Street Photography : The Most Challenging and the Most Lasting
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Hello folks. As we know, there is nothing really new in photography and there hasn’t been anything in quite a while. A review of photographic trends produces a list of fertilizer smelling topics and grandiose crapola, so let’s look elsewhere. At somthing that is both difficult and immensely satisfying.
The hardest part about street photography is getting up the gumption to go do it. More street style work does not get done for this reason more than any other.
The goal in street photography is to tell the stories of what you see. Many people think street photography means the imaging of people that you do not know. People in images create context and because there are faces we create emotional context, but they are not a required element. A lot of photographers say that they don’t like or are uncomfortable photographing people, and some are fearful of doing so.
Fear is not uncommon. Society has changed a lot and not for the better in general. However uncommon sense can go a long way and so can being open and friendly about what you are doing. Regular people don’t like to feel that they are being spied upon, and sadly a lot of street photography articles, presentations and classes advocate means of being surreptitious or sneaky. These include shooting from the hip with pre locked focus, and being obvious about not taking a shot. All humans have good defensive instincts but the level of attention paid varies greatly. Being aware of potential threats is biological encoding in our DNA, but that does not mean that it gets reasonable attention.
The gear for street photography does not matter. There are those who advocate small fixed lens cameras. There are those who advocate smartphones. But street photography has been done for a very long time with the camera at hand being used, whatever it may be. Vivian Maier made images in the tougher parts of Chicago using a twin lens reflex, a camera that is not small, or fast to use. The reality is that most people don’t notice and baased on the sheer amount of smartphone crap out there with over 2.5 billion snapshots being made daily, it’s hardly likely that in general most people care.
However, wandering around with a big camera and a bigger lens does make one stand out, and just like a wild animal knows when it is being tracked, people know when someone is behaving like a voyeur with a giant lens. Use what you wish, but be aware of this.
Avoid photographing children without their guardians, and also try to avoid singling out individuals. Leave the homeless and the less fortunate be, These are all overconsumed subjects anyways. See the story, not the parts first.
Do learn and practice to work quickly. Sadly lenses no longre have hyperfocal distance markers which made shooting without focusing each shot very simple. Film cameras are still popular for street work because they do have these marks, not because film is a better medium, but that the cameras have the tools that make street photography simpler.
For those getting into this, start in wide public spaces where there is no expectation of privacy. Go where there will be large groups of people and use a medium wide angle lens similar to a 35mm lens focal length on full frame. The benefit is that you can work quickly, and worry less about focus because of the increased depth of field a greater angle of view offers. When I started back with film, I shot Kodak Tri-X at ISO 400 and fixed the aperture on a 35mm to f/8. When aperture priority came along and I got a camera that could do it, things got easier because the camera would handle the shutter speed on demand.
Don’t futz with exposure settings, get the image in your mind, bring the camera up, squeeze off one frame and move on. If you make eye contact, nod and smile. That works better than anything else. If someone sees you and raised their hand to block their face, move on. This isn’t a battle or a contest.
Street photography in public spaces is not invasive or threatening by design. Some people are oversensitive and the best thing to do is let them be. Be aware of cultural expectations that may make photography of people a bad thing and just don’t shoot there. If you feel at risk get to a really public place and call 911. The probability of this being necessary is miniscule, and you can avoid this by choosing your subjects approrpriately. Do avoid religious gathering places as a standard practice.
Street photography is not illegal and should never be sneaky. Done with integrity and care, you can get some truly wonderful images. While I prefer to shoot for black and white, it’s not a rule to do so, but is considered de rigeur by some. Decide for yourself.
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