Objects in the street

Does street photography have to always be about people? Or include people in the frame? I think not. Exploring Edinburgh there’s always the temptation to focus on the landscapes and the ‘famous’ buildings around you, but equally there are those quirky objects that you encounter.

Rose Street, Edinburgh

Resistance

How protest shaped Britain and photography shaped protest, Modern Art 2, Edinburgh, until January 4th 2026.

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/resistance

I spent a Saturday afternoon at Modern 2 exploring the Resistance exhibit. Well presented and lots to think about. It shows how photography - and the photography of protest - keeps memory alive. Much here that’s happened in my lifetime and that has just passed me by.

Camera

Whilst "the best camera is the one you have with you", I have experimented with different equipment from film, to DSLR and smartphone on the streets.

As a preference I now tend to use either a Ricoh GR iii or Fujifilm XT-5.

I’d like to give a call out to the Stills Gallery, in Cockburn Street, Edinburgh. Their exhibits and courses are superb (https://stills.org).

Bandit Country

Conversations overheard on the train can be every bit as interesting as the challenge of a morning / afternoon / evening of photography.

11.28. Waverley to Glasgow Central. Two ‘senior’ men chatting as the train pulled into Kirknewton.

‘Aye, we’re in f****** bandit country noo. We’ll need tae f***** watch whit were f***** dain……Did ye know it’s Margaret’s f***** birthday next week?……Naw, how auld is she?…….80……Whit? She looks f***** aulder than that……..’

Scotrail

There’s a Scotrail train every 30 minutes from the village into the centre of Edinburgh.

I aim to travel into the city at least once a week to explore the streets.

Whilst the population of the city doubles during festival time in August, for most of the year the streets are busy and its a great location for photography.