02.47.13 The Soul of the City | |
 Thomas KakarekoAs tram tracks snake through Berlin’s Mitte district, leading towards the iconic Berliner Fernsehturm TV tower, a lone figure steps out among their converging lines, silhouetted against the low sun. It’s a scene with impact, beauty and a human core. “I think I always saw street photography in that way,” says its creator, Thomas Kakareko. “Even from the start, I always seemed to take street images that were as scenic as they were documentarian. I always framed them within the geometry of the city and used leading lines along with the light - it was instinctual. ” Armed with his Sony Alpha 7R IV, Thomas is able to capture these moments and “make the city come alive with light.”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7S II + FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS | 1/640s @ f/9.0, ISO 125As special as the golden hour is, it is just a component within Thomas’s images, as it takes careful planning and selection to get the right shot, all against the ticking clock of that changing light. “You have to have something happening in that light,” he explains, “and I usually look for scenes with energy. I combine these situations with places where I know there’ll be people crossing the streets, framed in the light, so it’s all part of the bigger picture. The human element, even if it’s small or silhouetted, creates the story in the image. Luckily, having worked in Berlin for so long, I know where and when the light will be right in the busier parts of the city, so the rest is just about patience.”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7R III + FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM | 1/400s @ f/10, ISO 125A great example of that patience can be seen in another of Thomas’s shots taken with his Sony Alpha 7R IV, one with golden colour flooding through a metro bridge with another lone figure framed beneath. “I usually have a certain composition in mind before I set about shooting,” he explains, “and this shot was a case of finding it, then waiting until everything fell into place. Along the way, there’ll sometimes be too many people, not enough people, or even a van in the way… but eventually, you nail the moment. It’s rarely possible to arrive at a place and find it to be perfect in the first instance!”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7R IV + FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS + 1.4x Teleconverter | 1/400s @ f/4.0, ISO 100In this case, and unlike many of his more traditional street shots, Thomas used an FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM lens on his Sony Alpha 7R IV, picking out the composition from distance. “I set up on a tripod,” he explains, “and waited for half an hour, letting the scene unfold through rush hour. Longer focal lengths like that are fantastic for finding scenes within scenes, and those special little moments within the big city. Their compression also shows the scale of a place.” “But typically, my favourite setup is to use a 24-70mm f/4 on one of my Alpha bodies”, he continues. “What I love about that combination with the mirrorless body is that it’s super light, so perfect for street photography. I don't like to carry much weight, not even a backpack if I can help it, as it distracts me.”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7S + FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS | 1/60s @ f/4.0, ISO 160“Another advantage when working on sunset scenes are the brilliant electronic viewfinders (EVF) on the Sony camera.,” he continues. “I like to shoot in Manual exposure mode, and the live feedback from the EVF means I can see exactly how the exposure will be. As well as shooting with the Alpha’s RAW files that are so full of dynamic range, it means I can make sure there’s the perfect balance of detail in the highlights and shadows.” “Like most street photography, many of my sunset shots also need to capture movement,” Thomas says, “and so I also rely on my Sony cameras’ autofocus to nail the subject and their high ISO performance which lets me freeze these figures in motion. Most of the time, people aren’t standing still and nor am I, so even against the sunset glow, the shutter speed needs to stay up. Used together, it’s almost impossible to get a blurry shot.”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7R III + FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM | 1/320s @ f/2.8, ISO 800Finally, alongside all the planning and technical application that goes into his brilliant images, it’s inspiring to hear that, for Thomas, shooting sunsets can still have a profound effect on him personally. “Maybe my favourite sunset scene is this one of a cyclist riding off into the light,” he says. “It was taken during the first lockdown in Berlin, at a time when I’d lost all my inspiration as well as a lot of my work. I just couldn't seem to break out of that cycle.”  © Thomas Kakareko | Sony α7R IV + FE 85mm f/1.4 GM | 1/200s @ f/8.0, ISO 250“But one evening when I was out for dinner,” he smiles, “I saw the sunset popping up from the skyline and something within me responded to that light again, so I grabbed my Alpha 7R IV. Then suddenly, this dude came from the side on his bicycle to enter the frame and for a second, it felt like I did in my early days. After that, I started to go out more frequently again. And a few weeks later, I was feeling like a photographer again.” Featured products         | |
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