let us talk street...

Street is totally improv, no pre-arranged frames, all frames are spontaneous, spur of the moment, a reaction to the world around the frame. Hoping that our timing is perfect to catch it. What goes on around the photographer determines how the photographer reacts, and frames the image. A good Street Photographer will see the subtleties of gestures and swing into action gracefully to catch it, on the go.
 
DNG said:
Street is totally improv, no pre-arranged frames, all frames are spontaneous, spur of the moment, a reaction to the world around the frame. Hoping that our timing is perfect to catch it. What goes on around the photographer determines how the photographer reacts, and frames the image. A good Street Photographer will see the subtleties of gestures and swing into action gracefully to catch it, on the go.
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Agree and that is not unlike a great jazz player and i would throw in recognizing repeating shapes, leading lines and other visual elements and how they relate to the subject and seeing all that and capturing it in a split second.
 
DNG said:
Street is totally improv, no pre-arranged frames, all frames are spontaneous, spur of the moment, a reaction to the world around the frame. Hoping that our timing is perfect to catch it. What goes on around the photographer determines how the photographer reacts, and frames the image. A good Street Photographer will see the subtleties of gestures and swing into action gracefully to catch it, on the go.
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airfrogusmc said:
Agree and that is not unlike a great jazz player and i would throw in recognizing repeating shapes, leading lines and other visual elements and how they relate to the subject and seeing all that and capturing it in a split second.
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Yes, Geometry can be a large part
 
I am not sure if I am any good at it. Other than my family, I have never shared any picture either, feel weird doing it. But I keep practicing and looking for good examples to motivate me.

I love the experience.
 
kbg32 said:
People who say that, well, I somewhat feel sad for them. The arts, photography, etc., is about one's experience in life. No one can duplicate that. It's how you feel about yourself. It's how you feel about your place in the world.
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I agree with you, and I think this is why so much 'street' photography we see is so emotionally and intellectually empty. There are a lot of hobbyist photographers, generally men who buy a Leica and feel that they have to be the next Cartier-Bresson.

The problem is, they're not HCB, and more importantly, they feel no connection to or interest in the subject matter. They go snap random photos of people on the street, but they feel no connection to the people they 'shoot', and it shows in their photos.

The people who were truly great at street photography were people who were genuinely interested in the people and places they photographed. That is the key, not just in street photography, but ANY genre of photography.

Look at my work; it is about the places I have lived. I have added, in the last few years, several hundred photos to my web portfolio. I can count maybe 50 that were not made in either the city of Fort Wayne, or the county where the city is located (Allen County, Indiana).

In Fort Wayne, a large percentage were done in Waynedale, a part of Fort Wayne that was once an independent small town before being annexed by the city in 1957. I grew up in Waynedale, and though I lived in some other parts of the city for a time (and in New Mexico for a couple of years), I ended up back in Waynedale. A couple months ago, I came even closer to 'home' when I left my apartment in Waynedale and moved into the house that had been my grandparents' house. The house my mom grew up in. My parents live around the block in the same neighborhood.

My work is compelling because I am not photographing 'strangers'. Even if I have never met them before, my subjects are people who share my city, my neighborhood, and their culture. There's a connection that I have with the people and places I document, and I share that connection with YOU, the viewer of my work.

Find that connection in YOUR work, and you'll speak to your audience in a way that makes them WANT to listen.
 
10 years later, and this is still the gold standard for street photography:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/onthestreet/pool/

I find in almost all discussions about SP, the sample images are all very far from whats happening in HCSP. Many aim for the perceived look of the 'street' image before the content which is where they lack some of that intrinsic power of a good street photo.

When I started with photography in 2007, I used a Canon EOS-3, TriX and 50mm lens...and was heavily influenced by HCSP...I wanted nothing more than to have a photo accepted there. I never quite made it, and even though I had some nice gritty tones and noir-ish stuff going on, the images were pretty lifeless.

I no longer aim to take street photos. I get extremely inspired browsing the HCSP pool, but that fades the moment I get out there and realise a really exceptional street photo is almost impossible and the odds are stacked against me finding one.
 
DNG said:
A good Street Photographer will see the subtleties of gestures and swing into action gracefully to catch it, on the go.
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I was born unencumbered by the burden of grace; as such I'm free to be handcuffed by my own wrist straps, tripped up by technology and wheel and turn like a dog chasing its tail simply to get into the messenger bag on my back. It's worse in winter with scarf, coat and big clumsy boots:eek:

I'll seek this grace of which you speak...but I fear destiny has us as strangers :bang::)
 
OurManInTangier said:
I was born unencumbered by the burden of grace; as such I'm free to be handcuffed by my own wrist straps, tripped up by technology and wheel and turn like a dog chasing its tail simply to get into the messenger bag on my back. It's worse in winter with scarf, coat and big clumsy boots:eek:

I'll seek this grace of which you speak...but I fear destiny has us as strangers :bang::)
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... it's even worse for me, I don't like jazz and persist in taking photos of strangers ... who've probably not even heard of fort wayne :sad-face:
 
OurManInTangier said:
I was born unencumbered by the burden of grace; as such I'm free to be handcuffed by my own wrist straps, tripped up by technology and wheel and turn like a dog chasing its tail simply to get into the messenger bag on my back. It's worse in winter with scarf, coat and big clumsy boots:eek:

I'll seek this grace of which you speak...but I fear destiny has us as strangers :bang::)
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I recognise this style of shooting. :D:bang:
 
indeed jazz can be compared to street photography, as much as it can be compared to Indian kitchen.

