let us talk street...

back alley

back alley

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street shooting that is...

i wonder how many of us work under an illusion of sorts?
i consider myself to be primarily a street shooter...but i don't think many people see me as such.
my name never comes up when we talk street, no one refers to me as a street shooter...
i look at my images on flickr and my blog and see street photographs...not all or only street images but enough for folks to notice...at least i think so!
granted, i like street scenes that have no or few people in them (not all though) and i can see where that might lead to a disconnect of sorts...

what about you?
in the same boat?
how do you see yourselves?
 
i loathe everything about 'street' photography although, considering the wikipedia definition, it seems i am one.

i have always thought your photographs of the street, in the literal sense, have shown real vision and growth Joe. whatever that makes you
 
emraphoto said:
i loathe everything about 'street' photography although, considering the wikipedia definition, it seems i am one.

i have always thought your photographs of the street, in the literal sense, have shown real vision and growth Joe. whatever that makes you
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i think that may be the nicest thing i have had said to me in regards to my images...
 
It is very easy, I haven't been on the street, any street, without camera for last couple of years. I'm constantly ready for street photography. :)
The uneasy part, I'm not so often on the street where people are. Looks like suburbians can't walk anymore here. :confused:
 
back alley said:
street shooting that is...

i wonder how many of us work under an illusion of sorts?
i consider myself to be primarily a street shooter...but i don't think many people see me as such.
my name never comes up when we talk street, no one refers to me as a street shooter...
i look at my images on flickr and my blog and see street photographs...not all or only street images but enough for folks to notice...at least i think so!
granted, i like street scenes that have no or few people in them (not all though) and i can see where that might lead to a disconnect of sorts...

what about you?
in the same boat?
how do you see yourselves?
Click to expand...

I like street photography and have a few such pics that I'm happy with.
The small town where I live does not offer much opportunity for this.
I only get a chance to do this when I visit the big smoke. (Toronto)
I don't consider myself primarily a street photographer.
 
The way I see works well with crowded spaces and the streets and other crowded areas are were I am home. I like to make visual sense out of total chaos. It is very hard to do well. Only a few have been able to really master it. To use all the elements in the frame to create some kind of visual meaning and to first be able to see it and then have the technical skill to capture in the moment is insanely difficult. And then to be able to put a piece of you into that is even more of a challenge but one I love.

I say let us show work and then discuss it.
 
I used to find street photography thrilling but after years of continuous shooting I don't feel challenged anymore, neither do I feel inspired to do the same thing again and again. At the same time I have no other subjects other than street.

Most of us only have the street and that also the streets of our city, but after sometime it becomes virtually impossible to see the same city in a different way. Change of lens and camera might offer a short-term boost but boredom comes back.

I have never felt satisfied with my street photography.
 
airfrogusmc said:
The way I see works well with crowded spaces and the streets and other crowded areas are were I am home. I like to make visual sense out of total chaos. It is very hard to do well. Only a few have been able to really master it. To use all the elements in the frame to create some kind of visual meaning and to first be able to see it and then have the technical skill to capture in the moment is insanely difficult. And then to be able to put a piece of you into that is even more of a challenge but one I love.
Click to expand...

well said!
i feel much the same way...
 
Hsg said:
I used to find street photography thrilling but after years of continuous shooting I don't feel challenged anymore, neither do I feel inspired to do the same thing again and again. At the same time I have no other subjects other than street.

Most of us only have the street and that also the streets of our city, but after sometime it becomes virtually impossible to see the same city in a different way. Change of lens and camera might offer a short-term boost but boredom comes back.

I have never felt satisfied with my street photography.
Click to expand...

i have a few shots that keep me going but i know what you mean.
 
For me boredom has never entered into my experience because if you turn right you find nothing of value. Turn left and it's a gold mine. Every time i go out it's a new experience. Each area has a vibe all it's own and different days have a different feel. Tapping into that, for me, sometimes takes time and is the key. Because doing it well is so insanely difficult. It is always a huge challenge and to get good it takes a lot of getting out and doing it. A few days off the streets and my timing is usually not real sharp.
 
i have been shooting the same area in my town for years...my goal is a handful of shots that really show what that part of town is like...still working on it!

i have ventured out into other parts of town besides a few trips back home to nyc and to toronto...that dramatic change of scene does help...
 
I have changed my subject matter and type of film used over the years. I used to be heavily into nature shots with slide film. Now I'm totally black and white, and more people oriented.
 
back alley said:
i have been shooting the same area in my town for years...my goal is a handful of shots that really show what that part of town is like...still working on it!

i have ventured out into other parts of town besides a few trips back home to nyc and to toronto...that dramatic change of scene does help...
Click to expand...

Sounds very interesting. So you are approaching it as a documentary ?


My work now is about visual relationships and place is very secondary to the moment captured. My work is about documenting visual moments not places but I do enjoy work that does document areas and history and have actually done some of that in the past. Just not where I am at now.
 
airfrogusmc said:
Sounds very interesting. So you are approaching it as a documentary ?


My work now is about visual relationships and place is very secondary to the moment captured. My work is about documenting visual moments not places but I do enjoy work that does document areas and history and have actually done some of that in the past. Just not where I am at now.
Click to expand...

i guess it is in the documentary style...i also shoot the local farmers market as well...i find the atmosphere and people very interesting.
i love the street for what it offers...one day i can shoot only colours and the next only shapes if i like...with oe without people!
 
back alley said:
i guess it is in the documentary style...i also shoot the local farmers market as well...i find the atmosphere and people very interesting.
i love the street for what it offers...one day i can shoot only colours and the next only shapes if i like...with oe without people!
Click to expand...

Yes me to. it is always different, always changing and very rapidly changing.

The photography work I do during the week to feed the family is usually controlled and calculated. The street is always so unpredictable. I find that so stimulating and exciting. Posted this in other thread but I love these words by Meyerowitz and they say exactly what i find so exciting about working on the street and he say it so much better than I ever could say it.
http://www.traileraddict.com/everybody-street/trailer

And watch the film if you haven't seen it yet.
 
Interestingly, a lot of photographers who are A) really good at this genre and, B) have thought a lot about it, often disdain the term 'street photography.'
I just look at it as photographing a sense of place, wherever I am. I tend to take the same approach whether I'm in the small city I live in or visiting Toronto, Beijing or anywhere...I just try to make interesting images of where I am and convey what it feels like to be there.

For what it's worth, here is a selection of my street work, mostly recent but a few going back a couple years. It's in Galleries under, you guessed it, Street Photography:

http://www.colincorneau.com/galleries/
 
i have no problem with the term 'street' photography...it has a noble history and even if my part in it is miniscule i enjoy being a part of it.

many say it is finished, overdone, that there is nothing new to shoot...i don't believe that but even if it were true it would not be true for me and my photography.
 
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