Chapter 1
The Allure of Street Photography
People have been practicing street photography for practically as long as there have been cameras and streets. Although its popularity has risen, fallen, and risen again over the decades, street photography has never disappeared completely. In fact, digital imaging has made street photography as popular (at least among photographers) as it has ever been. For some photographers however, the reasons behind this popularity are a mystery: some may wonder why anyone would want to wander the streets photographing random strangers without their knowledge or permission, and whether the results are worth the effort. This chapter will not try to convince anyone who has no interest in street photography why they should embrace it. After all, it’s a big world and there are plenty of other subjects and styles to explore. You should do whatever you love most. This chapter is instead for the curious. It explores why so many photographers love street photography—and why, if you’ve never done it before, you might want to try it for yourself.
It’s Easy
What better and easier time to practice street photography than now? Cameras are built into cell phones that anyone can carry everywhere, all the time. Dedicated cameras are available in practically every size, weight, and configuration you like at a wide range of prices. Better yet, all you really need is a camera and a lens. Anything else is not only optional, but often a hindrance.
Most cameras have the ability to handle focus or exposure automatically. Is the image a little too light, too dark, or blurry? You’ll be able to tell immediately, and depending on what type of camera and settings you’re using, correct the exposure after the fact. You can shoot literally thousands of images and store them on something that’s not much larger than a postage stamp. Once you have all the basic equipment you need—camera, lens, memory card, computer, software, etc.—the incremental cost is practically nil. That’s important when you’re practicing an art where even the best photographers take a large number of images in the pursuit of capturing that one fascinating moment.
As for access to subject matter, I’ll grant you that it’s easier to practice street photography if you live in a bustling metropolis than if you live in the wilderness. That said, roughly 80 % of the American population now lives in or near urban and suburban areas. Subject matter is close at hand, available for free, and, for all practical purposes, inexhaustible.
Entering Target, Abington, PA 2014
As I entered a local department store, I noticed the late afternoon light casting dramatic shadows on the red walls. As is often the case, I had my camera slung over my shoulder. A kid in a blue T-shirt added the perfect accent. No lights, no tripod, just point-and-shoot.
It’s Challenging
Although it has never been easier to practice street photography, producing excellent photographs is a challenge. Your subjects and everything around them will either be in constant motion or likely to move without warning. The light is constantly changing. Just when you need your camera to obey your will, it may decide it has a mind of its own. The only thing you have any real control over is how to frame the shot and when to release the shutter.
For some personality types these conditions will be enough to drive you mad. You would probably be much happier in a nice, clean studio that lets you control every aspect of an image to your heart’s content. For others, this unpredictability and serendipity is precisely the attraction. You never know what you’ll see or what to expect. Every day, even every moment, is an adventure. Some days you can spend hours on the streets and come home empty-handed. Other days you’ll find one amazing photo opportunity after another. What makes it all worthwhile is reviewing an image you just shot and discovering that you have captured a moment in time and space that would have been impossible to imagine, much less anticipate.
It Improves Your Reflexes
Another attraction and benefit of street photography is that it helps develop your ability to be alert, aware, and in the moment. You never know when or where the perfect moment will present itself—but with practice you can anticipate it to the degree that you develop a “sixth sense.” You become able to adjust your camera and raise it to your eye without conscious effort; to grab a shot before other photographers are even aware there’s a shot to take; to create the impression of order and intent out of random events.
Regardless of whether you’re starting out with quick reflexes or slow, the constant practice of street photography will only make your reflexes faster. You’ll find that it’s a skill that comes in handy for any sort of action photography you do, from sports to wedding candids. It can even come in handy for portraiture, where the slightest change in expression can make the difference between a keeper and a photo that’s destined for the trash.
Carnival Scene, Abington, PA 2012
One of the most difficult challenges in street photography is creating a cohesive composition with multiple people in the frame. The various groups of people interacting with each other makes this image one of my more successful attempts to show connectivity through composition.
It Improves Your Technique
It’s one thing to be able to nail your focus, exposure, and color balance in controlled lighting situations, when your camera is mounted on a tripod. It’s quite another when the quality, contrast, source, and direction of the light can change from one moment to the next. Second chances are rare in street photography. This helps develop a strong incentive to refine your technique to the point that you can instantly adjust to whatever lighting and subject you’re faced with, get the shot by whatever means necessary, and pull success from the jaws of failure.
It Develops Self-Confidence
Let’s face it—for some people the very idea of taking photographs of perfect strangers, with or without their knowledge, is just as unnerving as it is appealing. What if you get caught looking? What if someone gets upset or yells at you? What if you get arrested and jailed for domestic espionage? What if an angry mob chases you down the street, screaming for blood?
