asian tourists, mostly female, who eagerly got their I Phones out to take photographs. I took a tele shot of one woman standing with her back at the Porta del Paradiso of the Battistero di San Giovanni, photographing the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, and the silhouette of the Cattedrale can clearly be seen in her glasses…
As I got intrigued by the reflection of the historic buildings in the glasses of the tourists, and asked a young Brazilian woman if she could pose for me with her sunglasses, which she gladfully did.
On the streets close to the Piazza della Republica, heavy helmeted local inhabitants were making their way (and shouting…) through the masses of tourists on their scooter. Scooters are definitely their favorite means of transport.
From there on I walked to the Caffè Strozzi Colle Bereto Winery, which is situated under the magnificent colonnades of the Palazzo Strozzi.
Here I took a photo of the waitress, who kindly posed for me when I asked her.
Three young Asian girls were very pleased when I took a photo of them, close to the Ponte Vecchio.
The next day, I strolled further and saw young art students drawing the unique historic buildings of Firenze.
Walking back to the Duomo, it was touching to see father and son crouching in front of the window of an art supply shop, dreaming both about the creativity which would bring them unique artistic joys when they would use these magnificent art materials and paints…
I will soon publish a photo book about my street photography in Florence, showing the uneasy co-existence between the local inhabitants and the tourist crowds on the streets of that magnificent city…as the theme of that book.
Hans Knol ten Bensel
