I am NOT a photographer. I am a Professor of Communication and visual communication or images forms a sub-text of my study. Like Mr. Bean who said : I sit in the corner and look at paintings. I look at photographs. What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment. You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.

1. an interactive session with
Prof. Aloke Kumar
on World Photography Day
19th. August 2017
Wedoria
with Streets of Calcutta

3. Wedoria aims to create technology driven products which
facilitate people to have fulfilling, meaningful and productive
lives. Currently, Wedoria is developing a digital platform of
life called MeVero with a vision to create a 'onesome world';
and is backed by one of India's largest media houses - the
ABP GROUP. It has vision of a world that is fueled by purpose
and is a platform facilitating the Real You. To pursue your
destiny. Which lets you to lead the life you deserve to live –
your Real Life.

4. Streets of Calcutta is a forum for photographers who
document Kolkata. Several activities are held for the benefit
of the photography fraternity of Kolkata. What started with
an individual in 2015 has grown to over 25,000 across Social
media platforms.
Streets of Calcutta is one of the most active photography
platforms in eastern India and has worked with several brands
across industry domains including Instagram, Facebook,
Nikon, IBM, Tamron, Idea, Amazon, Fujifilm to name a few.

5. How many of you are photographers ?

6. Who Am I
I am NOT a photographer.
I am a Professor of Communication and visual
communication or images forms a sub-text of
my study.
Like Mr. Bean who said : I sit in the corner and
look at paintings.
I look at photographs. What I like about
photographs is that they capture a moment.
You don't make a photograph just with a
camera. You bring to the act of photography all
the pictures you have seen, the books you have
read, the music you have heard, the people you
have loved.Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) in
Bean: The Movie

7. Raise Your Hand
1. For Interaction
2. If you recognize your work represented here
3. If I have wrongly credited an image

8. History
In all of art history, it’s a challenge to find a term or a
genre name that is as deceptively simple as street
photography – this subgenre of photo making proved to
be one of the most adaptive and malleable techniques of
the last two centuries.
It can still be a valid picture of this kind if it’s taken in a
public environment in which one captures shots of by
passers and regular surroundings, hunting the exact
moment in time when the ordinary becomes
extraordinary.

9. Is this Street Photography ?
"Lunch atop a Skyscraper" (New York Construction Workers Lunching on a
Crossbeam) is a famous black-and-white photograph taken on September
20, 1932 on the 69th floor of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in
New York City, United States.

10. This particular genre of fine photography is probably best
explained as an opportunistic moment in which a
photographer captures a candid public scene in front of
him. As was explained before, although there is the actual
word street in the very title, this technique does not really
tie itself to only pavements and alleys – in order for a street
photo to be genuine, it has to feature an unposed situation
within a public place, regardless of where that place may
be. It can be the street, yes, but it can also be a bar, an
inside of a train, a football match, cinema or a factory – it
can be wherever you desire to take it and this is considered
to be the most flexible aspect that gave street photography
the reputation of rich variety and artistic freedom.
What is Street Photography?

11. Louis Daguerre – Boulevard du Temple, 1938

12. Martha Cooper – An Untitled Photo

13. Dennis Stock – Venice Beach Rock Festival, 1968

14. Mirror of Society
However, street photography seems to have one strict rule,
which has been broken in a couple of instances even by the
greatest names in the genre – it should be a true mirror of
society, an unmanipulated scene with unaware subjects
and unstaged settings. This is why street photography is
often described as the most honest creative form ever
invented as no amount of paintings, sculptures or films can
rival the brutal honesty of just one good street photo. The
magic of its chance interactions with everyday human
activity within urban areas is undoubtedly the focal point
of this genre and it falls second to nothing, not even the
quality of the image or talent of the artist.

15. Francesca Torracchi’s pictures are symbolic and are easily understood. What surprises
us most is the fantastic display of characters and graphical elements steadily
complimenting each other in every single frame. A Beautiful Portfolio from this Italian
woman.

16. What it is not
In the attempt to fully grasp the term of street
photography, perhaps the wisest approach is to explain
what it is not. Due to the unmanipulated approach, street
photography has often been associated with its big
brother, documentative image making, a strict and
disciplined technique from which street photography had
big problems of emancipating. The difference between the
two is that, unlike documentaries and their archive-like
methods, the general content of the scene or its precise
location are irrelevant to the field of street photography.

