Use of Medium format camera for street photography
My first Camera was a Russian Lubitel Medium format Camera. I think it was 6 X 6 format. My Father wouldn’t buy me an Olympus OM1 which was and still is a 35mm Camera. This was way back in the 70’s! He came home with a Manual Medium format Camera & Said, See if you can Take a good picture with the sCamera first! Learn on this one! So I loved the fils & walked out of the house taking pictures in teh streets. I was only about 16 years old & had NO IDEA that a Street Photography Genre existed. Just walked around on the streets. I wish I still had some of the images I took other than one Surviving Portrait on a Black & White Negative.
Using a medium format camera for Street Photography is unconventional but not unheard of and it comes with both unique strengths and real limitations. After all, The Oldest surviving Social Documentary photographs shot on the streets, Street Photography , were ALL shot on Massive Medium or Large format cameras. 35mm Did NOT even exist and The Invention of 35mm Film camera, gradually put an end to that, the same as the Digital invasion diminished Film Photography.
In general, Medium format Film Cameras (And Now median format Digital) offer Incredible image quality, High resolution, Great dynamic range and great for large prints, Billboards, Advertising or detailed edits. They Look and feel different & distinct. Medium format feels cinematic and rich especially on Film. It’s a more Deliberate shooting. It Slows you down, which can lead to more thoughtful compositions.
The Are however, Bulky, noticeable and heavy which is not ideal for being discreet or quick Street Photography.
They are also, in General, More expensive camera bodies & lenses & thus not practical for everyone.
They Cant beat say , iPhones in Speed, Canon or Nikons in AF Speed & definitely demand a KNOW HOW & they are NOT for the faint hearted Street Photographer.
Copyright ⓒ Johnny Mobasher
Copyright ⓒ Johnny Mobasher
Who mostly used them?
Perhaps, Fashion & Portrait photographers. Photographers like Platon, Avedon and Leibovitz who used Medium format Digital Systems for Fashion and portraits.
The Famous Photographers did use medium format cameras for street photography, Social Documentary & photo journalism though not quite the same Genre but still on the streets.
Here are a few famous photographers who used “Medium Format Cameras” for street, candid or documentary style photography:
Vivian Maier, Rolleiflex TLR 6 X 6, Who took intimate Street Portraits & urban life.
Diane Arbus with a Rolleiflex who took Candid & posed portraits in public and semi-public spaces though Not classic “Street Photography” in motion, but public-life photography with a medium format.
The Great Mark Cohen with a Mamiya 6, Close-up, flash-heavy, surreal fragments of street life whoo created the very influential & unusual and bold images.
Mary Ellen Mark who Used medium format for environmental portraits and documentary work often shot on the street.
Alec Soth, Uses medium format ( Mamiya 7 or MF digital) for quiet, often candid scenes in public or semi-public space. More documentary than street Photography, but overlaps exist.
The Unique Weegee, whose real name was Arthur Fellig, primarily used a 4×5 Speed Graphic Press camera with a Flash Bulb for his iconic Black and white New York City street photography. Weegee captured dramatic, high-contrast images of crime scenes, nightlife, and everyday life in the city
Medium format has a slower rhythm, so those who used it for “Street Photography” often engage in Street Portraiture, Environmental and Urban scenes ( Not Quite Street Photography ), or Staged Candid Looking moments* — more reflective than reactive.
Bottom line Medium format in street photography is about “intentional, high-quality storytelling”, not fast, reactive moments. Great if you know why you’re using it — not just for gear sake.
& these days, NOTHINg Beats the speed & flexibility of high ends Cell Phones & High End Digital Cameras.
To see More, Check out Weegee , Vivian Maier & MarK Cohen
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