Maps Are Great. Curiosity Is Better | Street Photography & Travel Reflections

Two tourists reading a city map on a busy Oxford street, captured on a Leica M6 using Ilford HP5 Plus film during a street photography walk. — Oxford City Centre Tourists

What is the 500 series?

I'm going to write a weekly 500-word blog on a range of topics, from photography and travel to the lessons I've learnt from both, while I wait for my next adventure.

The idea behind The 500 Series comes from the camera settings I rely on most. When I'm shooting street or travel photography, my Leica is almost always set to 1/500 sec at f/8. It's a classic rangefinder setup using zone focusing: simple, reliable and ready for those fleeting moments that appear without warning.

Every lead image in The 500 Series begins the same way: 1/500 sec, f/8. Those settings prepare the camera, but curiosity prepares the photographer. Every week I'll pair one photograph with a short reflection, because the stories behind photographs are often just as important as the photographs themselves.

Now, I'm not a professional street or travel photographer. I just enjoy seeing the world through a camera. In fact, my move from the Canon 5D Mark IV to the Leica M system came from a desire to carry less kit and to use a kit that lets me enjoy the process of photography as much as the final image.

I always begin with a plan. Before I visit somewhere new, I'll spend time exploring Google Maps, looking for interesting streets, hidden corners and potential compositions.

It's a great way to form ideas.

But I've learnt that the best photographs and some of my favourite travel memories have happened the moment I stopped following the route on my phone.

When I travel with a camera for street photography, I'm not trying to collect landmarks or recreate other people's images. I'm looking for moments that couldn't have been planned.

Like the images below of the man who suddenly jumped onto the plinth of a statue for no apparent reason, the man asleep in the middle of a field with his shopping bag beside him or the runner at The Colosseum throwing up a peace sign.

None of those moments were on my itinerary. They happened because I stayed curious, wandered a little further and paid attention to what was happening around me.

Curiosity isn't just about looking. It's about listening too.

One of my favourite photographs came moments after I stepped out of a station in Paris. I heard music, voices and a growing crowd nearby. So instead of carrying on to Palais Garnier, I followed the noise.

A few minutes later, I found people gathered in the street, passionately sharing their faith. Without curiosity, I would have missed one of my favourite images from the trip.

So use the map. Book the museum. Find the restaurant everyone recommends.

But every once in a while, put your phone away and take the street you hadn't planned to walk down.

Look up. Look down. Listen and take your time.

Because the greatest moments in travel and in street photography are rarely the ones you've planned for.

Maps will get you to a destination. Curiosity will help you discover a place.