Curious — What defines a perfect street shot for you?

It was fishy from get go, but it triggered valuable talk.

Yes, even if for no other purpose. Or was this only fishing for street photos? So far, we know nothing.

Note the key words in OP's third paragraph - "We’ve been curating standout street visuals..."

I posted a response out of curiosity. But I didn't include any visuals.

It seems at least he is open about what he is doing. Or am I being cynical again...

Is this for a project or a client? And will they pay fees/royalties for any images used? Questions.

If so he will surely catch some mightily good ones here.
 
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@Elizha, is this your website? Please share some "street visuals" examples 😎. I'm not seeing anything street related on your modeling website.


I'm sure some of the guys here are dying to become models 🤣

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Hey all — just wanted to clear the air since a few folks brought it up.


My original post was meant to genuinely start a discussion around what people value in a great street photo — just opened the topic out of curiosity.


Honestly, some of the replies here have been really insightful — I got a lot of value from them and appreciated how people shared their perspectives so openly. That was the goal.


We’ve been curating a mix of visual styles lately internally, and street photography’s been coming up more in our convos — so I thought I’d ask the pros here what they think makes a shot really work.


Just here to learn, observe, and be part of the conversation. Appreciate all the amazing responses so far!
 
Yes, even if for no other purpose. Or was this only fishing for street photos? So far, we know nothing.

Note the key words in OP's third paragraph - "We’ve been curating standout street visuals..."

I posted a response out of curiosity. But I didn't include any visuals.

It seems at least he is open about what he is doing. Or am I being cynical again...

Is this for a project or a client? And will they pay fees/royalties for any images used? Questions.

If so he will surely catch some mightily good ones here.
In a thread I posted about shooting weddings, a new poster asked about what they should do with their Canon 5D Mark II at a friend's wedding. I and a few others gave detailed instructions and suggestions. This poster has since disappeared and deleted their account and messages, or perhaps our mods @MP Guy or @Sonnar Brian saw something we didn't, and deleted the poster. It's not unusual for public fora to have drive-by spam posts, but I've only seen it once every few years on RFF. I note that the OP of this topic @Elizha has not returned...
 
To quote US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in his concurring opinion in the 1964 case Jacobellis v. Ohio, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it..."
 
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For me it has to:

- Respects the subjects it depicts. Even if the subject is caught in a vulnerable or funny moment, it is depicted in a respectful way.
- it is nicely composed.
- it is as simple as possible.
- depicts every day life but in a slightly unusual way.

Some of the pictures I took that I like that I strive to reach the above:

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The OP asked "Curious — What defines a perfect street shot for you?"

Once again I quote the Dogman... "I don't do perfect".

First of all, I don't think we as a group could agree on a definition as to what street photography actually is; or more to the point what it isn't.

I don't think there is a perfect street shot. I think street photography is just basic photography. Visual story telling. No mystery here. Perhaps it's a matter of the more effort and imagination one puts into creating the image the better the chances of a good shot... that plus a certain amount of good timing and luck!

All the best,
Mike
 
For me it has to:

- Respects the subjects it depicts. Even if the subject is caught in a vulnerable or funny moment, it is depicted in a respectful way.
- it is nicely composed.
- it is as simple as possible.
- depicts every day life but in a slightly unusual way.

Some of the pictures I took that I like that I strive to reach the above:

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Seriously, to me, Pan, you are one of the best street photographers I know of on any forums. I love the elegance and directness of your photos. I think your tenet of "as simple as possible" is a good part of why these photos work so well!
 
The chances of getting us to agree what is good street photography are about as good as getting us to agree on what is a good camera. ;o)
No need to seek agreement. The OP asked what it means TO YOU.

For me it expresses some dimension of our humanity, in a pleasing composition. That normally requires getting close, which I am no longer comfortable doing.

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I am not a ‘street photographer’ by any means (I’m not a particular fan of the term), but I guess we need to first define what ‘street photography’ is. Is it strictly that — shots taken outdoors literally in the streets? So no farms, no backyards, beaches etc. Or could it also include any unplanned/surreptitious photos taken indoors, like say at a museum or restaurant? And should people always be included in these ‘street’ photos?

Generally speaking, I like photos that tell a story, or at least provide the opportunity for me (as the viewer) to create some kind of story. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the photographer’s story. A person just walking or looking at their phone is not interesting to me, so they don’t hold my attention at all. What do they say — the opposite of love isn’t hate, but indifference? Who knows, maybe I’m the only one who says that.

