Journal

Visual CultureReviews

Street photography, portraiture, photography: it’s not about labels; it’s a method.

Reviews: Real-world insights. From the people who work there every day.

Visual Culture Federico Zaza Visual Culture Federico Zaza

Photographic Portraiture: An Overview.

…Personally, I have a very clear view on this: I don’t consider a photograph to be a portrait unless it captures at least one aspect of the person’s character. No matter how convincing the model’s pose may be, or how technically perfect the lighting, it doesn’t even qualify as the foundation of a portrait: it’s merely an exercise in posing and lighting.

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Visual Culture Federico Zaza Visual Culture Federico Zaza

Poetry and the Gaze

The only way to cheat time—at this level—is through photography. In a tangible sense, it is the only medium capable of freezing a moment in a single physical entity: a photographic print

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Visual Culture Federico Zaza Visual Culture Federico Zaza

Street Photography: 10 Tips for Developing Your Own Visual Style

10 Tips for Street Photography.

It can have historical and documentary value. It can take a pictorial and purely aesthetic approach. It can be storytelling or serve as the foundation for photojournalism. The possibilities are endless. Find your own path—the one that best represents you at that moment. There is no single definition, nor are there clear-cut boundaries.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

The Breaking Point: Leica Q3 43 — Field Test

In short, this is the camera many Leica users have been waiting for. For years, there have been loud calls for a Leica Q with a 50mm equivalent lens, and it’s finally here. The result is very, very good. It offers the best image quality ever seen on a 35mm compact camera. It’s fun, enjoyable, fast, and quite user-friendly.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

Nikon Zf: The Return of Physicality in the Digital Age

Nikon is going back to its roots.

A car that pays homage to tradition; in particular, the resemblance to the FM2—a legendary model from the yellow-and-black team—is striking.

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Nikon is returning to its roots. A camera that pays homage to tradition, particularly in its striking resemblance to the FM2, a legendary camera from the yellow-and-black brand.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

Sony RX10 Mark IV: The Ultimate Bridge Camera and a Hands-On Review

Sony RX10 Mark 4

The last of its kind. The last bridge.

The last of the bridge cameras. Once an extremely crowded market segment, today there are only a handful of models left on the market.

And yet, in this latest version, Sony really has thrown everything it could into it.

Let’s be clear: this is a car that’s been around for a few years now, having been unveiled in September 2017, but it remains remarkably relevant.

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Visual Culture Federico Zaza Visual Culture Federico Zaza

Street Photography -- Laws and Techniques.

COMBINING DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO CREATE NEW MEANINGS.

Whatever your approach may be, this is one of the things I find most wonderful about photography: the infinite interplay of elements that you can suggest through elements that are completely unrelated in reality. And through these suggestions, you will evoke new ideas, associations, and meanings in the viewer.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

Voigtlander 50 f1.0: Lèse-majesté and the Geometry of Light

Starting in the 1960s, just as in the last 10 years, there has been a proliferation of ultra-bright lenses. Especially 50mm lenses, much to my delight (it’s my favorite focal length).

Starting in the 1960s, just as we’ve seen in the past decade, we’ve witnessed the emergence of a LOT of ultra-fast lenses. Most of them have a focal length of around 50 mm, which is my favorite focal length, and that makes me really happy. To be honest, this trend actually began in the late 1950s with the very first f/1.2 lens available on the market.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

Leica M11: Operational Analysis and a Return to the Essentials

It’s finally here. The digital Leica M we’ve all been waiting for ever since digital became the standard. It’s here—a true professional tool. Let me explain.

It’s finally here. The Leica M we’ve been waiting for ever since digital photography became the norm. It’s here—a true professional tool. Let me explain.

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Review Federico Zaza Review Federico Zaza

Leica Q2 Monochrom: Workflow and File Management

Welcome to a new section of the blog/website. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful. The first article will cover the post-production of monochrome camera files, which can be complex compared to traditional digital cameras—that is, color cameras.

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