Table Of ContentART IN
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
YAN MOH
INTRODUCTION
i
Street photography has grown into one of the most popular forms of can be done anywhere, by anyone and with any recording tool. In
photographic expression. Since the days of Henri Cartier-Bresson, fact, the less equipment and less intrusive recording tools the better
street photography and photojournalism have slowly split into two opportunities present themselves. For a budding photographer this
very different genres. It is only recently where a definite distinction is a fantastic genre to put time into rather than money.
has been made. Many coming into street photography tend to get
As with all photography there is always a yang to the yin. Because of
confused as to whether an image is street, candid or some sort of
its popularity and history, the street photograph has to be way
documentary image, such as photojournalism, and although they
beyond good. It has to be very special to stand up. Even the most
are all related, street is a specific type of image with a tight set of
successful street photographers only have a tiny hit rate. So this is
requirements. If you like, street is a very small part of the others, but
definitely a genre where self-criticism is a must. Street offers more
has enough interest and diversity to make it enough to stand alone.
than just a photograph though. It offers interaction, social gathering
In other ways it can encapsulate all others.
and conversation, exercise for both body and mind, as well as
So why is street so popular?. Definitely the influences of ‘Magnum’ self-exploration and education. If street photography was a sport it
has encouraged much of this. Magnum is a photo agency that are would probably be golf.
very restrictive as to who can and cannot join. Some say they are
The street photographer is in the middle of things. This is where
arrogant and elitist, and i thought this too. Actually, digging deeper
street photography breaks into its own genre. Street is about being
and seeing where photography is today then my attitude changed.
among people when they are most vulnerable. Their minds are in
Magnum are protecting the photographer and photography from the
their world as they are going about their part of life. It is people
‘bluffer’ culture that has infected the art form. So Magnum stands as
going from one place to another. Most photography is based on
a beacon to which a photographer aspires to be a part of. Since
these places, not the travelling between those places. They are
Magnum has a primarily fine-art and photojournalist bias it is only
about the person on a specific level. Street ignores all this and
natural people look up to it. Anyone who is anyone in the
attempts to capture people as they appear and as they do. It is all
photojournalist genre is a member of Magnum. Street then is a
about who they are on the outside as they interact with others who
byproduct of the influence many Magnum photographers have had
are doing the same. Of course, elements of who they are have to be
on popular culture.
there. This is what makes each person different, but in street it is not
The other great influence is social media. We see many incredible about the story of that person it is about the environment in which
photographers on ‘YouTube’ doing their work and getting a lot of that person is influencing. For me, i look at street as two images
attention from it. In many cases, rightly so. The big difference is that combined. The outdoor environmental image and the candid image.
what they are doing is accessible to everyone. We do not need a lot It is how these are combined that determines the success of the
of equipment, special lighting or even expensive cameras. Street street photograph. This combination is so strong that when captured
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correctly it stands alone in its own right as a street photograph and means an outdoor place or space where people frequent in a
not a fusion. common manner. A place where people are going about their
normal lives. Some will argue with this, but for me, ‘Street’ is a
What makes a good street photographer is a big question. They
candid image taken in everyday outdoor surroundings.
have to be ready to interact with strangers, have a fun attitude, take
chances, have a creative mind honed to rapid change and much This could be a market, underground, train station, bus station,
much more. However, the first and foremost thing a street airport, beach, park or anywhere else normal life is being lived in the
photographer needs is passion for the work. Yes it is very outdoors. There are grey areas like interiors, such as cafes and
accessible, but without that passion and connection then it is no restaurants, but this is fine.
more than a way to pass time.
Some will argue that anything that is not shot on an actual street is
The street photographer is always on the hunt for that amazing
not a street image, and instead a candid, but i think they miss the
moment. Street is all about that moment. This is not a snap-shot
point of interpretation on the word ‘Street’. Street photography is
moment, it is an artistically seen moment that takes a lot of practice
candid with extra criteria. Candids can be taken anywhere, whereas
and experience to master.
the ‘Street’ in street photography limits the candid genre.
So street is a very special genre and for many reasons. In this book
Just ignore the limiters, these tend to be people who have limited
we will look at some of the styles of street photography and how we
themselves as they try to limit the genre to suit.
can achieve certain combinations of environment and candid. We
will also look at where the line is drawn between street and other
borderline genres. Street is to enjoy, so always have fun.
Concise Definition
Street photography, is a close relative to candid photography and is
Definition of ‘Street’ conducted for art or historical relevance that features unpredicted
encounters and random incidents within the public arena. Street
There are many definitions of a street photographer and what
photography does not require a street or even an urban
qualifies as a street photograph. Some would say that it has to be
environment. People usually feature, but can be absent. A human
shot on a street, but this is just not true. The term ‘street’ simply
environment or entity is just as valid.
