What is street photography about? The answer isn’t as obvious as it may seem to be. It’s not just about streets, of course. The answer will be personal and unique to each street photographer. Read on.
Different meanings to different people
Street photography means different things to different people. For one it could be about candid street portraits, for another one, urban architecture. And for yet another one, it could be a road trip. The images evoked and the definition of the discipline can vary radically from person to person. Which is a good thing for those who don’t look for uniformity in this world.
What is street photography about?
Street photography is about going out with your camera. Its subjects are humans, their societies, their living environments, and the traces of life they leave behind. Giving a precise definition is vain and irrelevant as what matters is your own personal definition.
It’s more relevant to define some basic, non-exclusive, principles of street photography:
• You have no control over the subjects so there’s a factor of randomness
• Human subjects shouldn’t pose and be aware of being photographed
• It doesn’t have to be in the streets or even in a city
• It’s not done inside a studio or inside your home
What street photography means for me
Artistically, for me, street photography is about being raw and unadulterated. Capturing the essence of what I’m seeing in my city. Freezing in monochrome the urban atmosphere that surrounds me. Simplifying and altering my urban reality. Philosophically, it’s for me about being free and living my life creatively with my own rules. And at my own pace.
What about you?
What does street photography mean for you? It’s an important question to ask yourself. Once you’ll know the answer, make it blossom in pictures.
