my street photography
How was street photography for me?
Personally for me, i did not ask anyone to take their pictures as i am shy and i found it intimidate to do it and for me it is hard to approach a stranger and ask if i can take a picture of them but other students in my class just dived in and asked them without no fear at all. I took pictures of buildings on melton road and i looked for interesting things to capture. I think that street photography is all about taking fun and interesting and capturing funny moments and moments that other people miss. I saw weird things like a man pulling creepy and weird faces which is funny. There is lots of interesting things in my area and lots more to see and find. If i was more confident and more used to asking strangers for pictures it would have been better but for me its hard to just go dive in but for others it isn't so hard. However I did manage to get many good photographs and pictures of street photography. This experience shows that I should be more confident so I myself can ask strangers for pictures.
What do they take pictures of in Street photography? where? who? when? why?
What is street photography?
The first question you might be thinking is: “What is street photography?”
Simply put, street photography is about documenting everyday life and society. I personally don’t think street photography needs to be shot in the street. You can shoot at the airport, at the mall, at the beach, at the park, in the bus or subway, in the doctor’s office, in the grocery store, or in any other public places.
Furthermore, street photography is generally done candidly (without permission and without knowledge of your subjects). However I personally don’t think that street photography has to be candid. You can ask for permission when taking a photograph of a stranger. I don’t think just because a photo is candid makes it any better than a photo with permission. The most important thing in street photography is to capture emotion, humanity, and soul.
Therefore if you are drawn to taking photos in public (of mostly people) you are probably interested in street photography. Also as a side-note, I don’t think that street photography has to include people in it (although the best ones generally do have people in it).
So don’t worry so much about what “street photography” is and isn’t. The most important thing at the end of the day is creating powerful, compelling, and emotional images.
What to look for when shooting in the streets
1. “The decisive moment”
Henri Cartier Bresson, 1932. The “Decisive Moment” of the man about to land in the puddle.“The decisive moment” was a phrase coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the earliest practitioners of street photographers. “The decisive moment” is the same as the “Kodak moment” where everything comes together in a perfect moment, and you hit the shutter. So essentially it is capturing the photo with the perfect timing.
But realize “the decisive moment” is a bit misleading. There can be many “decisive moments” when you’re out shooting in the streets. This means if you see a good street photography scene, don’t just take one photograph. Take a ton of shots (I recommend 10-30 photos if possible). Even Henri Cartier-Bresson took 20+ photos of a single scene (if he thought it was interesting enough). Then afterwards in the editing process he would choose which image he felt was the best.
You can catch “the decisive moment” by the position of a person in the frame, in their facial expression, in their hand gesture, or their action or movement.
2. Juxtaposition
Zurich, 2011. Note the “juxtaposition” of the figure on the left and rightIn street photography, you can create a strong image by juxtaposing elements in your frame. Juxtaposition is essentially a fancy word for contrast. But to be more specific, juxtaposition is when you put two different elements in a frame that directly contradict one another (while having a relationship). For example: taking a street photograph of a fat man next to a skinny man, a grandmother next to a child, someone in a red shirt in front of a green background (juxtaposing colors), etc.
To create a strong juxtaposition shot, you can either start off by looking for an interesting background (let’s say a billboard of a man looking happy) and waiting for someone who looks really happy to enter the frame.
Another strategy could be looking for certain emotions in people when you’re out on the street, and trying to find emotions of other people in the street that either are similar or dissimilar– and include them in the frame.
3. Emotion
London, 2012. Note the emotion in the man’s face and hand-gesture. What do you think is on his mind?To me, the most memorable street photographs are the ones that have strong emotion and show some sort of reflection on the human condition. This can include happiness, pain, sadness, loneliness, humor, anxiety, youth, and love.
To find emotion in street photographs is difficult. First of all, you have to find the emotion in the streets through peoples’ body language or facial expressions. Then you have to be quick enough to take the photograph before people notice you. However if you do it well, you will create a compelling and emotional image that people can connect with on a deeper level.
4. Graphical/visual elements
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos. BRAZIL. Sao Paulo. 1960.Not all street photography needs to be super emotional. Some street photographs are purely visual images– that appeal to our sense of geometry, composition, and composition. These images are generally shot in good light with nice lights and shadows, have strong diagonal lines, leading lines, curves, and shapes of interest.
5. Focusing on details
Downtown LA, 2012. Sometimes just by focusing on the hands, you can make a more powerful image.Some of the best street photographs focus on the details, not the whole picture. When you are shooting on the streets, you can focus on small details. This means rather than taking a full-body shot of someone on the streets, focus on their hands, their face, their earrings, their hands, their feet, or anything else they are holding.
By showing less of what is going on in the photograph, you create more mystery in your image. Less is more.
