A initially learned photography as a kid shooting black & white then developing the photos in a dark room, that was a magical time and sparked my interest in photography. As I got older I dabbled in digital photography but wasn't until my kids were born that i really started to get an active interest back in it all.
all my following comments are street photog related, so there can be exceptions to the issues I have with some examples of bad photographic techniques or content (or lack there of)..
Yeah, I suppose there isn't really a wrong or right way to do street photography.. it's an art form and open to individual interpretation.. however, I cannot deny there are certain things I personally am not a big fan of or could be done better when I see some attempts at street photography.
yes.. meaningful photography. I don't think street photography should avoid the mundane everyday scene of life, but, sometimes I see too many examples of random miscellaneous shots on the street that doesn't tell me anything.. they are more just opportunistic shots because the photog saw something they could take but it's not engaging and frankly looks like the photog was either lazy or too scared to get into shot and make it a better more meaningful shot.
what I do not like in particular are examples of mundane everyday life which I think do not mean a damn to me are:
– shots of people looking down at their smart phone on the street or public transportation. we all see this every modern day, do I really need a photo of someone doing this?
– store signs.. A photo of Starbucks?! much like the above, see everyday, who cares?
– photo of a photo, art or other media.. it's almost like you're trying to make someone else's art your own photo.. lacks originality and further content. I am guilty of this in the past, but sometimes I've taken a photo of a sculpture.. if it's a really interesting sculpture, sure, and that type of photo is ok for capturing it to remember and show others who are not around or will not be able to see.. but, that's basically it.. i would not consider taking a photo of a sculpture on the street a good street photo.
– this goes back to my first comment about opportunistic shots.. or what I call the easy sneaky shots.. where you take a shot of people that cannot see you.. photos from the back, directly from the side or rear quarter, sleeping or passed out (although some of these can be funny or tell some sort of story).. i think you know what I mean.. it's fairly obvious the photog snuck as close as they can to take a shot, but didn't really work it and consider the best angle or composition… and even when they can sneak up, they may have a wide angle lens and not get close enough and things looks too small and distant and less intimate or engaging.
there is a difference between being stealthy to get a shot.. shooting from the hip, pretending to photograph something else, etc..and you get a good shot, then there's another thing to being stealthy to not alert anyone you are taking his, her or their photo and not getting a good shot at all… in such cases, you might as well have made your presence known to have at least gotten a reaction and not limit yourself to quite literally taking a shot from behind the scenes.
– the homeless.. I think all too typical street photography specific genre.. 1) I don't like to take photos that are trying to take advantage of the homeless and trying to turn their down on luck situation into my street photog portfolio for the sake of it being a common hallmark type of photo to be taken.. I think all too easy to sneak a shot of a homeless person passed out on the street or corner and say that's artistic street photography
2) I generally would prefer taking photos that are less tragic and depressing and keep a more positive outlook on life.. yes, life isn't always that upbeat, but that's my personal take on how I would prefer to take street photography and photos in general.. show more of what can be interesting or beautiful than boring or ugly.
Really helpful!
How do you decide between shooting in color and black and white when you see something you want to shoot?
Great content, POV & tips as usual, Eric.
all my following comments are street photog related, so there can be exceptions to the issues I have with some examples of bad photographic techniques or content (or lack there of)..
Yeah, I suppose there isn't really a wrong or right way to do street photography.. it's an art form and open to individual interpretation.. however, I cannot deny there are certain things I personally am not a big fan of or could be done better when I see some attempts at street photography.
yes.. meaningful photography. I don't think street photography should avoid the mundane everyday scene of life, but, sometimes I see too many examples of random miscellaneous shots on the street that doesn't tell me anything.. they are more just opportunistic shots because the photog saw something they could take but it's not engaging and frankly looks like the photog was either lazy or too scared to get into shot and make it a better more meaningful shot.
what I do not like in particular are examples of mundane everyday life which I think do not mean a damn to me are:
– shots of people looking down at their smart phone on the street or public transportation. we all see this every modern day, do I really need a photo of someone doing this?
– store signs.. A photo of Starbucks?! much like the above, see everyday, who cares?
– photo of a photo, art or other media.. it's almost like you're trying to make someone else's art your own photo.. lacks originality and further content. I am guilty of this in the past, but sometimes I've taken a photo of a sculpture.. if it's a really interesting sculpture, sure, and that type of photo is ok for capturing it to remember and show others who are not around or will not be able to see.. but, that's basically it.. i would not consider taking a photo of a sculpture on the street a good street photo.
– this goes back to my first comment about opportunistic shots.. or what I call the easy sneaky shots.. where you take a shot of people that cannot see you.. photos from the back, directly from the side or rear quarter, sleeping or passed out (although some of these can be funny or tell some sort of story).. i think you know what I mean.. it's fairly obvious the photog snuck as close as they can to take a shot, but didn't really work it and consider the best angle or composition… and even when they can sneak up, they may have a wide angle lens and not get close enough and things looks too small and distant and less intimate or engaging.
there is a difference between being stealthy to get a shot.. shooting from the hip, pretending to photograph something else, etc..and you get a good shot, then there's another thing to being stealthy to not alert anyone you are taking his, her or their photo and not getting a good shot at all… in such cases, you might as well have made your presence known to have at least gotten a reaction and not limit yourself to quite literally taking a shot from behind the scenes.
– the homeless.. I think all too typical street photography specific genre..
1) I don't like to take photos that are trying to take advantage of the homeless and trying to turn their down on luck situation into my street photog portfolio for the sake of it being a common hallmark type of photo to be taken.. I think all too easy to sneak a shot of a homeless person passed out on the street or corner and say that's artistic street photography
2) I generally would prefer taking photos that are less tragic and depressing and keep a more positive outlook on life.. yes, life isn't always that upbeat, but that's my personal take on how I would prefer to take street photography and photos in general.. show more of what can be interesting or beautiful than boring or ugly.
Yo Eric, come to New York man
Eric if you ever come to Perth, Australia hit me up, would love to go shoot some street with you!
Urg, Son Tung MTP soundtrack 🙂
Great content, Eric. Thank you!