About Lachezar Lalov
Tell me a bit about yourself [Hobbies, Interests, age, job]?
I am a 22 year-old medical student, based in Brussels, Belgium. My main hobby at the moment is street photography. However, I am also very passionate about music.
Do you consider yourself an amateur or professional photographer?
I have had the opportunity to sell several prints, as well as a zine called “Underexposed” that I made recently. However, I don’t see this becoming my main source of income in the future. Therefore, I would describe myself as an amateur photographer.
Do you tend to shoot alone or with someone?
The majority of time, I go out to shoot on my own. I find that being on my own allows me to really clear my mind. Besides, I have the possibility of focusing on the exact shots that I want to get without having the feeling of holding others back.
Having said this, I have enjoyed taking part in several photography walks in Brussels. While they tend to be more constrictive, they often bring the benefits of sharing knowledge with like-minded people. Besides, having certain limits often pushes your creativity even further.
Your City
Are there issues in your city that you try and highlight through your photography?
Currently, my photography isn’t focused on any specific issue. I guess I could say I am more drawn by the way light and shadows interact with each other rather than a specific type of subject or story within a frame. This being said, I do try to incorporate interesting subjects once I have managed to set up my shot.
What’s the best or your favourite location to shoot in your area?
When it comes to locations, I am happy with any place that offers pockets of harsh light peaking through the buildings or windows around. Some of my favourite spots within Brussels include the European district with its interesting tall buildings and diversity of people, as well as the area around the Grand Place.
Who’s your favourite photographer from your area?
Images courtesy of Nick Escobar [@sumdrifter]
Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, the genre of street photography I do and enjoy isn’t particularly popular in Brussels. However, I have managed to discover some amazing talents such as Nick Escobar (@sumdrifter), @im_ansar and @doctorperspective through Instagram.
Your Photography
Where did your interest in photography come from [Friends, Family, College ect]?
I always enjoyed looking at good photographs. In this day and age, photography is easily accessible to all through social media platforms such as Instagram. I vaguely remember browsing through my feed and becoming more and more curious about the kind of photos I could come up with myself. At that time, I was completely unaware of the existence of street photography, however.
My first steps in photography were made during a family holiday in Jamaica a couple of years ago. I used my parents’ old entry level DSLR and its kit lens to capture the views around us. Some of those photos turned out quite good so I decided to start looking into getting my own gear.
The more I looked, the more discouraged I got. It seemed like most genres of photography required expensive lenses, filters, lighting and so on. All that seemed out of reach for a college student looking to start a new hobby.
One day, I came across the Instagram accounts of Craig Whitehead (@sixstreetunder) and Joshua Jackson (@joshjack). I discovered a new genre of photography that I really liked. The more I was researching it, the more convinced I was that this is what I wanted to do until one day I purchased my first camera.
Is there a photographer that your work is inspired from?
Of course! In fact, there are many photographers that have inspired me since starting out, including the likes of Saul Leiter and Ernst Haas, as well as many more recent ones – Bas Hordijk, Clem Ono, Joep Hijwegen, David Clarke, Matt Hall, Julien Mehdi César and others.
You do a lot of black and white street photography, is there a reason behind this?
At the beginning of my photographic journey, I was heavily inspired by a series of black and white street photographers. Besides, I often enjoy going back to the roots and shooting black and white film on my Olympus OM-1n camera. Those are my personal reasons. Of course, you could say that taking away the element of colour from a photograph can put more emphasis on the story, as well as eliminate distractions. However, recently I have personally come to the conclusion that colour plays an important part in telling the full story in a scene.
Tell us the story behind your favourite picture?
Deciding on which one of my photographs is my favourite is a very difficult task. I tend to be a perfectionist and always find something to improve in my work. However, if I were forced to choose one, it would probably be the one of a train conductor sitting at a train station and holding onto their hat as a train passes by.
It was unusual to see a train conductor sit on the platform and relax in the afternoon sun. It was visible he was tired, probably at the end of his shift, waiting for a train back to his home town. As I said earlier, what caught my eye initially was the harsh sunlight I wasn’t prepared at all but I hurried to take the shot before the moment was gone. I took my camera out of my bag, moved up and down the platform and used the window separating us to frame him up. I took a series of shots and I got very lucky to capture a train passing by in one of them.
In terms of street photography, do you ever get nervous about photographing people you don’t know, if so how do you overcome this?
In general, I guess I would describe myself as an introvert. Although I enjoy being among people and socialising, I can be a shy person. I always try to leave a positive impression of myself and what others think of me is something I take a bit too seriously perhaps.
Therefore, naturally, photographing strangers isn’t something I am always comfortable with.
Often, I would not take a shot, out of fear of being judged. This fear has played an important role in the style of shots I take – predominantly silhouettes or photographs focusing on certain aspects of a person, usually not face on. Besides, it has led me to using a slightly longer focal length for a large portion of my work. Until recently, I mainly used an 80mm full frame equivalent before dropping down to 53mm a couple of months ago.
This said, the more I practice street photography, the more confident I become. The thing that helps me boost my confidence the most is going out to shoot with other photographers. Something about not being alone can be extremely helpful.
What one tip would you give to someone picking up a camera for the first time?
One tip I would give to someone picking up a camera for the first time is to go out and shoot, no matter what it is they shoot. Practice always helps find your confidence, as well as improve. Carrying your camera around your neck at all times is probably the single best thing that you could do to improve your street photography.
