First, I'd like to apologize for not exercising as much tact as you've extended to me. I've been trying harder not to be as rough, but at times I still get emotional over this stuff.
I don't think it's so much close-minded or stereotypical as much as it is my first-hand experience from living in New York and opinion. NYC (Manhattan specifically) hands you street photography on a silver-platter and I found (opinion again) that you either have to work way harder to find something un-touched or you become complacent with ordinary images that really say nothing about anything and just have people in it -no emotion, no thought, nothing deeper than "just being there".
I do understand. I guess I just got a bit offended that a certain group of people cannot be interesting. I do get what you are saying though and we all struggle with it in NYC. I guess it is why 75% of my photos aren't of people these days.
Trust me, check out my site and you'll see plenty of shots in Manhattan because I did find some things that interested me. But 99% of the people are shopping or doing touristy things, which frankly is boring to me and says very little other than the fact that people like to shop and look up at buildings. I imagine at least part of you feels the same way, judging by the locations you shoot on your flickr account.
In all fairness I do feel that way at times, but try to make do. Mostly, I have come to terms with the fact that I'm not a street photographer in the decisive moment sense of the term. I just photograph whatever I think will make an interesting photo in my opinion and don't care if it's street or not (though at times I try the decisive moment thing). I have looked at your site and really enjoyed it.
You obviously can do street photography everywhere and find stuff to shoot everywhere (I live in a town of 1500 and I still find stuff to shoot), but New York City is so flooded with it that it's no longer really interesting. It's been done, it's been said.
But times change, things change and if you worry about what's already been done, you end up making a huge list of what not to photograph instead of just enjoying yourself. As I've gotten older, I have come to terms that I'm derivative and that what I do has been done before. I've chosen just to enjoy it. If something comes out of it eventually, then even better. The only way to find your own voice /style is to go out there and do it. The history of photography is full of great photographers copying from each other. Check out the book "the ongoing moment" by Geoff Dyer which ties together photographers and their preoccupations with certain subjects.
I believe art in street photography is about pushing the boundaries, finding new things to shoot, photographing things that reflect something spectacular about the human condition.
Nothing wrong with that, but as you've conceded, it's not that easy. Most of us won't be that lucky to be groundbreaking. It doesn't mean you cannot make something of worth. The great thing about photography is nothing is ever the same since time changes everything. Also, time changes how we perceive photos that have been taken. Context changes our perception of how images are read.
Unfortunately, I think street photography is dying in this regard because it got just too damn easy. Where is the challenge? What are you trying to capture if not for a decisive moment? Why not witty or at least intelligent and thought-provoking? Any idiot can walk through a crowd blindly shooting everything. If conforming is the opposite of this, I'll gladly call myself a decisive-moment seeking, witty, conformist (though I don't find many of my photographs witty, really).
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the decisive moment at all. I enjoy looking at that type of work a lot. However, it is not the only way to photograph. That was my point. I guess I feel street still life is still street photography. Posed portraits made on the street is still street to me. Many don't share that opinion and that's ok. We can't all agree on everything.
🙂