6. Urban landscapes
Pittsburgh, 2013. Note the juxtaposition between the abandoned soda machines and the dilapidated buildings in the background.I don’t think street photography has to include people in it. Sometimes you can create compelling urban landscapes that show some sort of human condition and reflection on society.
The hardest thing to do in urban landscapes is to find a scene that somehow elicits a sense of nostalgia, emotion, or societal critique. For example, photographing a run-down building can make a strong societal statement.
When photographing urban landscapes, it is also extremely important to have a nice composition, sense of symmetry, and balance.
It is hard to make interesting urban landscapes– but to better capture them you can read my guide on urban landscapes.
7. Commonly found objects
Melbourne, 2012. A photograph of a colorful mattress I saw in a garage.Sometimes the most interesting street photographs are of stuff on the ground. So take photos of common objects you find in public places. Get close up to them, juxtapose them against other objects, and experiment using a flash. Try to be creative and find ways to make them interesting.
8. Self-portraits
Self portrait by Lee FriedlanderIf you have a hard time finding an interesting subject, use yourself as the subject. Superimpose yourself into your images with your shadows and reflections. Create interesting frames and compositions, and see how you can add a sense of mystery or intrigue to your images by having yourself in it.
The first question you might be thinking is: “What is street photography?”
Simply put, street photography is about documenting everyday life and society. I personally don’t think street photography needs to be shot in the street. You can shoot at the airport, at the mall, at the beach, at the park, in the bus or subway, in the doctor’s office, in the grocery store, or in any other public places.
Furthermore, street photography is generally done candidly (without permission and without knowledge of your subjects). However I personally don’t think that street photography has to be candid. You can ask for permission when taking a photograph of a stranger. I don’t think just because a photo is candid makes it any better than a photo with permission. The most important thing in street photography is to capture emotion, humanity, and soul.
Therefore if you are drawn to taking photos in public (of mostly people) you are probably interested in street photography. Also as a side-note, I don’t think that street photography has to include people in it (although the best ones generally do have people in it).
So don’t worry so much about what “street photography” is and isn’t. The most important thing at the end of the day is creating powerful, compelling, and emotional images.
What to look for when shooting in the streets
1. “The decisive moment”
Henri Cartier Bresson, 1932. The “Decisive Moment” of the man about to land in the puddle.“The decisive moment” was a phrase coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the earliest practitioners of street photographers. “The decisive moment” is the same as the “Kodak moment” where everything comes together in a perfect moment, and you hit the shutter. So essentially it is capturing the photo with the perfect timing.
But realize “the decisive moment” is a bit misleading. There can be many “decisive moments” when you’re out shooting in the streets. This means if you see a good street photography scene, don’t just take one photograph. Take a ton of shots (I recommend 10-30 photos if possible). Even Henri Cartier-Bresson took 20+ photos of a single scene (if he thought it was interesting enough). Then afterwards in the editing process he would choose which image he felt was the best.
You can catch “the decisive moment” by the position of a person in the frame, in their facial expression, in their hand gesture, or their action or movement.
2. Juxtaposition
Zurich, 2011. Note the “juxtaposition” of the figure on the left and rightIn street photography, you can create a strong image by juxtaposing elements in your frame. Juxtaposition is essentially a fancy word for contrast. But to be more specific, juxtaposition is when you put two different elements in a frame that directly contradict one another (while having a relationship). For example: taking a street photograph of a fat man next to a skinny man, a grandmother next to a child, someone in a red shirt in front of a green background (juxtaposing colors), etc.
To create a strong juxtaposition shot, you can either start off by looking for an interesting background (let’s say a billboard of a man looking happy) and waiting for someone who looks really happy to enter the frame.
Another strategy could be looking for certain emotions in people when you’re out on the street, and trying to find emotions of other people in the street that either are similar or dissimilar– and include them in the frame.
3. Emotion
London, 2012. Note the emotion in the man’s face and hand-gesture. What do you think is on his mind?To me, the most memorable street photographs are the ones that have strong emotion and show some sort of reflection on the human condition. This can include happiness, pain, sadness, loneliness, humor, anxiety, youth, and love.
To find emotion in street photographs is difficult. First of all, you have to find the emotion in the streets through peoples’ body language or facial expressions. Then you have to be quick enough to take the photograph before people notice you. However if you do it well, you will create a compelling and emotional image that people can connect with on a deeper level.
4. Graphical/visual elements
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos. BRAZIL. Sao Paulo. 1960.Not all street photography needs to be super emotional. Some street photographs are purely visual images– that appeal to our sense of geometry, composition, and composition. These images are generally shot in good light with nice lights and shadows, have strong diagonal lines, leading lines, curves, and shapes of interest.
5. Focusing on details
Downtown LA, 2012. Sometimes just by focusing on the hands, you can make a more powerful image.Some of the best street photographs focus on the details, not the whole picture. When you are shooting on the streets, you can focus on small details. This means rather than taking a full-body shot of someone on the streets, focus on their hands, their face, their earrings, their hands, their feet, or anything else they are holding.