17. Alessandro (AlGrega) Greganti
Concentrates more on the nature of people, the colors, realistic approach to street
photography. His pictures speak about the dimensions and various intersections in
peoples lives.

18. Maturing of street photography
In the years between the two World wars, several
photographers had an immense impact on the subsequent
maturing of street photography. As European artists were
forced to take a step back while the war was going on around
the Old Continent, the focal point of the genre moved to the
United States. However, in the mid 1920s, photographers
around Europe began working again – Hungarian
photographer Andre Kertesz’s images of Paris, made after he
adopted the 35mm camera device in the year of 1928
(Meudon (1928) and Carrefour Blois (1930)), display how the
metropolitan life of the French capital used to look like with a
strong note of surrealistic concepts.

19. Brassai – Greestone Terrace – I

20. Post War years
The immediate post-war years inaugurated a particularly
rich era in of street photography in the United States, as
this was the only country whose domestic cities were not
exposed to warfare. Several key street photographers like
Lisette Model, Eisenstaedt, Helen Levitt, Louis Faurer,
William Klein, Saul Leiter and Robert Frank authored
some of their most renowned photos between the years
of 1940 and 1960. Every single one of them brought
something new to the table and helped develop the
genre that was experiencing a significant rise in
popularity in those years.

21. Kiss in Times Square by Eisenstaedt
This kissing photograph portrays an American sailor kissing a
woman in a white dress on Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) in
Times Square in New York City, on August 14, 1945.

22. Kiss by the Town Hall is a photograph of a couple
kissing in the busy streets of Paris in 1950, by Robert
Doisneau.

23. Ruth Orkin’s masterly evocation of time and place in 1951 is
photogenic. A young woman on tour in Italy passes a group of
ogling men and walks into photographic history. That moment
captured by Orkin more than 50 years ago is now an iconic
image that represents - depending on how you read the
photograph - either stoic independence or sheer vulnerability.
I had delved much on the photograph .
Ruth Orkin

24. Ruth Orkin's American Girl in Florence.1951

25. Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer
considered a master of candid photography, and an early
user of 35 mm film. He pioneered the genre of street
photography, and conceived of photography as capturing a
decisive moment. His work has influenced many
photographers. In early 1947, Cartier-Bresson, with Robert
Capa, David Seymour, William Vandivert and George Rodger
founded Magnum Photos. Capa's brainchild, Magnum was a
cooperative picture agency owned by its members. The team
split photo assignments among the members Cartier Bresson
is considered as the father of street photography.
Henri Cartier-Bresson

26. Henri Cartier-Bresson . The boy in the cycle. 1947.

27. The Second World War brought the American Gis to
Calcutta. They were free, roamed the street amused by the
variants and took photographs.
The most important was Clyde Waddell. He was an
American military photographer known for his
photographs of Calcutta in 1945 Waddell was chief
photographer for the Houston Press before entering the US
Army and coming to the India-Burma Theatre in November
1943, where he was attached to the Public Relations Staff
of Southeast Asia Command 'with the express purpose of
acting as personal press photographer for Supreme
Commander Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten.‘
On his return he published an album.
The Second World War & Calcutta

28. At Chowringhee Road. A hawker trying to peddle his ware.

29. New American Kitchen near Hogg Market. Near Lighthouse Cinema..

30. Tram car. Man trying to enter from the window.

31. Anglo Swiss Watch Co. Dalhousie Square.

32. Burabazar. Hackney Carriage was then a prominent transport.

33. Book Stall near Grand Arcade.

34. Esplanade Crossing.

35. Raghubir Singh (1942–1999) was an Indian photographer,
most known for his landscapes and documentary-style
photographs of the people of India.
Singh belongs to a tradition of small-format street
photography, pioneered by photographers like Henri
Cartier-Bresson, whom he met in 1966 and observed for
a week while the latter was working in Jaipur and who,
with Robert Frank, was to have a lasting impact of his
work; however, unlike them, he chose to work in colour,
as for him this represented the intrinsic value of Indian
aesthetics. In time Singh was acknowledged as one of the
finest photographers of his generation and a leading
pioneer of colour photography.
Raghubir Singh

