Finding My Frame: Six Years of Walking San Antonio with a Leica

Six years ago, I arrived in San Antonio with a Leica in my hand and the habits of a New Yorker still in my bones.

I didn’t know the streets yet. I didn’t have a favorite light. But I knew I’d walk them until the city spoke back. I’ve spent the last six years photographing downtown San Antonio, 3 of those years from 9- 5 pm Monday through Friday, capturing street life, shadows, and silence with Leica cameras. I have used so many iterations of the Leicas, but always an M.

Where NYC moved at a sprint, San Antonio moved like a whisper. The downtown core wasn’t bustling, but it was revealing, if you looked close enough. I was surprised that a city that is so tourist-centered could feel so empty at times. My initial reaction was “how was I going to continue with street photography? Could I possibly make inspiring images? One location that immediately stood out for me was Market Square, the shot below was shot on the M240 during one of my early San Antonio days.

San Antonio, Market Square, shot on the Leica M240 - John Hendrick | Street Photography

I stopped chasing the postcard shot. I started listening for rhythm. San Antonio gave me space to slow down, to miss shots, to see more. As a new person in town, I of course had to go through taking all the shots that had been done before. I do it freely because I feel that only after you have taken all these images can you truly start to see new points of view. You kind of have to go through the “postcard” shots to find that one. The shot below is what I use as an example to tell my students Don’t forget to look up.

San Antonio, Torch of Friendship, shot on Leica M240 - John Hendrick | Street Photography

I shoot exclusively with Leica cameras, currently the M11P, and walk the city with no set route. Just light, instinct, and patience. As a Leica street photographer in San Antonio, what I noticed six years in, I still find new corners. New shadows. New ways to tell the same streets differently. This is the first in a series, stories from the sidewalk, notes from a Leica lens, and reflections on what it means to see the world one frame at a time.

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