"Some of my best photos are taken when simply being a tourist, that is why I love my Leica Q2 - I don’t need to carry heavy kit all day"

A person stands in a doorway, framed by a vibrant yellow door, creating a striking visual contrast, hard sun creates shadows and light interplay

(Image credit: Andy Nelson)

UK photographer Andy Nelson is primarily focusing on street and travel photography. He is a Leica shooter, and adds, "Some of my best photos are taken when simply being a tourist, that is why I love my Leica Q2. I don’t need to carry my heavy professional kit with me all day, and I can still take pro-quality photos. Compact cameras have a beautiful place in the world of photography!".

I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his work and analyzing his image 'Torres de Quart'. We discussed the techniques he used to capture the photo and why it works...

1. Subject = Success

Incorporating or excluding a subject significantly influences the success of a photograph, says Andy. "I took the same photo without the person… it wasn’t great. The image didn’t give a place for the eye to rest. In this image, the subject allows the eye to focus on an area of interest and adds an element of curiosity. I like that the silhouette overlaps the most vibrant area of the photo, doubling the emphasis on where the eye should land." The silhouette of the individual is rendered prominently, effectively obscuring the identity of the subject while retaining the viewer’s attention.

2. Playing by the rules

"The key area of the photo falls nicely into multiple rules of composition. It fits perfectly into the upper-right intersect of the rule of thirds, almost fits perfectly into the Fibonacci spiral, and sits on the shoulder of the golden ratio. The vertical brick line in the middle is perfectly aligned to the center vertical line; the horizontal brick line is on the upper line of the golden ratio," explains Andy. "In my naïve youth, I thought composition rules were ‘restrictive to the creative expression’. When I look back at my favorite photos, they all follow common composition rules, even my candid ones!"

3. Strong sunlight

Harsh sunlight? Stop down and let contrast be your friend, says Andy. "To the naked eye, the shadows weren’t as deep, and the yellow wall was not as vibrant. To a camera set to its default exposure, the harsh sunlight blew out the highlights. I noticed interesting shapes from the strong sunlight being blocked off by the walls behind me, and set my preview exposure to -2 stops. It was only when I looked through the viewfinder that I saw the potential in the composition – the deep black shadows and vibrant highlights looked amazing!"

4. Color family

"I’m still new to the subtle art of color science, it’s something I aim to get better at this year," explains Andy. When he edits photographs, he uses color.adobe.com to find a color harmony that can balance the photo. He says, "This image has a monochromatic color harmony (yellow through to black). The original photo was well-balanced anyway, but I used Lightroom to remove some magenta and red creeping into the midtones. It’s a marginal gain that really helps improve quality by removing distractions."

Tech details

Camera and lens : Leica Q2 and Summilux 28mm 1:1.7/28 ASPH
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/500 sec
ISO: 100

Andy Nelson

Based in Warwickshire, UK, Andy primarily focuses on street and travel photography. He enjoys the challenge of taking new and unique compositions in popular tourist locations. While enjoying photography passionately as a hobby, Andy holds himself to professional standards and wouldn’t say no to a National Geographic assignment!

Others in the Why Shots Work series

Kim is the Technique Editor of Digital Photographer Magazine. She specializes in architecture, still life and product photography and has a Master's degree in Photography and Media with a distinction from the FH Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in Germany. While studying, Kim came to the UK for an exchange term at the London College of Communication. She settled in the UK and began her career path by joining Future. Kim focuses on tutorials and creative techniques, and particularly enjoys interviewing inspiring photographers who concentrate on a range of fascinating subjects including women in photography, the climate crisis; the planet, its precious creatures and the environment.