36. Raghubir Singh (1942–1999)

37. The old and the new. Raghubir Singh. Calcutta 1986

38. Subhas Chandra Bose. Raghubir Singh. Calcutta. 1986

39. Pavement Mirror Shop, Raghubir Singh, Calcutta. (1991).

40. Barber And Goddess Kali, Raghubir Singh. Calcutta. 1987

41. It is Mrinal Sen who introduced Street Photography to Indian
Cinema by his cinéma-vérité style. A style of film-making
characterized by realistic, typically documentary films which
avoid artificiality and artistic effect and are generally made
with simple equipment. His film, Bhuvan Shome finally
launched him as a major filmmaker, both nationally and
internationally. Bhuvan Shome also initiated the "New
Cinema" film movement in India. It is in this film that he
introduced Street Photography. Mrinal Sen’s movies from
Punascha to Mahaprithivi, has shown Kolkata as a character,
and as an inspiration. He has beautifully woven the people,
value system, class difference and the streets of the city into
his movies and coming of age from Calcutta to Kolkata.
Mrinal Sen

42. Mrinal Sen lying in the street before shooting a shot for Calcutta ‘71

59. Perspectives

60. Maciej Dakowicz. Calcutta. 2005.

61. Content and Form
Content, on the other hand, refers to a work's essence, or
what is being depicted. The matter.
Form refers to the work's style, techniques and media used,
and how the elements of design are implemented.

62. Street Football at North Kolkata. Plabon Das. 2016.

63. Content is important
The message. Sometimes a not-perfectly composed
photograph still can be good, what matters is the content,
the message it conveys. Moments! Emotions! They matter.
The decisive moment is one of the key concepts of
photography and an ingredient of most successful photos. It
is a sort of apogee, the exact moment when something
happens. The timing is crucial. If you miss it, it will never
happen again. But this moment has to be captured in an
aesthetic way, so it is clearly visible.

64. Maciej Dakowicz. Calcutta. Barabazar . 2005

65. Emotions
Emotions are conveyed by facial expressions, often
strengthened by bodily gestures and poses. Happiness,
sadness, surprise, fear, anger… Capturing them in the frame
elevates the photo to another level. Emotions are precious.

66. Family enjoying snacks. F D Walker. Kolkata, 2014

67. Echo
Echo is another concept – putting visually similar elements in
the frame. A circle here and there, a similar pattern on the
wall and somebody’s shirt, a laughing person standing next
to a poster with a smiling face – these similarities can
produce entertaining images.

68. Christ. Akash Mondal. Christmas . 2013

69. Contrast
Contrast is the opposite of echo. Here instead of similar
elements we are looking for contrasting ones around us. So,
happy and sad, young and old, hairy and bold – these
juxtapositions in the frame make the photo interesting.

70. Duality . Shibasish Saha Kolkata .2015.

71. Ambuguity
Ambiguity, or mystery is another concept. Here we are
talking about pictures that provoke questions rather than
answering them. Each viewer can interpret the image in a
different way. Sometimes situations are ambiguous just like
that, but often isolating fragments of the scene from the
whole context can create a mystery.

72. Longing for Freedom . Manjit Singh Hoonjan

73. Composition
Composition is the way elements are placed in the frame. It
greatly depends on the distance from the subject – usually
the closer you get the more dynamic perspectives you
achieve. You get this sense of being there, right in the middle
of things. Then it is all about where the camera is positioned
and when the shutter is released. Where and when.

74. Maciej Dakowicz. Hide & Seek. Calcutta. 2005

75. Structure
When talking about composition we often mention geometry
– lines, curves and shapes. They add structure to our
composition and make it aesthetic and well readable.

76. Taxis on Calcutta Street. Maciej Dakowicz. 2005

77. Composition
Here we can also talk about the depth of the composition
and distinguish different layers consisting of the foreground,
middle distance and background elements. Complex multi-
layered photographs with multiple subjects are very
interesting to look at, but due to their complexity they are
rather appreciated by the photography crowd and not fully
understood by the rest.

78. Rickshaw. Calcutta. Maciej Dakowicz. 2005.

79. Light
Finally, light is what illuminates the scene. Natural light
comes from the Sun directly (producing shadows), but it can
be diffused through the clouds or blocked by buildings.
Artificial light comes from a bulb in the ceiling or from a
flashgun on top of the camera. A bad light (harsh mid-day
light) or inappropriate handling of it (a subject in the shade
with a bright background) can ruin the shot, while a good
light (early morning or late afternoon) can make it very
special. Once you understand the light and learn how to
handle it your pictures will be so much better.

80. The Goddess and men. Calcutta. Maciej Dakowicz. 2005.

81. Recommendation

82. Sumit Dey. Photography in the Street of Calcutta.2012.

83. Work the scene
One of the common mistakes I see in street photography is
that photographers only take 1–2 photos of the scene, and
move on (because they are either too self-conscious,
nervous, or impatient).
Try this instead: work the scene. Take multiple photos of the
scene. Preferably 15–20 (more tends to be better).