As exaggerated as these fears might sound, the fear itself feels very real. It’s also very common. Even the masters have experienced it. I’m no master, but I’ve been practicing street photography for over 40 years now, and I still feel that anxiety myself from time to time. However, the more often you confront these fears by taking pictures even when you’re nervous and anxious, the less power your fears will have over you. In other words, you may never overcome your nervousness, but you will become better at taking pictures even though you’re nervous about it.
Cell Phone Aficionado, Philadelphia, PA 2012
This young man was in the middle of selecting music on his cell phone when I raised my camera to photograph him. He glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow, smiled, and then returned to what he was doing.
SEPTA Exit, Philadelphia, PA 2008
I knew the shadows cast by this structure could make a great composition if I had a person placed in exactly the right spot. If I had released the shutter a fraction of a second too soon or too late, this image would not exist. Ten seconds later a cloud passed over the sun and the shadows vanished.
You will also discover, as I have, that actual confrontations, or even dirty looks, are quite rare. Most people are flattered to be considered worthy of a photograph, especially if they think you’re a serious photographer with no ulterior motives.
Aside from the confidence you develop from photographing people without checking first to see if it’s okay, you’ll also develop confidence as you improve your technical abilities as a street photographer—which in turn bolsters the confidence it takes to release the shutter.
It Documents Life
No one knows better than the dedicated street photographer how impermanent life can be. People grow older. Fashions change. Old buildings disappear, and new ones take their place. Things happen on the street that will never happen the same way or look the same way again, if only because you can’t live the same moment twice. Documenting the world around you is one of the most effective ways you have of looking back into the past, remembering, reliving, and maybe even gaining a fresh perspective on life in the present.
Street photography is not purely documentary or photojournalistic, however. When done well, there’s a strong element of individual style and artistic statement. It’s because of Eugène Atget that we can see the streets of Paris in the unsentimental, deromanticized way he saw them. It’s because of Henri Cartier-Bresson that we learned to appreciate those spontaneous yet ambiguous “moments-between-moments.” Elliott Erwitt showed us life at its most humorous and absurd. Diane Arbus invited us to look at people we would normally turn away from. Saul Leiter proved that not only was it possible to produce street photos in color, it could be done with artistry. Whatever you photograph will show the people who view your work how you see the world and what you considered important enough to document.
It’s Insightful
Just as success in street photography requires the ability to notice and pay attention to what’s going on around you, it’s just as important to notice what’s happening inside yourself. It’s hard to improve as a street photographer without developing insights into human behavior, including your own. How do people behave when they think no one is watching them? How do they react when they notice someone with a camera nearby? How do they react when they notice you’ve just photographed them? Conversely, what street shooting situations excite you most? Which make you the most nervous? What themes do you have a passion for? When and how do you do your best work? As you improve and deepen in your practice, it will become obvious that your work says as much about you as it does about your subjects. You could discover something you didn’t know, or confirm something you suspected but lacked the evidence to prove.
Bowie Fan, Hollywood, CA 1973
This Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie fan was walking down Hollywood Boulevard, carrying a photo of Bowie, and wearing the same hairstyle. She was happy to pose for a quick snapshot. This image becomes more historical with every passing year.
It’s Satisfying
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from taking on a goal and, despite the challenges, reaching that goal or even surpassing it. There’s also the satisfaction you get from pulling off one of those once-in-a-lifetime shots; the type that can make a whole week of coming up with nothing seem worthwhile. You might even occasionally feel the satisfaction that comes from having other people praise your work. Actual fame, or even just wide recognition, will be hard to come by. Only a small percentage of photographers are skilled enough and have a large enough body of work to merit serious attention. Of those, the few who are “famous” are well known only among other photographers and collectors. Few street photographers are well known among the general public—which is fitting. Imagine how difficult it would be to practice an art that requires you to walk among people without attracting attention if you were truly famous.
It’s a Way to Make an Artistic Statement
The masters of street photography became acknowledged as such not because they were lucky enough to collect a random assortment of individually strong photographs, but because their body of work expressed a strong, unified, and often passionate point of view. Henri Cartier-Bresson was originally influenced by the Surrealist school of art, but he took on more of a photojournalistic style after World War II. Brassaï was enamored of night scenes; Bill Brandt with working class British life. Elliott Erwitt is known for his love of dogs and the humorous side of life. The masters have consistent themes, subjects, and visual styles that distinguish their work. I will explore this topic more deeply in the chapter on Style. For now, let’s leave it at this: the best and most lasting street photos express ideas and emotions that transcend or even elevate their subjects. What ideas and visual styles do you feel passionate about, and what emotions do you want to express?
Flying Jesus, Quito, Ecuador 2010
This statue of Jesus was not yet mounted to a cross. Placed horizontally on crates, it looked as if He was flying. How could a puckish street photographer resist?