“I have the great privilege of being both witness and storyteller. Intimacy, trust and intuition guide my work.” - Jim Goldberg
Hi guys,
Now I’m going to share you my idea about Street Photography. What is street photography? What makes an image street photography? What are the challenges and rewards of street photography? Street photography is quite controversial. There are many ideas and opinion about how to call an image street photography. Here's what I personally think about street photography.
Street photography is one among many kinds of photography, could be a single or series of images, which tells a story about an object as it is, without asking the object to do certain acts or poses. Street photography emphasizes the object as the point of interest in public space. The key elements of street photography are the element of candid and public space.
Street photography is an art photography which shows people interaction and activity in society. Even though it us called street photography, the street doesn't have to show up in the image. The word 'street' actually refers to a time, not street as a place. The time means that the image was taken in an occasion, such as people crossing the road or a young couple having a sweet date.
The public space in street photography could be any public space, not only street. Various public spaces like market, school, bus stop, and even a shopping mall can be considered as public space in street photography. The possibility for point of interest could range from a person, event, any tools, equipment, weather, shadow, and many others.
To sum up what street photography is, I would say it is like mirroring and innocently observing what the situation or any moment in the society. In other words, street photography tells a story about the object in the image the way it is.
Now I’m going to share you my idea about Street Photography. What is street photography? What makes an image street photography? What are the challenges and rewards of street photography? Street photography is quite controversial. There are many ideas and opinion about how to call an image street photography. Here's what I personally think about street photography.
Street photography is one among many kinds of photography, could be a single or series of images, which tells a story about an object as it is, without asking the object to do certain acts or poses. Street photography emphasizes the object as the point of interest in public space. The key elements of street photography are the element of candid and public space.
Street photography is an art photography which shows people interaction and activity in society. Even though it us called street photography, the street doesn't have to show up in the image. The word 'street' actually refers to a time, not street as a place. The time means that the image was taken in an occasion, such as people crossing the road or a young couple having a sweet date.
The public space in street photography could be any public space, not only street. Various public spaces like market, school, bus stop, and even a shopping mall can be considered as public space in street photography. The possibility for point of interest could range from a person, event, any tools, equipment, weather, shadow, and many others.
To sum up what street photography is, I would say it is like mirroring and innocently observing what the situation or any moment in the society. In other words, street photography tells a story about the object in the image the way it is.
We have discussed the definition of street photography. In the next part of the article I would like to continue to discuss what makes a street photography. What elements are required for a street photography image? How to distinct street photography from the other genres of photography? Well, here is a list of thoughts which I would consider as street photography.
1. Street photography is taken in a public space, not a studio or any private place. Studio photography is definitely not a street photography. There has to be an element of candidness, unplanned fixed pose in the picture.
2. There has to be an element of urban. Street photography has to tell the action or activity of the object as the part of community activity.
3. Street photography does not have to always have a person in it. A bridge and a wall can be considered as street photography.
4. The person in the image of street photography should be presented not as an individual, instead as an anonymous character in the public space.
5. Many photographers use black and white mode to make the impression stronger. I don't see it is a must for street photography to be black and white. I personally like colorful images, which I'm showing here.
1. Street photography is taken in a public space, not a studio or any private place. Studio photography is definitely not a street photography. There has to be an element of candidness, unplanned fixed pose in the picture.
2. There has to be an element of urban. Street photography has to tell the action or activity of the object as the part of community activity.
3. Street photography does not have to always have a person in it. A bridge and a wall can be considered as street photography.
4. The person in the image of street photography should be presented not as an individual, instead as an anonymous character in the public space.
5. Many photographers use black and white mode to make the impression stronger. I don't see it is a must for street photography to be black and white. I personally like colorful images, which I'm showing here.
An interesting fact about street photography is its uniqueness. Only a handful of photographers are focusing on street photography. Street photography could be much more valuable than other types of photography. Why? Because the moment captured in street photography may not be repeated again forever. Since the photographer is not supposed to direct the pose of the objects, there is no guarantee that there will be 2 similar photos.
The challenge of street photography is that it may not be suitable for photographers who cannot maintain his composure under pressure. Many times, for privacy reason, people don't like a stranger takes photos of them randomly in a public place. They may get angry at you or ask their photos to be deleted.
Despite of some problems which may occur when you are taking street photography, yet it gives an invaluable experience. It is true that street photography requires 80% courage and 20% skill.
After all, street photography is an art which does not have a strict "right and wrong" line. It is up to the photographer to capture the moment and present it through his photos.
Are you getting inspired to start looking at street photography?
The challenge of street photography is that it may not be suitable for photographers who cannot maintain his composure under pressure. Many times, for privacy reason, people don't like a stranger takes photos of them randomly in a public place. They may get angry at you or ask their photos to be deleted.
Despite of some problems which may occur when you are taking street photography, yet it gives an invaluable experience. It is true that street photography requires 80% courage and 20% skill.
After all, street photography is an art which does not have a strict "right and wrong" line. It is up to the photographer to capture the moment and present it through his photos.
Are you getting inspired to start looking at street photography?