Joe, you're not talking street - you're talking fame, pride, disappointment, you're talking vanity :)
 
Harry S. said:
10 years later, and this is still the gold standard for street photography:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/onthestreet/pool/

I find in almost all discussions about SP, the sample images are all very far from whats happening in HCSP. Many aim for the perceived look of the 'street' image before the content which is where they lack some of that intrinsic power of a good street photo.

When I started with photography in 2007, I used a Canon EOS-3, TriX and 50mm lens...and was heavily influenced by HCSP...I wanted nothing more than to have a photo accepted there. I never quite made it, and even though I had some nice gritty tones and noir-ish stuff going on, the images were pretty lifeless.

I no longer aim to take street photos. I get extremely inspired browsing the HCSP pool, but that fades the moment I get out there and realise a really exceptional street photo is almost impossible and the odds are stacked against me finding one.
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Plenty of weak shots there.

You have wasted your time and exhausted your energy trying to comply with someone else taste. I think this is wrong approach for any kind of photography.

And EOS-3 for the street ... :)
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
[...]

My work is compelling because I am not photographing 'strangers'. Even if I have never met them before, my subjects are people who share my city, my neighborhood, and their culture. There's a connection that I have with the people and places I document, and I share that connection with YOU, the viewer of my work.

Find that connection in YOUR work, and you'll speak to your audience in a way that makes them WANT to listen.
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while in principle i'd agree with your idea/logic about the lack of connection and/or interest in the subject destroying the photo, this can also work the other way around.
I.e. plenty of photographers who connect emotionally to their subjects (people, places, cats,...doesnt really matter) think too high of their photography, being biased by those exact emotions which according to you should add to an image.
Sometimes the emotional connection overwhelms the photographers' senses and he doesn't realize neither accepts if pointed out to him, that what he does is for an outsider just mediocre, boring or pointless.

Nothing wrong with appreciating own photography or part of it more due to a personal connection to the subject matter, but don't expect others seeing the same and suddenly getting the same connection...
 
Harry S. said:
10 years later, and this is still the gold standard for street photography:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/onthestreet/pool/

I find in almost all discussions about SP, the sample images are all very far from whats happening in HCSP. Many aim for the perceived look of the 'street' image before the content which is where they lack some of that intrinsic power of a good street photo.

When I started with photography in 2007, I used a Canon EOS-3, TriX and 50mm lens...and was heavily influenced by HCSP...I wanted nothing more than to have a photo accepted there. I never quite made it, and even though I had some nice gritty tones and noir-ish stuff going on, the images were pretty lifeless.

I no longer aim to take street photos. I get extremely inspired browsing the HCSP pool, but that fades the moment I get out there and realise a really exceptional street photo is almost impossible and the odds are stacked against me finding one.
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The gold standard for whom? I wouldn't worry so much. Photograph what YOU know.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Plenty of weak shots there.

You have wasted your time and exhausted your energy trying to comply with someone else taste. I think this is wrong approach for any kind of photography.

And EOS-3 for the street ... :)
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agree, i took a quick look and plenty of weak shots- though i like some of them a lot.

It's not a waste of time/effort to try to comply with someone else's taste, why would it be? We all do something to get a form of satisfaction and appreciation- either self or from others - trying to fit in a group only means you feel inspired by those shots, or you appreciate them that much that you can set a goal.
If it doesnt work out, well it doesnt- of course it should not disappoint you, it's just a lesson learned about yourself and your capabilities.
 
When i was a younger man.... well younger than i am presently.

I did not belong to any forums or social media sites.

I also had no clue there was a list of scenes/genres for me to pick from.

I just took photos.

Often of people on the streets of my home town, but people were far and few between.
I suplemented my shooting with snaps of crumbling farm houses and barns.
On the weekends, i would shoot family sporting events.

I still could not care less about where i fit in any scene.
Ill leave the labels to those who view my images...

You hear that mom!
 
Looking over this thread, there are so many diverse comments and thoughts as what "street" photography is, and what it isn't. I don't think we should worry about a label. Some of us photograph from a standpoint of having having an emotional, historical, story filled connection to our subjects, and some, a more compositional directive in subject relationships. Not saying that this can't have an emotional impact as well. Some, well, have no idea.

Just follow your heart. Make images from a place that you know and don't worry about. Hopefully, if you keep making images, it'll sort itself out.
 
Whats wrong with using a Canon EOS-3 in the streets?

Possibly one of the best cameras of my time...short of a Nikon F6

Must I shoot a rangefinder camera to take photos on the street?
Is a rangefinder some sort of special decoder ring for street scenes?

I started with a Kiev80 and Jupiter lens.
 
Pherdinand said:
agree, i took a quick look and plenty of weak shots- though i like some of them a lot.

It's not a waste of time/effort to try to comply with someone else's taste, why would it be? We all do something to get a form of satisfaction and appreciation- either self or from others - trying to fit in a group only means you feel inspired by those shots, or you appreciate them that much that you can set a goal.
If it doesnt work out, well it doesnt- of course it should not disappoint you, it's just a lesson learned about yourself and your capabilities.
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Yes, if you have taste, gift and vision, it is you to compete with yourself even more.

Some technical knowledge helps too. Trying to be accepted by bunch which likes UWA shots with yours 50mm prime isn't easiest approach, for example :)
 
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