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John Edwin Mason

John Edwin Mason teaches African history and the history of photography at the University of Virginia. He is writing a book about the photographer, writer, and filmmaker Gordon Parks.

Street Photography in Johannesburg: Akinbode Akinbiyi

I love the way that Nigerian photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi works. I mean his approach to photography and the way that he uses his camera. At least in the video below, he's shooting with a Rollei Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera, using the sports finder. That immediately makes him one of my favorite photographers. I adore Rollei TLRs, and it's tremendous fun to use the sports finder. The technique, like the camera itself, went out of fashion in the early '60s, except among fans and eccentrics. (I'm both, I'll admit.)