Bruce Gilden is famous for his confrontational street photography style—bringing a flash right into people’s faces with close-range, candid shots. Here's what he uses: Primary Camera: Leica M6 (classic rangefinder) For decades, Gilden has relied on the Leica M6 , sometimes a black-painted Leica MP for discretion . Leica M6 He shoots with a wide-angle lens —commonly a 28 mm or a 21 mm lens—so he can get extremely close to his subjects. Flash Setup: Handheld, cable or off-camera flash He carries a powerful Vivitar 285 (or 283) bare-bulb flash attached via a PC-sync cable —often raised above his camera to light faces from a high angle . Some have spotted him using modern equivalents like Speedlights (e.g., Nikon SB‑900), but the Vivitar remains iconic. Technique: crouches, bursts a flash at f/8–f/16 , around ¹⁄₁₈₀ s , ensuring sharp, high‑contrast portraits in daylight. Alternative Kits & Evolution More recently, Gilden embraced the Leica S (medium-format...
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange