It was exciting enough to look at how the professionals shoot. It was very rare for them to shoot without looking into the viewfinder unlike me. They said they hold the camera instantly and lock-on to the subject through the viewfinder in order to capture the moment securely. Indeed, the chance to frame appropriately gets less when I don't look into the viewfinder. I was justifying my way of shooting "no finder" by saying I want to shoot as candidly as possible, but I realized that I was just nervous and running away from the show-down with the subject.

They were so quick to hold the camera and shoot. It was like they've already taken a shot when I saw them holding their cameras. I don't think the subject can notice it unless they are staring at them. The secret was to gain the depth of focus by using ISO400-1600 depending on situation and setting the aperture to f8 to 16 using aperture priority mode. And, when they have a specific purpose or more time, they also focus and shoot wide open. Even though they walked close to me, they disappear in a moment and shooting interesting scenes in the sideways before I knew it. In any case, their attention, mobility, and aggressiveness are impressive. They showed me how a true street shooter should be and I felt ashamed of my style.

Their subjects also included interesting moments in daily life. Even though they didn't look interesting at the site, but they looked funny on the pictures. These shots demonstrate their "photographic eyes" and they are something I don't have... that is a sensitivity to envision a story in a random daily scene they encounter. Besides, they can instantly frame in the head to express the main theme. They were also deliberately shooting scenes that we rarely see and that have a rhythm of light and shadow, because "pictures become more tasty."

The subject must be clearly presented and the picture has to express the context of the main theme. Also, whether they take snapshots of people or street, it's more interesting when there are geometrical patterns. I understand it becomes picturesque when we find a horizontal, vertical, oblique, or something like an arabesque patterns. But, even when there are such patterns, we need a sharpened eye to detect them. Anyway, regardless of subjects, the picture becomes tasteless unless viewers cannot get the message from the picture.

They don't shoot indiscriminately, but once they find a target, they take several tens of shots by changing angles. Again, I felt ashamed that I cannot make quick judgments and just shoot unnecessary scenes as a temporary measure. However, I know a photographer taking hundreds of shots of all kinds of street scenes almost everyday, and I can feel the air of the city and people's lives. So, I think he has already established a genre by achieving to that level. In other words, things shouldn't be half-baked.

They never value raw photography unlike some photojournalists instead, they respect the final product when it's artistic and story-telling. This means they make the best effort to maximize the power of expression. So, a photographer must be able to edit and the same goes for printing.

彼らには例えば報道写真の「撮って出し」のような生の価値観はゼロで、撮り手のセンスに基づいて写真画像として最終的に出来上がった作品の語りやアートとしての秀逸さを尊ぶ。自分の写真を最大限に表現するための総合的な努力をするということだ。だから写真家は撮るだけでなく編集のセンスや技量も必要になるということだし、プリント作業でも同じ事が言えるのだろう。

It was so enlightening for me to know how free we can be until we produce a masterpiece. They were using Lightroom to develop the RAW files and switching to Photoshop Elements when they need to make further modifications. Mastering these software seemed to be difficult, but it's nice to know there're ways to improve the quality of my photography. On the other hand, there're also many people who prefers raw unprocessed photos. This way they can appeal how skilled they are and it's great, too. For me, it's hard to get good results unprocessed in a variety of conditions, yet it sounds fun and challenging.

In the afternoon of the last day, we had an opportunity to get comments from the professionals on our photos. The photo I submitted as my favorite one was "The woman waiting for a coffee" because the lines are interesting and there was a center of gravity that is falling straight down even though it seems a little imbalanced. They projected each of our photos and my turn came. Here are their comments. "Although there's no artistic beauty of light and shadow, there's a story because of the left arm on the counter. And, I can feel the weight of the upper body because of the sluggish look of the arm on the waist." "Even though the composition is oblique, it still looks stable due to the gravity that is falling straight down and I like the liveliness that tells me her next deed." "The woman reminds me of the old times and it's interesting that I can't tell whether it's a woman or man who is making a coffee." They also said, "it would be better if you could go around a little more to emphasize her buttocks," but answered it was the best angle I could achieve. Photos by other participants were very unique. Some of them were so impressive that I wondered if they participated suppressing they are professionals. Anyway, it was such an inspiring last part that I was able to get comments the professionals and to listen to the discussion between them.

It's truly fun and fulfilling to do something I love and to be instructed by experts. I had never "learned" photography and have been doing it in my own fashion. So, this workshop was unquestionably a refreshing and shocking experience. Whether I shoot street or nature, my favorite style has been telling a story through photography, and it was the very theme of the seminar. And, I'm thrilled to learn that my photos can reach at the fine art level if I step deeper from my current level. In order to be able to take more impressive photos, I'd like to try new ways of snapshooting and editing applying what I have learned. And, even though I can't reach at the level, it's still a great joy to know there's such a world. Thank you, Leica Akademie!