What exactly is street photography?

[RJBender]

When I think of street _______ , I think of street vendors selling mystery meat for human consumption.

R.J.

 

[RML]

When I think of street _______ , I think of street vendors selling mystery meat for human consumption.

R.J.

Yegh! I never buy hotdogs on the street (too expensive here in Amsterdam) but now I really never ever will anymore! 😛

 

[nomade]

That may sound stupid but i think it doesn't need a definition it's clear enough, street photography is the one u do in the streets...Portraits are of a person or an animal, or something in particular u give singularity and try to hsow some of character int he photo, in other word Anne's portrait is Anne's photo!



And so on...Techniques vary depending on what do u want to get exactly. So i think it's a bit bizarre to ask...

 

[zburch]

I step outside my door. It may be raining, sunny or dusk. My head feels light and I am happy to be out. Happy to be alert and in tune with my surroundings and the people in my city. I walk down the street, to the subway, across the bridge. I make pictures of people, things, myself sometimes. Sometimes I engage others, sometimes I move on. But I am happy to have my camera with me to remind me of what I see, smell and feel at specific moments that would otherwise be forgotten. It makes me aware of what it means to be alive.

Amy
www.amybphoto.com

 

[RML]

That may sound stupid but i think it doesn't need a definition it's clear enough, street photography is the one u do in the streets...Portraits are of a person or an animal, or something in particular u give singularity and try to hsow some of character int he photo, in other word Anne's portrait is Anne's photo!

And so on...Techniques vary depending on what do u want to get exactly. So i think it's a bit bizarre to ask...

I disagree with your calling the question bizarre. Things are not so clearcut as you state. The whole point is, because no-one defines street photography we do have some common ground but also a lot of areas I might consider "street" but you might not.

How about _a shot of a person (or more than 1) in the street_? "Street" or portrait?

Or how about _this cat_? It was shot in the street, it's not a portrait and I'd say most people wouldn't term it street photography. Or how about my _rowers' shot_? Not in the street, and surely not a portrait. Is it "street" or not?

As you see, definitions do matter once people start talking about things, like we do here on RFF.

 

[nomade]

I think it really doesn't matter what u call it, why can't it be both??? do we've to stick to a definition?? Even when judging or commenting a photograph different people see different aspects, different people have different feelings towards the same photo, everyone looks through his own eye, through his own definition...

I think it's pretty difficult when peple start to debate wether this photo a street shot or a portrait...

 

[Rick Waldroup]

It is almost like when you see something that you may not know how to describe it but you know instinctively what it is. Kind of like love at first sight. As far as the odd angles, unfocused shots, etc that is just part of it. This is way too easy to overanalyze. You are either going to get it or not. And to me that is what makes street photography the hardest type of photography of all. Street is all I do and I feel lucky if I get 5 to 10 keepers a year and I shoot about 5-10 rolls a week. Set someone up in a studio or any other type of controlled envrionment and you can pretty much predict what you might get. Walk outside your door any day of the week and see what happens. That is perfection that comes from imperfection if you know what I mean.

 

[RML]

I think it really doesn't matter what u call it, why can't it be both??? do we've to stick to a definition?? Even when judging or commenting a photograph different people see different aspects, different people have different feelings towards the same photo, everyone looks through his own eye, through his own definition...

I think it's pretty difficult when peple start to debate wether this photo a street shot or a portrait...

Of course it can be both, or neither. But take for example the latest RFF contest. It states you have to submit HCB style photos. What does that mean? Seems to me that, though per individual it doesn't need to matter, as soon as a group starts to talk about things, you'll need definitions. The same with street photography. We talk about it and we assume we all are talking about the same thing, which we are not. No problem, of course, until we have a contest. 🙂

As it is, I'm planning on calling ALL of my city shots landscape photography. From now on I'll (also) be a landscape photographer. I hope I'll never run into a puritan landscape photog. 😛

 

[Socke]

As I read it the contest is to honour HCB not to duplicate his style. And since I shoot a Contax which isn't even considered a rangefinder by some I'll try to make the most capaesque urban landscape Winograd shot Salgado could have done with HCBs Minilux, ahh, with flash of cause 🙂

 

[Bertram2]

What does that mean? Seems to me that, though per individual it doesn't need to matter, as soon as a group starts to talk about things, you'll need definitions. The same with street photography. We talk about it and we assume we all are talking about the same thing,

You hit the nail on the head Remy. That's the root of all evil. Individual assumptions
are discussed when there is no definiton.Can't work.

bertram

 

[Todd.Hanz]

O.K., since nobody wants to (or can) define what "Street Photography" is I will:

Street Photography is photography in public places, with or without people present in the frame .

That's it, I did it, no more pontificating as to what it is...my job is done here 🙂

Thank me later,
Todd

 

[Poptart]

Thirty minutes in an urban 7-11 is street enough for anyone.

 

[Finder]

Street Photography is photography in public places, with or without people present in the frame .

Like Ansel Adams who photographed in national parks which are pupilic places?

 

[RJBender]

Of course it can be both, or neither. But take for example the latest RFF contest. It states you have to submit HCB style photos. What does that mean? Seems to me that, though per individual it doesn't need to matter, as soon as a group starts to talk about things, you'll need definitions. The same with street photography. We talk about it and we assume we all are talking about the same thing, which we are not. No problem, of course, until we have a contest. 🙂

As it is, I'm planning on calling ALL of my city shots landscape photography. From now on I'll (also) be a landscape photographer. I hope I'll never run into a puritan landscape photog. 😛

Most good street photographs are probably grab shots, correct?

grab shot
A photograph taken without the subject's awareness (literally grabbed). Frowned upon by most photoethnographers because of the lack of informed consent.

http://www.photoethnography.com/index-frameset.html?technique/glossary.html~mainFrame

R.J.

 

[Poptart]

So it's a "grab shots" contest now?!

 

[Finder]

Most good street photographs are probably grab shots, correct?

Photojournalism and documentry photography is the same - this can include wildlife photography and nature photography. So are many amateur travel photographs.

 

[Bertram2]

Most good street photographs are probably grab shots, correct?
R.J.

No, not necessarily. If that tanga girl at the Copacabana Beach smiles at you this does not make the photo worse, right ? 😀
And tho there is sand under your feet it's still street photography, isn't it ? 😛
Well, all these categories are more trouble than fun........ 😉

bertram

 

[RJBender]

No, not necessarily. If that tanga girl at the Copacabana Beach smiles at you this does not make the photo worse, right ? 😀
And tho there is sand under your feet it's still street photography, isn't it ? 😛
Well, all these categories are more trouble than fun........ 😉

bertram

I don't know, Bertram.

One of the photo magazines used to print a full page "grab shot" at the back of every issue. That was two decades ago.

R.J.

 

[RJBender]

So it's a "grab shots" contest now?!

I see you have your armor on now, Pop.

R.J.

 

[Poptart]

Yes. I'm being sued, you know.