Black & White Street Photography | RED FILTER on a Leica Q2 Monochrom

I thought I'd try something different, putting a red filter on my Leica Q2 Monochrom, for a spot of black and white street photography in Toronto.
The Leica Q2 Monochrom has become my favourite camera for street and documentary photography - even portrait photography. I love the 28mm focal length and the monochrom sensor is sublime.
More images can be found on my WEBSITE:
⭐️ www.simonburncreative.com/
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My Black & White Photography
⭐️ INSTAGRAM: / monochrome_burn
#streetphotography #blackandwhite #leica

[@SimonBurnCreative]

I had a really fruitful street photography outing in Toronto, but the GoPro died halfway into the day. I think I rescued it though...

[@michaelrice2993]

Great video. Takeaway: Red filter plus dialing up the ISO. Red filter ordered. Thanks!

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Yes, but this is specifically on the Q2M, for a BW film look 🙂 👍

[@_H_2023]

I've always liked the image with high ISO it's one of the main reasons I left photography clubs along time ago as they don't accept noise in an image (crazy rule). Infact I make sure their is noise in the image as I'm a great fan of Pictorialsm and the look they had due to the chemical process.

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Ah, photography clubs and their rules! They can keep them, we should do whatever we want to. Here's to pictorialism 🍺

[@innercityunit2112]

Just dropped across your channel, randomly watching street photography videos and thoroughly enjoyed watching this video = I like your style and the video has some zip and life about it!....I really like the shots you got here, love the contrast and tonal richness, very filmic and pleasing to the eye, and I like the compositions very much. The guy you got at 1:45 is excellent, he's very cool, (with a hint of menace, lol) and looks like he just stepped straight out of the Sopranos, very cool indeed.. I love shooting B&W street too, using Fujifilm cameras mainly, and go for a similar kind of look, especially when really bright and contrasty...Pretty decent noise/ grain structure with higher ISO on Fuji's as well, i.e. natural looking, which can be very handy in low light/night street-photography situations, giving a nice analogue look. TBH, I only use the cameras built in red/yellow/green filters, and get decent results, but have never used lens filters...mmm, don't know why, because I do use CPL and ND filters now and then, and an FLD...After watching this video, I think I'll get some decent red and yellow screw in lens filters and give them a whirl!!..There's always something great to do with photography......Liked and subscribed!

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Hi, thanks so much for the great comment, really appreciate it! Great cameras, Fuji, perfect for street photography. You can only use coloured filters if you're shooting with a monochrome sensor or b&w film though. You can achieve the same look of a red or yellow filter in Lightroom or Photoshop though. Cheers!

[@sorinmarcian967]

What a collection of portraits you got there, Simon, quite impressive and really characterful people . Well done sir !

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thank you Sorin. It really is a wonderful place to shoot, there are interesting scenes and characters everywhere. 😊

[@DarrenJSpoonley]

This was very good Simon! Those images looked like they were taken on film which I liked quite a lot and I guess that’s what you were aiming for too so mission accomplished 👏👏

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Hey Darren! Thanks, yes, I go for the film look with my black and white. 😊 Hope you're well, cheers!

[@nevillewatkins4997]

Some cracking shots there Simon. And a great place for it. I'm quite interested in how you do that, so I'll be looking forward to your series on settings.

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks Neville, I will carve out some time to make those videos! 🙏🏼 😊

[@JudeMaui]

Love this!

[@SimonBurnCreative]

😊

[@neilthacker2069]

Some fine images Simon,enjoyed the video,look forward to the next one!

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks Neil, appreciate the comment 🙂

[@PaulNewberyPhotography]

Excellent video and photosI really want to do more street I am just very self conscious which seems to get in the way. Must get braver.

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks Paul. Street photography is fun, it becomes addictive. It's possible to shoot without people noticing, this works best when there are lots of people around.

[@ontherox2266]

Love the effect

[@SimonBurnCreative]

thanks!

[@daviddyephotography]

yes great philosophy excellent sage wisdom and advice, new to your channel. maybe in my next life I will be able to afford a nice Leica Q2 monochrome but being 72 and retired with very limited income, it just isn't possible. your shooting with the red filter feminds of my youth shooting bulk rolled Tri X so sweet !!!

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks David, the reason I got the Q2 monochrom was to relive my youth, like you, shooting black and white film with filters. I do have to eat beans on toast for the next 3 years though now. 😁

[@ruthlobner8114]

Love your strap! What is it? Oh, and great video, by the way. ;)

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks! Hawkesmill made my strap, it's the Westminster model. 😊

[@ruthlobner8114]

@@SimonBurnCreative Thank you so much!

[@RaymondParkerPhoto]

Nice work Simon! No need to apologize for not making every shot a keeper; we're lucky to get a few over a lifetime. What images do we think about when we speak of Cartier Bresson or Robert Doisneau? I still have all my 52mm filters--green, yellow, orange, red, blue--from my film days. Miss days out in Kensington Market. I used to live a hop, skip and jump away, at Queen W. & Bathurst (Palmerston to be exact). Definitely a great place to people watch and photograph.

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Thanks Ray! How lovely that you once lived nearby, very convenient, Kensington Market always delivers for photographers, such a great location. It's a bit of trip for me, so usually only get there 2-3 times a year.

[@burneshollyman2621]

Leica Q2 Monochomes seem to have truly black blacks. How much does the red filter contribute to it? I have a Q2 and I can't get the rich blacks with it. Will a red filter help? And what camera settings are you typically using?

[@SimonBurnCreative]

The red filter does make blues darker and richer, but the true black comes from the monochrom sensor, and also the way I process them. Settings, they vary, that doesn't effect the tone intensity. Although I do tend to underexpose a lot, but not sure you can do that so much with regular Q2.

[@burneshollyman2621]

It's what I thought: the monochrome sensor. The only truly black black I have ever seen in digital. And no, you can't get it with a regular Q2 :-( @@SimonBurnCreative

[@SimonBurnCreative]

@@burneshollyman2621 Time to sell the Q2 then? 😁 Actually, I'm a big believer that gear doesn't matter. The Q2M for the ultimate quality black and white is the only exception to this thinking.

[@burneshollyman2621]

So funny :-) If "gear didn't matter" we wouldn't be shelling out $6000 US for Leica Q series cameras.@@SimonBurnCreative

[@andrewcroft2570]

If you want to replicate film grain, why don't you just use a 35mm film camera?

[@SimonBurnCreative]

Good question. So many reasons. Cost of film and scanning. Time it takes to get the scanning done. Digital allows me to have more flexibility, like change ISO to shoot low light. Far better quality larger files. Having said all that, I bought some film to run through my old cameras, just for old times sake. Watch this space!

[@andrewcroft2570]

@@SimonBurnCreative i shoot either Kodak Vision 3 or bulk rolls of Ilford B&W I develop my own begs and DSLR scan, it costs me next to nothing. For the price of a Q2 I could almost buy me enough film and developers to last me over 10 years. I'm a pro photographer. I've had a Q2 monochrome total over priced and would never consider buying another. Leica they are Grossly overvalued

[@SimonBurnCreative]

@@andrewcroft2570 Well, having an opinion is a good thing. Value is a very subjective topic. I value my time most of all, that's why my processing and scanning days are long gone.