84. Pigeons. Contact Sheet. Derek Clark . 2014

85. Pigeons. Selected. Derek Clark . 2014

86. Get eye contact
There is a saying: “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” I
feel that by getting eye contact in your photograph, the
viewer feels a lot more connected to your image. It almost
looks like the subject of your frame is looking directly at the
viewer.The stronger the eye contact, the more emotional,
and more memorable the photograph generally is.
But how do you get eye contact when you’re shooting on the
streets? My suggestion: get close to them, and keep clicking,
until they notice you and make eye contact with you. The
second they make eye contact, that is when you click.

87. The Time Keeper. Calcutta . Maciej Dakowicz. 2005

88. Capture the “unguarded moment”
We often talk a lot about trying to capture the “decisive
moment” (the moment something interesting happens).
However I also suggest to try to capture the “unguarded
moment” (the moment when someone forgets about you,
and drops their guard).

89. Play Time – Kolkata, Photo : Saumalya Ghosh

90. The “fishing” technique
This is one of the most classic techniques in street
photography—identify an interesting background, and wait
for your subject to enter the frame.

91. The Street Hawker. Calcutta. Marji Lang

92. Shoot head-on
Another common mistake I see a lot of beginner street
photographers make is that they don’t shoot head-on.
Rather, they shoot from the side. If you want to make
photographs that are a lot more engaging, full of energy, and
dynamic— shoot head on. Sometimes you might accidentally
bump into people, shoot ahead. Such photographs make the
viewer feel that they’re really there. So the way you can do
this is walk down a crowded street, stop somewhere in the
center, and wait for people to walk head-on towards you.
Then after you take the photos, play dumb, and move on.

93. Untitled. Calcutta. Soumya Shankar Ghosal

94. Layers
Create layers/depth If you want more engaging photographs.
Try to incorporate layers/depth. What I suggest is putting
your camera to manual focusing, and pre-focus to the
background . Then try to incorporate more subjects into your
frame—the foreground, middle ground, and background.

95. Untitled. Calcutta. Soumya Shankar Ghosal

96. Patterns
Look for lines/patterns/texturef you’re not in the mood to
photograph people, know you can do more conceptual street
photography without people that focuses on lines, patterns,
and textures. I feel that by finding lines, patterns, and
textures of old buildings or places, patterns of tram lines, of
trees, posts—you add more character and emotion into your
photograph.

97. In Line. Calcutta. Ritam Paul Chowdhury

98. Embrace Space
Why? Space allows your photograph to “breathe” and for
your viewer to focus more on the single subject in your
photograph. Where to leave space? My suggestion is to just
use it intuitively—if your frame feels too crowded, add more
empty space.
Furthermore, you can add more space to your photograph by
capturing dramatic shadows. Shoot either at sunrise or
sunset, or shoot in the bright light. In post-processing
increase the “blacks” and contrast of your image.

99. The walk. Calcutta. Anirban Saha

100. Leading Light
Leading lights can be found anywhere—from alleyways, to
street poles, to parks, or even drive-ways.
An easy way to incorporate leading lights is to first identify
the leading lights, and then wait for the right subjects to
enter the frame. You can pair this with the “fishing”
technique.

101. Morning winter panorama. Maidan. Calcutta. Shamim Ahmed

102. Labeling
We are bad at labelling our works. You do not have to go far.
Look at facebook posts. Most of us do not Label our posts.
Title. Place. Name if Photographer amd Year , if not the date.
These are absolute essential for posterity.
Have a look at photographers who take a pride in their work.
They never forget to detail.

104. The Saloon. Calcutta. Maciej Dakowicz. 2005

105. Conclusion
These are some practical tips and techniques to use in street
photography, but know that this isn’t a full-list.
Try a combination of these techniques, or if you want to
practice, just focus on 1 of these techniques in a day.
The more tools you add to your street photography toolkit,
the more prepared you will be for certain shots. Even though
we all have different styles and approaches, trying something
outside of your comfort zone will help you grow and develop
as a photographer (and human being).

106. Above all it must tell a story

107. Untitled. Soumya Shankar Ghosal. ND

108. © 2014 by Michael Summers/ Frames. Exhibition of Street Photography. London.

109. Be creative friends and
make beautiful images!
Thank You