What is street photography?

SyncopationSyncopation Registered Users Posts: 341 Major grins
edited January 5, 2012 in Street and Documentary
After promising myself that I'd resist the temptation to comment further on the 'what is street photography?' debate, I came across this article by Nick Turpin, one of the key figures behind the London Street Photography festival. It sums up my thoughts perfectly and leaves it to the other genres of photography to define themselves rather than the other way round, and yes, this is my final comment on the subject!

http://www.nickturpin.com/words/undefining-street-photography/
Syncopation

The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking. - Brook Atkinson- 1951

Comments

  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,961 moderator
    edited January 4, 2012
    Street is a photography genre, unique in that some of its practitioners spend more time arguing about what it is than actually doing it.

    :hide
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  • dbvetodbveto Registered Users Posts: 660 Major grins
    edited January 4, 2012
    My Favorite quote from that article.

    "When a child picks up a camera and pushes the button that simple spontaneous image is a Street Photograph, it is, first of all, a raw reaction to the scene in front of it, a person, a car, a color. That primitive urge to react, to make a picture is at the heart of Street Photography beyond any other area of picture making, it comes before any other agenda."

    That is what I always thought of street photography.

    :hide Move over Richard.
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  • toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited January 4, 2012
    dbveto wrote: »
    My Favorite quote from that article.

    "When a child picks up a camera and pushes the button that simple spontaneous image is a Street Photograph, it is, first of all, a raw reaction to the scene in front of it, a person, a car, a color. That primitive urge to react, to make a picture is at the heart of Street Photography beyond any other area of picture making, it comes before any other agenda."

    That is what I always thought of street photography.

    :hide Move over Richard.

    :hide:hide :D:D:D
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  • bfjrbfjr Registered Users Posts: 10,980 Major grins
    edited January 4, 2012
    Richard wrote: »
    Street is a photography genre, unique in that some of its practitioners spend more time arguing about what it is than actually doing it.

    :hide

    Now that's hitting the nail on the HEAD !!
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  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,961 moderator
    edited January 5, 2012
    Molsondog wrote: »
    What type of Street photographer are you? Found this on RFF. Funny.

    http://www.yanidel.net/2011/12/09/10-types-of-street-photographers/
    clap.gifclap.gifclap.gif That made my day. thumb.gif
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  • Quincy TQuincy T Registered Users Posts: 1,090 Major grins
    edited January 5, 2012
    molsondog wrote: »
    what type of street photographer are you? Found this on rff. Funny.

    http://www.yanidel.net/2011/12/09/10-types-of-street-photographers/
    :d
  • Ed911Ed911 Registered Users Posts: 1,306 Major grins
    edited January 5, 2012
    Richard wrote: »
    Street is a photography genre, unique in that some of its practitioners spend more time arguing about what it is than actually doing it.:hide

    Made me laugh...that's the way it is about cameras, and a lot of other things. A lot of people would rather talk more about what kind of camera they, rather than being a photographer. Our local photography club changed the name of the club from Camera Club to Photography Club...in order that emphasis be put on taking pictures, rather than owning and discussing what type of gear you owned. Because, the end product is more important than how you got it...pictures.

    Good one Richard.
    Remember, no one may want you to take pictures, but they all want to see them.
    Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.

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