Max Sidman

The Latest

02
Nov
Dublin, Ireland | 2026

Dublin, Ireland | 2026

In a daring 11th hour pre-travel plot twist, just before I left for the airport I decided to open up my backpack, pull out the hand-check-ready bag of unboxed, de-canistered Tri-X 400 film rolls, and replace the mechanical Leica MP with the digital M10 Monochrom, armed with the Elmarit 28mm f/2.8 lens. The
3 min read
21
Jun
Carnaval 2026, San Francisco

Carnaval 2026, San Francisco

The thing I always have to remind myself about events like Carnaval is that I need to pay more attention to the crowds than to the parade itself.
3 min read
25
May
Soundwaves: English noise rock revival, Georgia sludge, ’70s Japanese psych, and a heavy blast from Christmas past

Soundwaves: English noise rock revival, Georgia sludge, ’70s Japanese psych, and a heavy blast from Christmas past

There’s been a lotta rock in the speakers lately—mostly pretty heavy stuff, but also a fair amount of lively psych and b-side classic rock stuff.
2 min read
12
Apr
St. Patricks Day 2026, San Francisco

St. Patricks Day 2026, San Francisco

A spring Saturday afternoon walking through downtown SF along the St. Patty’s Day parade route with my camera.
2 min read
15
Feb
Paris | 2025

Paris | 2025

The easiest way to approach Paris as a photographer is to follow Henri Cartier-Bresson's footsteps. But you're not Cartier-Bresson, and neither am I.
4 min read
18
Jan
Soundwaves: Funky Brazilian jazz, raw nerve rap, Latin skater thrash, and a no-frills supergroup

Soundwaves: Funky Brazilian jazz, raw nerve rap, Latin skater thrash, and a no-frills supergroup

Three or four offerings from my revolving regular rotation. The rules: Snap reviews, only stuff I like, streaming and/or vinyl, links where I can.
2 min read
20
Dec
New York City | 2025

New York City | 2025

Stepping off a plane in New York for a mere stopover always feels like a starting gun going off, the beginning of a sprint.
2 min read
14
Dec
Shooting Zone Wide Open in the Streets

Shooting Zone Wide Open in the Streets

The challenge with shooting wide open in the streets is that things move quickly. In the time it takes to adjust focus, the next shot can be gone before you can press the shutter. This is where zone focusing comes in.
4 min read
23
Nov
Asking to photograph strangers. Also not asking.

Asking to photograph strangers. Also not asking.

I’m not much of a portrait photographer, but I’d like to get better at photographing willing participants. That includes barely willing participants, as strangers in the street often are.
4 min read