Say Hello

Few people feel comfortable striking up a conversation with a person they haven’t previously met. I refrain from using the word “stranger” because the way I see it, we’re all fellow humans, potential acquaintances, possible friends. And who says they’re any stranger than I am? After all, I’m the one going up to people I meet in public asking to make their portrait. A camera in hand really is a magical device that allows us to meet almost anyone, anywhere. To approach them. Say hello. I know, I’ve used a camera to meet people I’ve encountered in public countless times and in numerous places to make black and white film street portraits.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a woman wearing sunglasses.

The Rolleiflex

Now take it further, instead of a regular camera like a 35mm SLR or even a DSLR, choose a twin lens reflex (TLR) film camera, and the camera practically draws people to you. It’s iconic, it’s unusual, and certainly interesting to people. When I’m out in the street looking for portraits, the Rolleiflex is my camera of choice because people are literally enamored by the device. I load the Rolleiflex with ILFORD HP5+ black and white film and go. Twelve frames to meet new people, discover new faces, make a dozen portraits.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white image of an elderly couple relaxing in deck chairs.

Urban Life

My name is Kenneth Wajda and I’m a working commercial and editorial photographer, often with assignments or client work in cities throughout the U.S. When I’m between assignments and have some free time, I take to the street to photograph urban life—street photographs— which for me are candid photos of people going about their day and the image has to have a little extra something that makes it worth a viewer’s look—humor, tenderness, shock, joy, a strong pictorial, emotion, something.

Kenneth Wajda. Black and white portrait of a mother and daughter.

“Of course I belong here, I’m working.”

My experience as a photojournalist helps my street photography because I adopt the attitude: “Of course I belong here, I’m working.” When I’m not working stealthily, I like to work in a way that lets people know I’m making photos and if they ask, I tell them I’m enamored by the amazing people in this city, and I want to document it. A positive attitude, a joyful presence and a ready-to-go answer go a long way for the street photographer. Street portraits are different. For those, I’m walking with a Rolleiflex looking for people who I find interesting, who I want to connect with to say hi, then I ask to make their portrait. I’ve done it with random people in various cities, and I’ve made portraits as part of a documentary project all in one location like my Longmont Lake Project (which was previously featured in the ILFORD blog.) For that one, I went out every weekend for a whole summer to document the folks at play at a nearby lake.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a blonde woman with her suitcase at the train station.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a man wearing a head banner.

I don’t overthink it

The approach is always the same, I don’t overthink it. If I see someone that interests me, before hesitating or giving them a chance to pass, I offer a smile while holding up the camera and my phone opened to a gallery of photographs made with it and ask, “Hi, I’m making portraits with this vintage camera and they look like these, may I make your portrait?” Almost all say yes. The camera and the gallery sell it in a few seconds.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a couple smiling in a car.

Directing

So, then to make their portrait. I direct them a little bit. I might move them into a different light. I might change the background some by moving over some. I like to direct their pose, their glance, their hands. I often say, if they're smiling, "You don't have to smile for me, but you can. I want you to have the expression that feels most like you." They often drop the forced smile. One person even said, "I like that you're directing me, I feel like I'm in good hands." Once I see the photograph that I want in on the focusing screen, I wait for a blink of their eyes and perhaps a gesture, and then I release the shutter.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a woman wearing a cowboy hat.

Gifting After

After making the portrait, I show them a QR code to the gallery that they already saw and I tell them their photograph will be there later that night for them to download. And taking it further, I say, if you contact me, I'll make you a print, and show them a photograph of some prints I've made. There's no charge for any of this. I print their photograph, put it in a small frame I source at a yard sale or thrift store inexpensively, and then meet up with them to deliver it. By doing this, I get another chance to say hello and connect with them. To see their faces when I hand them a darkroom printed photograph, it’s priceless. Not all that large either, 5×5” or 8×8”. But it’s a huge gift to them. I can confidently say my work is displayed in home galleries around the world.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a man with tattoos.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of an elderly man looking into the distance.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of an elderly woman.

It’s nice to be chosen

Years ago, I founded the Rolleiflexers collective of photographers, and that's where I showcase my work, plus on social media. I will make a bet with you—if you go out to make street portraits and decide that you won’t quit until ten people have said no, you’ll be out there all day. People say yes. It’s nice to be chosen. People need to be seen. In fact, I think in today’s technologically-advanced world, more than ever people feel disconnected. Insignificant. Invisible. To have a chance to be photographed is acknowledgement that someone sees them.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of two young ladies.

Says who?

Certainly, it helps that I am the type of person who feels comfortable talking to anyone. I will approach people in public if I have a comment or joke to make in passing. That’s easy for me—I think the whole world is full of people who want to connect and feel like they cannot. It’s not allowed. (Says who?) No one talks to “strangers”.  (I do.) I think everyone can be addressed and engaged with. We’re all in this human race together, we might as well act like we know we all belong, reach out to one another.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of two friends leaning against a lamp post.

One kind of photograph

If I could only make one kind of photograph and with one camera, it would be these street portraits with the Rolleiflex. (It doesn’t have to be a Rolleiflex, it could just as well be a Yashicamat, Minolta Autocord, Mamiya C220/C330, or any TLR, but for me I’ll take the Rollei.) If I could use only one film, it's the only film I currently use, ILFORD HP5+. It consistent delivers the tones that work so well for portraits.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a woman posing in the street.

But how much more?

The Rolleiflex TLR is light and relatively small. For black and white film, the less expensive models with the four-element Tessar or Xenar lenses are perfectly sharp and the cameras with these lenses can be found rather inexpensively. A photographer may also choose the higher-element lenses, Xenotar or Planar, but they come at the expense of weight and additional cost. But how much more? They’re still quite affordable.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a man smoking a cigarette on a bench.

Always a Rolleiflex

To photographers who ask me which Leica is the best, my answer is always a Rolleiflex. You can get a top-of-the-line model like the 2.8F for what it would cost for a Leica body without a lens, and your negative is significantly larger. I use a Rolleiflex 3.5F (Planar), a 2.8C (Xenotar), and sometimes a T (Tessar) with grey leather—a real looker, sort of like a grey tuxedo! To make using film affordable, I develop it myself in HC-110. A roll of HP5+ locally is about $8 and processed for pennies. For 12 street portraits, I’ll gladly pay that. Want to go to a foreign country where you don’t know the language? A TLR will make a great introduction to the locals.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a man with dreadlocks.

Walk Up

Want to make a portrait project about the folks who work at a local foundry/fire department/county fair or whatever place you’re interested in? Walk up with a Rolleiflex in hand, you’ll get a yes to your portrait request. Want to make portraits that will make people light up? Go to the town square and photograph the older folks and chat them up. Or the young couples. The skateboard kids. Anyone who strikes you as photogenic. I've posted many of these street portraits on social media sites and they receive a strong response.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of 4 children.

Making Connections

Just like street photography is a wonderful type of picture-making in that we get to go out into town with no subject in mind and find street stories. Street portraits let us go out into the world and meet people, strike up conversations, make connections and create portraits that, when delivered in frames, will last in their families for generations. That’s a gift to both them and to us.

Kenneth Wadja. Black and white portrait of a woman sat on a bench.

Images ©Kenneth Wajda