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Street opportunities are
everywhere, so always be
prepared by taking a
camera everywhere you
go.
iv
THE WALK BY SHOOTING
Background First billboards, shops, doors or even other people can be used very
effectively if the right subject passes through. Waiting for the right
The walk by shoot happens when the photographer has seen a
subject takes patience and perseverance. Many people may pass
great environment or background that they would like to capture the
but getting that right person is a whole different thing. In the chapter
candid moment of the passer by in, either as the main subject or an
image i already knew what i wanted as the background. I was
element. This can sound easy and it is the one type of street
fortunate that the right person came along very quickly in the
photograph that is becoming the go to, and in turn, the most
chapter image. I had seen this gentleman in the distance so i knew
overused.
he was coming. I always saw New York as America’s Hong Kong, so
i wanted to try and push this feeling into the image. I liked this guy
Like anything that is overused you have to go that extra mile and
because he had a look of “yeh its New York, get over it” in his
require that higher expectation to standout. Backgrounds such as
A great environment or
background is only part of the
puzzle. The hardest part is
getting the right person to
pass or interact with it. Being
prepared is the difference
between victory and failure.
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expression. In this case the background and subject are almost yourself pausing, find out why you have paused and then allow the
disconnected. It appears more like a billboard background than a image to create inside your mind. Your artistic eye may work far
real life background. The difference in light and perspective has quicker than you because it has a single purpose whilst your mind
influenced this. It was unintentional but i was happy when i saw it has many things to deal with.
because New York is one big billboard. In this image we see the
Never underestimate or dismiss your eye. It is looking for inspiration,
candid of the man being the subject, but if we look at the second
but it is also watching your back.
image we can see where this balance swings the opposite way.
On The Hunt
In this black and white my focus was on the pattern of the ground
and the discolouration that had been caused by years of use. I liked
Now we know we have a background or environment that we want to
the shapes that interconnected and really liked the whole pattern
make our bases. We should have already got an idea of how we
within patterns of the scene. The problem was it needed that extra
want the human element to fit in with the scene. This can be as the
element. The cyclist was one of three that passed, but this particular
main subject, an element or interacting with the background itself.
one passed inline with part of the pattern so i snapped it at that
Waiting is not my strong point but this is a good thing. If you find that
point. Street photography has to have balance for the scene to
you can wait then the image is probably worthwhile and if not then
come together. I had to wait two hours for this cyclist to pass. What
your time is better spent finding one that is. There are no
made this more frustrating was i only had my phone camera with me
half-measures in street photography.
so i wondered whether it was even worth waiting. But, i was there
and my phone camera gets little use so i stuck with it. These images If you are sure then the next step is to be ready at the angle you
are a good example of how the subject focus can shift from person want to shoot. Anticipation is important, so make sure you are in, or
to environment and how priorities can change from image to image. can get in, position quickly. One moment of slack concentration can
cause you a lot of waisted time. This part of street photography
If you see something that catches your eye then it is worth
reminds of an animal hunting. The hunter can wait for a day, even
investigating it more. You need to see that extra element before you
weeks before their prey finally gives them a chance. A slight lack of
just shoot and hope. It is never a problem finding a subject to pass
concentration and the prey will have gone. The other similarity is that
by, but the skill and dedication comes when you are waiting for that
both have to be inconspicuous, but also have a line of sight. The
right person to become your subject or element to enhance the
photographer must be there but not there in many cases. Even if
scene.
your image requires the human element to be looking into the
camera it is usually best that they do this at the last moment rather
Remember, if something has caught your attention for no reason
than having time to be aware. This is where equipment can help.
other than it just being there then recognise this as your eye seeing
Having a camera that is not drawing attention will certainly be better
something. It is interested and as such so should you. If you find
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than carrying a larger camera with you like a large DSLR with a big lens or medium format
camera. However, this is personal choice and both can be fine, but the larger the camera the
smarter you have to be.
If you feel that it will be, or may be, unavoidable then it is probably best to keep the camera
completely out of site and accept that you are only going to get a couple of shots at best to
People can be a main subject or an
get the photograph after you have pulled it out. This is where experience and technical skills
element. Do not get this mixed up with
come in. Being able to pre-set the exposure and focussing will increase your hit rate
focal point. The focal point is the first
considerably. It will take a few seconds for the human interest to notice you and react so the
thing the viewer sees, but not
less you have to do and allow happen in this time the more natural the shots you will get. We
necessarily the most interesting part of
will look at this further in a later chapter.
Another alternative is to use a friend as a decoy. Humans tend to look at what is unusual within
a scene so having a friend create a subtle distraction will take the attention from you and give
you a much better opportunity to grab your shot. We will see an example of this in the next
chapter.
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INCONSPICUOUS
