Welcome to my new Friday blog feature – a collection of things that inspire me each week. Some weeks will be themed, while I anticipate others to be a hodge podge of random stuff from around the web.

For my first 5 things Friday blog post I decided to post a few sources of inspiration under the topic of Street photography.I am so incredibly inspired by photographers who capture the world around them. I love the questions that street photography can evoke and that one simple image can tell an incredible story. Here are a few sites/blogs that I visit regularly for a little inspiration.

1. Vivian Maier
I’ve mentioned Vivian Maier on this blog before but she deserves an encore. Amazing historical collection of photos and a wonderful story about how they were discovered.

2. Shoot Tokyo
I came across this blog in my search for on-the-ground experiences following the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Now it acts as a daily visit to one of my favorite places in the world.

3. The Frame from The Sacramento Bee
A daily download of photos from around the world – some posts highlight a specific topic while others share a series of photos taken on the same day from around the world. Bonus points for allowing their full feed to display in my RSS reader.

4. Urban Weeds
Love this ode to real-life style on the streets of Portland. Although I am far from a fashionista, I find people’s individual styles fascinating and love the pairing of close up headshots with the full body photos on this blog. (Bonus points for the fact that I can identify most of the locations). I am really looking forward to seeing more in the uniforms series – example of hipster letter carrier below.

5. Markus Hartel street photography blog
A new discovery for me. I just love the way he describes street photography on his About Me page “What is street photography? A reflection of every day life – real, unaltered impressions of public places, places that everybody visits every day, the street where you live, the parking lot of your favorite grocery store, the subway. Street photographers document the truth – take candid pictures of things that you don’t notice in your daily grind. Street photography involves attention to detail. The photographer pays attention to scenes, moments that you only recognize subconsciously. The camera is an unobtrusive extension of the eye in any given situation. Oftentimes, street photographers take pictures they feel; the photographer happens to be there and captures the mood in a fraction of a second. He freezes a moment that you will forget in the same amount of time…”

So, there you have it. Just a few of the thousands of street photography blogs out there, but a few that inspire me. I’m always looking for new inspiration so feel free to share your own favorite street photography blogs in the comments.