Street Photography is one of the most controversial genres in the art of photography. Some have even described it as unethical.
Being a Street Photographer myself I believe that all in all we get a pretty bad press from the public and sometimes even other photographers claiming it’s wrong to photograph strangers without permission.
To me Street Photography is more then taking photos on the street its photography in its purest form. Ever since the camera became portable its been a race to capture “that moment” of ordinary life which isn’t so ordinary. For me It’s about capturing the world the way you see it and showing others what they may have missed if you hadn’t spotted that moment.
In this day and age this is more important than ever before.. even though we share everything in our lives with the ones that matter most to us were all far too busy on our smart phones being ” social ” that we are missing the little bits of everyday life.
I’m even guilty of this.
Yes some Street Photographers like the great Bruce Gilden are hard to defend…the way he gets into people’s personal space and takes that shot is sometimes cringe worthy but that’s his style and for me he’s one of the most influential Street Photographers ever. I admire his carefree attitude and balls towards photographing people the way he does on the street.
Many of us Street Photographers are not old men with flasher macs on luring at people with a 70 – 300 lens through bushes. Well I’m not any way lol I’m a 24 year old dressed in chinos with a slicked back quift tattoos and the rest. I’m not inhumane or unethical I’m just a lad who wants to capture the extraordinary and share it.
The beauty of this misunderstood genre is that anyone can shoot Street Photography it is the most accessible genre of photography, you don’t need a big expensive DSLR or a top end rangefinder…some of the most inspiring street photos are taken with an iPhone. I personally use a Vogtilander Bessa r2 but In this genre it’s not the camera its the eye… The camera is just the tool you capture that moment with so use whatever you feel comfortable with.
So all in all us Street Photographers are a sociable bunch and love to talk to people we photograph not hide away like we are doing something seedy or illegal. We take your photo because through the ordinary daily life we’ve spotted something different in you.
Thanks for reading
Christopher Devereux
Links:
Website: www.urbanobserved.co.uk
Twitter: @chrisdevphoto
Well written piece of literature explaining my feeling better that I could.
I think street photography makes a lot of people uncomfortable because sometimes it depicts a side of life they don’t particularly want to acknowledge.
I like that we have this conversation, I like your take on what is in the mind of the photographer, and true street photographer.
Thank you!
Jeff
Thanks guys!
Just wanted to share my thoughts on the genre 🙂
Good for you. I’m a relic.. an slr purist that hasn’t deviated from real photography. Mostly because I’m now legally blind. I miss the grit. Thank you for sharing real life.
glad people like it 🙂
Thank you for such a wonderful and thoughtful article!
Well written article. Street photography is definitely controversial and in some cases unethical. I think it depends on how you approach people. Walk up, take a photo, say thank you. Maybe hand them your card. Thats how I would do it. I do get dismayed when I hear people praise Bruce Gilden and say how great he is. To me, he is just an asshole, nothing else. It takes no skill to do what he does. I dont think his images are particularly good and his approach is very distasteful. Many will disagree with me, but thats fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
As i said his style is totally unique – well it was there is a few copy cat acts around but the way he gets the shot at any cost is admirable the coney island book is an absolute must for any photographer