Welcome to the Light Stalking weekly wrap-up of our wonderful little community.
We had another great week on the site this week with some very interesting photographs being submitted for our weekly challenge – Colour in Simplicity.
Here are a few of our favourites.
Pat Garrett:
Frogdaily:
Patrick:
Tersha:
Pat Garrett
Robert Apple
Member Highlight
Over the last several months, Patrick has been producing some extraordinary black-and-white street photography that we thought was well overdue for a bit of a spotlight. Patrick has managed to develop a style all of his own, and, miraculously to us, he manages to produce it on a very regular basis with his posts and his Instagram being updated daily as far as we can see.
Anybody who has been in different photography knows how difficult this is. But here are some of the wonderful images he’s produced lately:
Join the Photography Contest to Win Some Cash!
Don’t forget to jump into our monthly contest for the chance to win some cash. This month, it is Minimalism and Simplicity, which is always a popular type of theme when it comes to photography.
Last in our thrilling “Storytelling in a Single Frame” monthly theme, Diane tossed a particular request. In order to close this rich theme on visual narratives, she asked our members for images capable of depicting the unspoken tales surrounding our everyday lives.
But “how can that even be possible?” you might be wondering. In order to capture such an elusive thing, Diane left us with a couple of hints about how to tame the untold. All of them can be crunched down to the following premise, do not think in a literal sense.
After surpassing the creative limitation imposed by reasoning, we can continue our journey into the visual depths of the ignored and left-behind. Street photography —especially candid frames— offer a vast field of stories worthy of being unveiled. Also, she suggested thinking about location, inspiration, timing, subtly, awareness, patience, anticipation and composition.
Let’s dive a bit further into these wise principles:
Location: consider scouting for adequate backgrounds — they are fundamental when attempting to tell a story with a single frame.
Inspiration: ditch social media and stalk your favourite photographers online; you’ll be amazed of how nurturing the slow-paced visual consumption can get.
Timing: practice your shooting skills so you can react even before the moment occurs.
Subtly: always go for the stealth-mode approach; and if you want to take your unconsciousness to the next level, get a small and lightweight camera!
Awareness: mind everything around you, never let your guard down and be prepared with your camera in hand.
Patience: wait for moments to occur, not everything happening all-at-once is worthy of your frames.
Anticipation: different from timing, this one should be understood as being capable of positioning ourselves in the most adequate spot we can find before the moment occurs.
Composition: last but not least, never take composition for granted; even when your camera allows heavy cropping without losing detail, it is preferable to get things right or at least decent on camera.
I know — it’s a big list indeed, but once you start walking and thinking in photography-mode, you’ll start digesting these principles. And while apprehending them, having fun is absolutely guaranteed. Now, let’s dive into some unspoken tales!
Photo of the Week
Achieving interesting images on the street is a massive challenge by itself. Now imagine such a task being coated with layers of complexity as colour and composition. This shot is a bold reminder that street imagery exists beyond the monochromatic look.
Also important in this visual lesson given by Click, we don’t have to always capture the facial expressions of our subjects to get a strong and even storytelling frame.
copyright – Click
That will buff out
Congrats Click, thanks for sharing such a high quality photograph with us!
Weekly Photography Challenge Digest
Thanks again to Diane and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!
copyright – Timothy S. Allencopyright – Timothy S. Allen
Royal Funeral – Bali
copyright – davidc
Her unread story
copyright – Wendy P
She doesn’t like colored slime after all!
copyright – Michaelcopyright – Patrickcopyright – Patrickcopyright – Pat Garrett
For contributing, check out the original challenge post!
A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community
Rob Eyers shared a super sharp high-definition image. Behold the power of focus stacking:
copyright – Rob Eyers
Steve shared something about his photographic journey after being “greatly aided by visiting my in-laws who lived at the beach. When we visited, I hardly ever missed the opportunity to ‘do’ sunrise. This picture, from January 2013, was one of numerous pictures from that mostly clear morning. There was some color in the sky but I was in a b&w mood”:
copyright – Lightandshadow
He also shared this shot after several days of heavy rains:
copyright – Lightandshadow
the power company’s opening of the flood gates to release high water produced minor flooding and fast flow. The water fowl know how to cope. iPhone 14 Pro, DNG format, cropping and a fair number of local exposure edits.
Don’t forget to check the photo contest winners for the Essence of Movement; and remember, this month’s photo contest is now open for entries. The theme revolves on “Storytelling in a Single Frame“. Submit your photos for a chance to win $250 and please don’t forget voting as well. Last but not least, keep an eye out for the Members Picks — the instructions are pretty straightforward:
Members reference what you might consider a five star photo. Give a call out to the photographer and share their photo even if it lies in the Shark Tank and feel free to give a Critique on why it trips your Trigger. Be sure to mention the photographer and the Thread you saw it in.
