What Is And What Isn’t Street Photography?

• Urban
  environment
• Range
  of distances: from up close and personal to across the street. (Across the
  street being more urban life scene less traditional street.)
• The
  subject should scream life and humanity all those personal quirks and
  everyday little and big things that make us human
• The
  subject does not have to be a person or persons regardless it does have to
  evoke an image of humanity
• There
  has to be some transit nature to the subject. An example: A half eaten ice
  cream cone melting on a pavement evokes memories and tells a story
• Generally
  the single photograph should stand by it’s self even when it’s included in
  a larger photojournalist type story. Whether or not the single image shows
  truth in the photojournalist sense is not relevant.

• Beach
  scenes; nature scenes, country roads; Architecture, statues and art as the
  primary subject.
• Static
  objects including empty streets (too obvious and trite) although fog
  street scenes are tempting
• Road
  traffic where the cars, trucks … are the subject even is it’s a long
  exposure and shows pretty light painting effects
• Too
  much staging although I hate getting into the street portrait debate

• Sometimes
  a backside is just a backside and a snapshot is just a snapshot, trite is
  trite in whatever guise
• Geometric
  organizations and patterns, can be really interesting but if too clinical
  and clean without the grit it’s more of an abstract
• Sometimes
  a sign mixed with people work as street, it depends if the subject is the
  people rather then mostly the sign.

Most important: If you see a shot take the shot! If you take a shot then consider staying a minute or two and taking another the shot from several different positions and angles. Worry about any definitions of what is or is not street afterwards,

By my definition here are some borderline Street photographs. Except for
the first one they all came from the same roll of film. Remember there is
no right or wrong answer.

 

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