2008 RFF Street Photography Contest: What is Street?

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RML said:
Your remark makes no sense to me. Must be an American thing I don't "get".
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I don't recall horses being an American thing.

My point is: if you don't clarify, people complain. If you do, it's "semantical squabbling".
 
Gabriel M.A. said:
I don't recall horses being an American thing.

My point is: if you don't clarify, people complain. If you do, it's "semantical squabbling".
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The matter was that posed shots shouldn't be in. I disagree with that notion. I explained my reasons.
You, however started a discourse on staging vs posing where IMO you missed the nail's head by a mile, posing posing as staging. So, I eliminated the semantic squabbling, returned to the matter at hand, and explained why I think posing should be in.
The fact you haven't commented on those reasons is for me enough indication you either agree with them or can't find fault with them. Either way suits me fine.

I'll leave it up to Stephanie to decide what's street (I recall she did so in the first posting) and just leave you to your own.
 
Holy cow ....what an earth shattering problem ?!
Does anyone need to be told to go out, be on the street and take a photo - that's street photography. Breathe, ease, relax and grow up 😉. You decide which street and what makes your shutter click. Just get out there. I assume Stephanie was already touching her forehead a couple times and raising her arms in upward direction for help...
 
icebear said:
Does anyone need to be told to go out, be on the street and take a photo - that's street photography.
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It's a perennial problem, and one that Stephanie anticipated, I'm sure. Everybody has an idea of what something that is should be.

Usually it's just easier to spell out the rules rather than put them together via a committee for a community contest.

Don't get discouraged, Stephanie. Just set your foot down! Or both.
 
RML said:
I'd disagree with points e, f, h, i, j, k, l, , k-2, l-2, m and n.

Martin Parr would turn in his grave if he had one, and quite a few others would too if they weren't long turned to dust already, when seeing this list of what's out.
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Are you really serious? So a shot of a Formula 1 car at a Grand Prix, a golfer taking his swing, the cat on top of the telly, is what you would call "street"?

I am honestly amazed.

BTW, don't bother to "quote" Martin Parr - nothing could leave me colder 😀

Regards,

Bill
 
BillP said:
Are you really serious? So a shot of a Formula 1 car at a Grand Prix, a golfer taking his swing, the cat on top of the telly, is what you would call "street"?

I am honestly amazed.

BTW, don't bother to "quote" Martin Parr - nothing could leave me colder 😀

Regards,

Bill
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Lartigue took photos of race monsters and I'd call them street. Or how about the VIP taking a side glance at the pits girls while his old lady at his side is ogling the racing driver?

How about the golfer taking his swing while a dog runs of with his golf ball?

How about the cat sliding off the telly at the deciding moment of the UEFA cup final and people's reaction to that situation?

I'm amazed people have such a limited definition of street.

And Parr... well, I'm no fan but he did take a heap of photos on the beaches showing partially clad people in ways I'd call street (though not my street).
 
Ok, I'll play.

Lartigue took photos of race monsters and I'd call them street. [I wouldn't - I'd call it photos of racing cars]

Or how about the VIP taking a side glance at the pits girls while his old lady at his side is ogling the racing driver? [Nope - nice candid though]

How about the golfer taking his swing while a dog runs of with his golf ball? [Nope - as above]

How about the cat sliding off the telly at the deciding moment of the UEFA cup final and people's reaction to that situation? [Nope - domestic scene/family snap]

I really don't want to get into a pissing contest on this, and I hope you take this in the right way, but I think all we are doing is demonstrating - once again - how ill-defined a term "street" is.

Okay, I tried. I can only think of one remaining solution. Whatever Stephanie says, goes - the originator's definition is final.

Regards,

Bill
 
BillP said:
I really don't want to get into a pissing contest on this, and I hope you take this in the right way, but I think all we are doing is demonstrating - once again - how ill-defined a term "street" is.
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Yup, one of the most used terms here on RFF but at the same the illest defined term. 😱 For me that keeps street so interesting. 🙂
 
Gabriel M.A. said:
I agree that a bar is not a street, and a stage is not a street; there could be an open bar on a street, or a stage on a street, so that would be "street photography". But disqualifying as something "set up" is very broad. Anybody walking around with a camera with the intent of taking a photo is a "set up".

Broad generalizations never led to anything good. Never. Ever ever ever. Ever. Forever and ever. 😉
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I don't know why RML blew up at me, personally in the way he did. All I did was offer my suggestions, I didn't carve any hard and fast rules into stone. I don't make the rules here.
Anyway, to set up means to me creating an image by doing something such as asking the subject to stand in a certain area, maybe place a prop or to within the frame, ask the passerbys to stop for a moment while you shoot etc... I think you get the drift and I'm sure we can agree that this wouldn't be 'street".
 
photogdave said:
I don't know why RML blew up at me, personally in the way he did. All I did was offer my suggestions, I didn't carve any hard and fast rules into stone. I don't make the rules here.
Anyway, to set up means to me creating an image by doing something such as asking the subject to stand in a certain area, maybe place a prop or to within the frame, ask the passerbys to stop for a moment while you shoot etc... I think you get the drift and I'm sure we can agree that this wouldn't be 'street".
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Not at you personally, Dave. Just at the air of exclusiveness your posting showed more clearly than the rest. And this posting does the same again.

"I didn't carve any hard and fast rules into stone. I don't make the rules here."

and then...

"and I'm sure we can agree that this wouldn't be 'street""

Well, I'm sure I would call it street and thus disagree with you.

Anyway, I feel this whole debate/argument/discussion is getting out of hand. It would only take little to turn this thread into a mud slinging contest. I didn't mean anything personal, so I hope you won't take it as such. I'm just here to defend myself and all those others here that don't voice in but hold different opinions and views about what street constitutes.

I'm with Stephanie: a free definition of street.
 
See the post. I've set the rules. RML will like the outcome. I like the outcome. I think a broad spectrum of images is better than a narrow field of them. Also, the fact that everyone can then write what street photography is to them will make others better understand their views and perhaps stop squabbling among friends...temporarily, anyway. 😀
 
My own definition would be :

- if there is at least a human
- in an environment created by humans
- and his behaviour is not altered/programmed by the photographer ...

than it is street photography. Just an opinion.
 
This is too funny.

In the last 24 hours or so, I received a PM from a mod telling me to knock off the "negative" posting, but at the same time, I've been told by other members on this forum to grow up, shut up, and not to post any more on these threads. Dissent seems to upset some people.

Good luck to all involved in this fiasco. All of you are going to need it.
 
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RML said:
Not at you personally, Dave. Just at the air of exclusiveness your posting showed more clearly than the rest. And this posting does the same again.

"I didn't carve any hard and fast rules into stone. I don't make the rules here."

and then...

"and I'm sure we can agree that this wouldn't be 'street""

Well, I'm sure I would call it street and thus disagree with you.
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I'm not trying to be exclusive. I was just voicing my opinion as you are. But to use my example, if you really think that creating a photo by posing the subject, placing props within the frame and controlling the outside environment to not disrupt your shooting, qualifies as "street" then we are really living in two different worlds.
No hard feelings.
 
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