And if you want to make out the most of your LightStalking user account, make sure to check the latest posts. Also, don’t forget to swim the Mobile Monday Challenge! Last but not least, Check out the current reading throwdown, it has some nice insights and recommendations!
We’d Love To Hear Your Thoughts
Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow fast as photographers. Here, you’ll get your work reviewed by well-intended photographers, but you’ll also have the chance to comment on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:
The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions in order to get a better experience. Share your comments, opinions and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images. Remember all comments are given to the photographs; not the photographers. Also, don’t forget to participate in our upcoming challenge!
I recently took to the bustling streets of New York City with Sigma’s revolutionary new BF camera, putting this innovative device through its paces in one of the world’s most iconic and photogenic urban environments. The Sigma BF, with its philosophy of “Radical Simplicity,” proved to be an intriguing tool for capturing the essence of New York’s vibrant street life.
The compact and simple Sigma BF enables you to react to a split-second moment.
The Sigma BF: A New Era of Simplicity
The Sigma BF, launched in February 2025, represents a paradigm shift in camera design. With its sleek unibody aluminum construction and minimalist interface, the BF stands out as a testament to Sigma’s commitment to simplicity and style.
Stylish yet understated, the Sigma BF camera is a beautiful piece of equipment.
Unibody Construction: A Solid Foundation
The Sigma BF’s unibody construction immediately caught my attention. Carved from a single aluminum block over seven hours, the camera boasts unprecedented rigidity and durability. This seamless, all-metal body harmonized perfectly with the attached I series lenses, providing a reliable and comfortable weight that I found ideal for long days of street photography.
From right to left, solid aluminum block to final BF camera body.
Single Finger Operation: Streamlined Shooting
One of Sigma BF’s standout features is its emphasis on single-finger operation, which was designed to offer the easiest and simplest user interface for daily use. I appreciated this streamlined approach, allowing me to focus more on capturing fleeting moments rather than fiddling with complex controls.
Just a few controls are required, and the most common operations are handled with the thumb wheel alone.
Dual Layer Menu System: Intuitive Control
The Sigma BF’s dual-layer menu system impressed me with its intuitive design. All essential settings are organized into two screens: the Main Menu and the Optional Menu. This configuration allowed me to quickly access critical shooting parameters without diving into convoluted menu structures.
The Sigma BF was designed to be easy to use, even on a busy NYC street (pictured, my friend and Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki)
Street Photography Performance
The Sigma BF’s 24.6MP full-frame, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor delivered excellent image quality, particularly considering street photography’s challenging lighting conditions. The camera’s wide dynamic range and native ISO sensitivity of 100-102400 proved valuable in capturing the nuances of New York’s diverse urban scenes.
The hybrid phase detection and contrast detection autofocus system ensured quick and accurate focusing, crucial for my style of capturing spontaneous moments. The ability to shoot continuously at up to 8 fps allowed me to easily capture fast-moving subjects.
The Sigma BF’s striking design didn’t go unnoticed on the streets of New York. I noticed numerous curious glances and pointed fingers from passersby, intrigued by the camera’s unique appearance. However, the Sigma BF proved to be more than just a pretty face, offering practical features like 230GB of internal storage, eliminating the need for memory cards, and providing ample space for a full day of shooting.
Sigma BF + 35mm F2 DG | Contemporary
Color Profiles and Creative Options
I was particularly impressed with the Sigma BF’s color profiles, including the new “Calm” and “Rich” modes. These options allowed me to experiment with different looks, from muted and low-contrast to vibrant and dramatic, directly in-camera. Monochrome mode, with its various toning options, also proved to be a valuable tool for creating striking black-and-white street images.
My favorite color mode is “Teal & Orange” which yields a nostalgic feel.I believe that black and white is the “color” of street photography, so the easily-accessible Monochrome mode was especially useful.“Rich” mode provides saturated colors, ideal for photographing in a city with diverse cultures.
Final thoughts on the Sigma BF
This camera’s unique philosophy of “Radical Simplicity” resonated with my approach to street photography. The camera’s intuitive operation, distinctive visual style, and seamless integration with modern lifestyles made it an excellent companion for capturing the essence of New York City’s streets.
The Sigma BF and the accompanying I series lenses (35mm F2 & 50mm F2) also turned out to be excellent low-light performers.
I found that the purposeful limitations of the Sigma BF encouraged creativity, leading me to focus on composition and timing rather than relying on complex features. As a tool for the discerning street photographer who values simplicity and style, the Sigma BF proved to be a compelling option in my hand.
