Analog street photography
This is a personal field note from an analog street photography session in Berlin, made with a Canon AE-1 and Kodak Gold 200. It is not a camera review; it is a record of how that simple film setup felt while walking, looking and waiting for pictures in the city.
On this page: Analog Street Photography in Berlin
- The Camera: Canon AE-1
- The Film: Kodak Gold 200
- Berlin locations
- Shooting film in the street
- FAQs
- Gallery
The Camera: Canon AE-1
The Canon AE-1 is a 35 mm SLR from the 1970s and 1980s. For this session, I used a Canon AE-1 with a 50 mm f/1.8 lens—an uncomplicated, versatile combination for walking the streets. After years of using digital cameras, returning to an SLR body, manual focus and the camera’s light meter made me slow down and work with the scene differently.
The Film: Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200 was the film I chose for this session. Its warm, gentle rendering suited the everyday colour I was looking for in Berlin, helping the pictures keep an “old but gold” feeling without forcing it.
Berlin Locations for Analog Street Photography
Berlin offers a wide range of places for street photography, and even after years in the city I still find new corners worth returning to. For this analog session, I gravitated toward the urban textures and changing light of East Berlin, then photographed around Maybachufer in Kreuzberg, where the regular market can give way to the Nowkoelln Flowmarkt. For a broader planning resource, see my guide on where to take photos in Berlin.
Shooting Analog Street Photography in Berlin
For a long time, I had not taken a street photography session with only an analog camera. Digital cameras had become the cameras I carried everywhere, so working with the Canon AE-1 was a welcome change: I had to return to manual focus, pay closer attention to the light meter and accept a slower rhythm.
Compared with a rangefinder, the Canon AE-1 feels relatively heavy, so it may be less suited to photographers seeking maximum discretion. For film photographers looking for a dependable 35 mm SLR, it offered me a straightforward and rewarding working process. The 50 mm f/1.8 lens gave me the rendering I wanted, with shallow depth of field at wider apertures and useful sharpness when stopped down. I enjoyed those days with the camera and hope the photographs below convey some of that experience.
Analog Street Photography FAQs
What camera and film were used for this Berlin session?
The photographs in this session were made with a Canon AE-1, a 50 mm f/1.8 lens and Kodak Gold 200 film.
Where were these analog street photographs made?
They were made in Berlin, including urban areas in the east of the city and around Maybachufer in Kreuzberg.
Why use film for street photography?
For this session, film made the process feel slower and more deliberate. Working with manual focus and the light meter encouraged closer attention before pressing the shutter.
Analog Street Photography Gallery
Here you can view some of the photos from my session:
Written by Ishay Lindenberg, a Berlin-based photographer.
I share the photographs that do not fit into an article—and the ones that are still asking a question. If you are in Berlin and want to talk photography, prints or workshops, you can get in touch.