Of the ‘street’ photos that I’ve somehow managed to take over the years, here are a few that have stuck with me (and even the last one here may not even meet the definition of ‘street photography’, whatever it may be). Completely unplanned, don’t know any of these people — just happened upon them. Honestly I think I was a much better photographer twenty or thirty years ago.


Elijah by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Cafe de Flore by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


Untitled #1 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
This is one of my personal favorites. Perhaps because it reminds me of the work of Saul Leiter- the two ladies doing their thing, the hint of reflection from the window. It may not be perfect, but for me it is about as close to perfect as I can get.
Photo taken in Hopetoun Tea Rooms in Melbourne - Block Arcade.

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If I could easily put an answer to this question into words, then maybe I myself would have better luck at capturing what I feel are decent street photography shots (as my own worst critic, perfect never enters into the equation). I’ve already pointed out numerous times those handful of photographers here on RFF whose work consistently impresses me, but for the sake of this thread I’ll include them once more: @rhl-oregon , @Erik van Straten , @helen.HH , @Shab . Sometimes they produce great landscape shots (be they nature landscapes or urban landscapes), sometimes they produce great shots of other things, and sometimes they produce what I think of as great street photography. The thing is, the majority of the work these few individuals post here on RFF is generally very impressive to me and not just their street photography. I feel like they happen to produce great street photography simply because I feel they are great photographers. Take a look at their work, it speaks for itself.

Perhaps it’s easier to define what isn’t good street photography and the OP can work backwards from there. I use the phrase street photography grudgingly because I feel like it has probably been more of a detriment to photography overall than a benefit. Countless photographers (myself included) have hit the streets, sidewalks, etc. with the thought of producing great “street photography” and 99% of the time we seem to wind up with little more than what I would call basic snapshots. This forum is loaded with thousands upon thousands of such images with more added every single day. Had I not thought better of posting them, hundreds more of these images would have been my own. I view the few feeble attempts that I’ve made at street photography and shared here as being far from perfect, but at least I’m not alone, lol. The same goes for YouTube, with countless so-called “street photographers” documenting their street photography exploits via video. While they might well have caught some individuals in candid moments, little thought if any has been made with regards to composition or anything else for that matter. Yet this is what seems to pass as street photography for many these days. Again, the results that I am seeing are just more basic snapshots and not much else. But as more and more people seem to accept such work as prime examples of street photography, I guess the overall pool of work is bound to become even more watered down.

Rather than using words, probably the best way that I can think to illustrate what perfect street photography is to me, would be to point to the only Henri Cartier-Bresson photo book that I own. It is titled “À Propos de Paris”. I don’t believe it is one of his better known books, but pretty much every single image contained in that book strikes me as perfection. Every time I look through it I wind up feeling inspired as a result. His photos tell stories in a way that few others can seem to match. And though most were taken long ago, these photos still strike me as timeless because of that ability they have to tell a story. It might be a cliche choice, but I do tend to think of many of his photos as being perfect examples of street photography.
 
It's not good to be judgmental about other people's street photography. I've made that mistake before and regretted it.
The way I feel about it is, like what you like and ignore what you don't like.

Some people look down their noses at other people
Leave them out in the cold, tell them they're old
Call 'em an old fart, insecure to boot
Not very nice, but they don't think twice
Photography is a funny thing, 's'posed to be creative
Imagine that


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All the best,
Mike
 
Perhaps it’s easier to define what isn’t good street photography and the OP can work backwards from there. I use the phrase street photography grudgingly because I feel like it has probably been more of a detriment to photography overall than a benefit. Countless photographers (myself included) have hit the streets, sidewalks, etc. with the thought of producing great “street photography” and 99% of the time we seem to wind up with little more than what I would call basic snapshots. This forum is loaded with thousands upon thousands of such images with more added every single day. Had I not thought better of posting them, hundreds more of these images would have been my own.
Street photography has by its very nature a very low success rate, unless what a person means by street photography is posed photographs. When I shoot out on the street, it is completely and totally improvisational, usually experimental. It's Jazz Improvisation where I and my camera are only a couple out of many parts of the music, and I don't control any of the other parts.

I do think it's important, essential even, to self-filter most shots, and only show a few. Problem is, we don't always know which shots "work," since we as creator of the photo have certain thoughts already associated with it (such as the way we were feeling that day, the circumstances leading up to or immediately surrounding the photo, &c.). Weeding those out to consider a photo purely on its merits is very hard, perhaps even harder with street, where only we know how hard it was to obtain a photo, of which no one else knows the backstory.
 
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