Black and white street photography by Thomas Leuthard

Thomas Leuthard is a documentary and street photographer from Zug, currently based in Hünenberg See, Switzerland. He likes taking photos of people as they go about their lives, on the streets where it all takes place. He also likes traveling to the big cities of the World to enjoy this passion of his.

Below are some great street photos taken by Thomas and his answers to a few questions I asked him.

How long have you been into photography?  What got you into it to begin with?

I bought my first DSLR 5 years ago when I decided to try out this kind of thing, after I saw an advertisement of some cameras in a computer magazine. I started to focus on street photography in May 2009, when I really got into it. Before I was just snapping around and learning the basics.

It was just out of curiosity to try out something new. Learning how to use a DSLR and how to make a photograph that looks more interesting and different than a snapshot. I have always been interested in trying out new things.

Obviously you like street photography, black and white in particular. How did that come about?

I was in Beijing at the Olympics in 2008 and realized that life on the streets is much more interesting than I had ever expected. I began becoming more intrigued by the human condition and started to shoot in the streets of the biggest cities in Switzerland. At the beginning I shot only with an 85mm and full scenes (from across the streets). I started publishing in black and white from the beginning, because it reduces the photograph to mere forms, patterns and content. Colors often distract and disturb the image.

How do you approach your subjects on the street?

I just walk around and look for interesting faces, scenes, background or lines, then I try to approach the people without them taking notice of my presence, which is not always easy. It’s important that the moment is taken in a candid way and that the person is not posing. I normally don’t ask either, not before nor after the shot.

How does photography fulfill you as a person?

It is a good balance to my job in IT and a good reason to travel. It gives me recognition and I meet a lot of people. Photography took me to places I had never been before and it let me find out a lot of things about life and the World. It is a different view and a way of life which I like a lot at the moment.

What keeps you inspired?

For me it’s mainly the photos of other photographers, new cities, new ideas, projects and also discussions with friends. Sometimes I lose the motivation and inspiration, but I’ve always came back so far. I hope this will remain for a long time.

For more black and white street photography by Thomas Leuthard, you can visit his flickr photostream here or his website here.

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