What is your greatest photography achievement?
I believe I am still relatively new to the photography scene, and therefore, don’t believe I have had any major achievements to brag about.
The Process
What equipment do you use [Camera, Tripod, lens etc]?
When it comes to digital photography, my current equipment comprises of a Fujifilm X-T2 body (with a vertical battery grip only used on non-street shoots) and a Fujinon XF 35mm F2 lens. However, I also enjoy slowing down and shooting on my Olympus OM-1n fully manual film camera with its 50mm f1.8 lens (that I sometimes adapt for my Fuji camera).
Many experienced photographers with expensive cameras will tell you that gear does not matter. In my experience, this is both true and false. A mistake many new photographers make is to look for the camera with the most features, or maybe the camera that their favourite professional photographer uses. What they should be doing instead is that they should be going out and trying out as many cameras as they can, either in camera stores or renting before making a purchase. At the end of the day, the best camera is not the one with the highest megapixel count or most features, but the camera you are comfortable using – the camera that motivates you to go out and take photos!
Can you talk us through what you look for in your photos [ in terms of composition, colours, tone, shadows, highlights]?
I wouldn’t say I have a well-established style to my work yet. However, the recurring theme in many of my photos is harsh light and dark shadows, as well as sub framing. I tend to expose my shots for the highlights, making the shadows extremely dark, sometimes completely black.
When it comes to colour, I enjoy anything but high-visibility jackets (in most cases). In some cases, if a certain colour is overpowering the subject, and drawing attention away from where I want to focus the viewer’s eye, I would convert the photo to black and white.
My favourite composition technique is sub framing. I often place foreground elements in such a way that they act as a frame to my subject. These may include anything from windows, to rubbish bins to benches or even other people.
Can you talk us through your editing style [What applications do you use, do you use in built filters or edit each individual image differently]?
Once I have taken a photo, I move on to the editing process – usually in Adobe Lightroom. I must say that post-production isn’t the most exciting process in my eyes. I like to do as little as possible – make small adjustments to the shadows or highlights if needed and slightly change the hues of certain colours to make the photo give off the feeling I intended it to. Ever since I made the switch to Fujifilm, I have found myself reducing the amount of editing I do thanks to their film simulations.
The Future
What do you hope to accomplish with your photography?
My main goal with photography is to continue practicing it and continue improving. I would also love to reach a level where I would be able to exhibit some of my work one day.
How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?
As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”. I have noticed a huge difference in my approach now as opposed to when I started. Snapping photos in different genres whenever I could has also helped me improve my skills.
What motivates you to keep taking photos?
The main driving force behind my street photography is the enjoyment of being able to create something aesthetically pleasing out of everyday scenes that the untrained eye would struggle to see. Besides, I find that being alone with your camera, observing the world around you is quite therapeutic and provides an escape from everyday responsibilities and tasks.
What would you say is key in gaining Instagram followers?
Instagram followers don’t play a major role in what I do and how I interact with people on the platform. As already mentioned, the main reason I do street photography is the personal enjoyment I get out of the entire process. I like to think that all the followers I have acquired so far have come through their appreciation of what I do.
Sadly, I doubt that is the case in reality. There are a number of accounts that follow and unfollow me on a daily basis, as well as message me asking to be followed back. If I had to give one tip on how to gain more followers, it would be to NOT do any of this.
Consistent work, together with genuine interaction with your followers is the best strategy. This might not get you the most followers, nor get your account to grow the fastest, but at least you would be followed by people who are genuinely interested in what you do.
What do you enjoy about Instagram?
Instagram has been the best platform for photographers of all backgrounds for a long time. It gives anyone the opportunity to share their own art with the world, socialise with like-minded people from all over the world, as well as seek inspirations from other artists.
As someone who doesn’t personally know many photographers, having the opportunity to discuss with others in my situation has been one of my favourite aspects of Instagram.
What one thing would you improve about the social media platform?
Where do I start? I spoke about some positive aspects of Instagram, but the full picture reveals a lot of flaws. The algorithms work in such a way that I often don’t see the posts of my favourite accounts in my feed. Instead, I am shown a series of ads that I am not interested in whatsoever.
Your part of the Instagram page @streetphers, tell me how you got in to this and what the community page is about?
I had been thinking of starting a street photography community page on Instagram for a while. I believed I had a series of ideas that would bring something new to the community. However, I was also aware of the existing oversaturation. It seems like every second photographer starts their own feature hub nowadays. Some of those are genuinely amazing and unique, others share quality content but bring nothing new as they share the same shots as the majority of other hubs.
During summer, I noticed that the Streephers page was looking for new team members and I saw an opportunity to try and put my ideas into practice while joining an existing, quality hub rather than starting a new one.
Having been a follower of the project from the very start, I had been able to observe their development. I really liked the way all photographers had a chance to be featured, regardless of the size of their following. Besides, the signature Streephers stories – “The Story Behind The Shot” seemed like an amazing way to inspire current and potential future photographers.
Since joining, I have been able to have a few discussions with the founders and we will work hard towards bringing about a series of new ideas in order to bring even more value and offer more opportunities to get involved for the street photography community.
Thanks to Lachezar Lalov for talking with me. You can check out more of his work at https://www.instagram.com/lacho.street/. All images and videos are, unless stated, the property of Lachezar Lalov.