Shooting

When Ilona Szwarc moved to New York City from Warsaw in 2008, her goal was to be a street photographer in the tradition of her heroes Garry Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz, and Bruce Gilden. So, like them, she began shooting the crowds along Fifth Avenue.Now 28, Szwarc might not have known she was shooting near the flagship American Girls doll store had she not noticed a trend pop up in her images—little girls, all holding dolls that look like they do, customized in hair and skin color as well as fashion. After stopping a few of them to learn the story, she became fascinated.

Want to make your camera system even more flexible? Lens adapters can open your world to an array of alternatives—whether the glass you crave is bizarre, classic, or simply no longer made. These magic rings can make many lenses fit on cameras they weren’t made for. Here’s how to put adpaters to work. Also check out our lens adapting compatiblity chart for even more info. 

“I wanted a cat’s-eye view of my neighbor’s pet, so I set my Canon PowerShot G9 on the step of my stoop and waited for her to get accustomed to it,” says San Francisco-based artist and healthcare worker Darwin Bell. “Because the camera was a nonthreatening compact, she wasn’t disturbed by it.”Soon enough, he reached down, pressed the shutter, and nabbed this beauty. His tips for feline photos: