Looking for a definition of [Street Photography]

[Findus]

It's got to be something else, have more added value than people shooting away at anything that moves, or doesn't move and this all at a tilt of appr. 30 degrees, and preferably in B&W....

Curious about the "true" definition.... ... .. .

[earleygallery]

To me Street Photography is about catching moments from everyday life. Photographs that are not posed or predetermined, the anonymous, the trivial the bizarre.

Go to iN-PUBLiC.com | The Home of Street Photography link... iN-PUBLiC.com | What Is Street Photography?

They have given their view of 'what is street photography?'

Regards

[elansprint72]

Why.......................?

[erl]

Michaela, looking for a true definition might be a bit of a 'Man Of La Mancha' quest. I believe it means different things to different people. Expect some of their opinions here.

Thinking about it, I would venture the view that it involves found situations in a generally public environment that when captured, display something that evokes a definite reaction from the viewer. Any emotion I think would quality. If at the same time that image can also bring some artist merit (whatever that is!) to display, it will probably increase it chances of being memorable, at least for some.

I don't pretend this to anywhere complete, but more of a starting point.

I have attached one of mine as an example that I think qualifies, entitled "Hangin' Out", (if you go for titles)

Cheers,
Erl

[Bernd Banken]

For me, "street" is a kind of collecting moments in a scanned environment. Just like drifting together in the network of people, surroundings, etc.
And then there ist the 'magic view' and the camera must be there.
It's possible to educate the eye and the brain to select pics in a very short time.


Regards
Bernd

[chrisweeks]

i don't believe it includes "urban landscape."

[wbesz]

I like that shot erl, it's a very good catch!

[erl]

Where does urban landscape come into this thread?

Just curious.

Cheers,
Erl

[bradreiman]

i think maybe photography while on the street-no?

[Goardhead]

HOW ABOUT.
To document and attempt to visually communicate those things in life that are of sufficient interest that we are willing to expend our time and resources in a attempt to record. A exercise in futility. Reportage.

[Micheal]

Findus,
Try Robert Frank. "The Americans"

md

[wilyum]

If your subject chases you down the street after you make an exposure, you're probably a "street photographer"! Best regards, Bill

[stnami]

The homeless and destitute photographers and there are many around!!!

Curious about the "true" definition.... ... .. .yep it's called bullshit

[stunsworth]

Wasn't there something that Ellington said when asked 'what is jazz?' - if you have to ask you'll never know.

[erl]

As I suspected near the beginning, there is no accepted 'true' definition of Street Photography. Just as some people have fixed ideas that portraiture must be a smiling(!) face pointing at the camera, while others, myself included, see it as something much broader and all encompassing.

What the hell! A good pic is a good pic, despite the label.

Cheers,
Erl

[Micheal]

forgive Stnami, He seems unaware of the term as it is used in the US where it is a common term often used as the opposite of "studio/commercial" photography. It is an attitude.

md

[stnami]

Hey Mr Dickey this is a international site so widen your scope and vocab beyond your provincial depth. By the way the poster of the thread is from Germany

[Micheal]

To the international community:

My sincere apologies for using American street slang (no pun intended). Street photography is a term commonly used here, especially within the photographic community. It simply means hitting the moment whether it be people in space or the social landscape with a certain "spark" - i.e. Henry Cartier Bresson's "the decisive moment".

md

[earleygallery]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

Wasn't there something that Ellington said when asked 'what is jazz?' - if you have to ask you'll never know.

Yep thats about the best definition you need.

[franklinh]

Try reading "Bystander: A History of Street Photography" by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz. First published in 1994. Paperback in 2001. It's available for $35.00 US plus shipping from JoelMeyerowitz.com - in the store section of his web site.

But, you know I thing you are going to have to rely on photographs to crystallize what street photography means for you - not words, to bundle the concept up neatly for yourself. After all there is only the photograph.....

For many I think it means "Art Found, L'Art Trouve" instead of "L'Art Recherche, Art Constructed". But even for those words to hold up under scrutiny you have to realize that Weegee, Winogrand, and Bresson positioned themselves in a frame of reference to capture their slices of life.