By showing less of what is going on in the photograph, you create more mystery in your image. Less is more.
6. Urban landscapes
Pittsburgh, 2013. Note the juxtaposition between the abandoned soda machines and the dilapidated buildings in the background.I don’t think street photography has to include people in it. Sometimes you can create compelling urban landscapes that show some sort of human condition and reflection on society.
The hardest thing to do in urban landscapes is to find a scene that somehow elicits a sense of nostalgia, emotion, or societal critique. For example, photographing a run-down building can make a strong societal statement.
When photographing urban landscapes, it is also extremely important to have a nice composition, sense of symmetry, and balance.
It is hard to make interesting urban landscapes– but to better capture them you can read my guide on urban landscapes.
7. Commonly found objects
Melbourne, 2012. A photograph of a colorful mattress I saw in a garage.Sometimes the most interesting street photographs are of stuff on the ground. So take photos of common objects you find in public places. Get close up to them, juxtapose them against other objects, and experiment using a flash. Try to be creative and find ways to make them interesting.
8. Self-portraits
Self portrait by Lee FriedlanderIf you have a hard time finding an interesting subject, use yourself as the subject. Superimpose yourself into your images with your shadows and reflections. Create interesting frames and compositions, and see how you can add a sense of mystery or intrigue to your images by having yourself in it.
Some Street Photographers
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus (March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for photographs of marginalized people—dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, circus performers—and others whose normality was perceived by the general populace as ugly or surreal.
In 1972, a year after she took her own life, Arbus became the first American photographer to have photographs displayed at the Venice Biennale. Millions viewed traveling exhibitions of her work in 1972–1979. Between 2003 and 2006, Arbus and her work were the subjects of another major traveling exhibition, Diane Arbus Revelations. In 2006, the motion picture Fur, starring Nicole Kidman as Arbus, presented a fictional version of her life story. |
Trente Parke
Trent Parke (born 1971) is an Australian photographer. He has created a number of photography books; won numerous national and international awards including four World Press Photo Awards; and his photographs are held in numerous public and private collections. He is a member of Magnum Photos and represented by Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide and Stills Gallery, Sydney.
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Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden (born 1946 in Brooklyn, New York) is a street photographer. He is best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a flashgun. He has had numerous books of his work published, has received the European Publishers Award for Photography and is a Guggenheim Fellow.
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Polly Braden
Christophe Agou
Christophe Agou (1969 – September 2015) was a French documentary photographer and street photographer who lived in New York City. His work has been published in books and is held in public collections. He was a member of the In-Public street photography collective.
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Andrew Z Glickman
ANDREW Z. GLICKMAN was born and raised in New York City and received his education at the Bronx High School of Science and the University of Virginia. His work has been supported by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and exhibited at galleries and museums including the Art Institute of Chicago. Photographs from this series have been published by the Urban Institute and Communication Arts. Glickman lives with his wife and son in Bethesda, Maryland.
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Nils Jorgensen
1973-78 Educated at The King’s School, Canterbury, UK.
1979-81 Studied Photography at the West Surrey College of Art and Design, UK. 1981-82 Stringer photographer for Associated Press, Nairobi, East Africa. 1982-2011 Staff photographer at Rex Features Ltd, London, UK. 2002 Joined online street photographers’ collective In-Public. 2002 First exhibition, a joint show at The Acute Angle gallery, London, UK. 2005 Led Street Photography Workshops, Tate Modern, London, UK. 2006 “Crosswalks: Contemporary Street Photography,” joint exhibition. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, USA. 2006 “Onto the Streets” joint exhibition, Photofusion, London, UK. 2010 “in-public@10″ joint exhibition, Photofusion, London, UK. 2010 Published in Thames and Hudson’s ‘Street Photography Now’. 2011 Freelance photographer 2011 Work acquired by The Museum of London, UK. 2011 Format International Photography Festival, joint exhibition. Derby, UK. 2011 “London Street Photography” joint exhibition, The Museum of London, UK. 2011 The London Street Photography Festival, joint exhibitioin, London St Pancras International Station, London, UK. 2012 Contemporary London Street Photograph, The London Festival of Photography, joint exhibition. King’s Cross Station, London, UK. it. |
Jeff Mermelstein
Jeff Mermelstein (born 1957) is a photojournalist and street photographer, known for his work in New York City
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Mimi Mollica
Mimi Mollica is an award winning photographer, born in Palermo - Sicily in 1975. His photo essays deal with social issues and topics related to identity, environment, migration and macroscopic human transitions. Mimi chooses to work on long term projects which allow him to research explore and develop a subject in depth. As a result Mimi had travelled and photographed across the continents working on assignment and on his personal projects.
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