It can be very easy to arbitrarily limit oneself by genre; I think the effect this has on the mindset
of a photographer can potentially really damage the quality of the work they look to produce.
I think that street photography is one of the broadest and most inclusive genres, and it’s
interesting to see the ways that some photographers are distancing themselves from the name:
some have started to call it “everyday photography/documentary” or “life photography” among
other terms. “Street” is a very loaded directive, which really implies that the photography must
take place on a street — or even that the subject of the image is the street.
This is my fourth ChangeThis manifesto, based on my business fable THE SHIBUMI STRATEGY: A POWERFUL WAY TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE. Several Zen aesthetic design ideals and Japanese practices are applied to personal performance.
This is my fourth ChangeThis manifesto, based on my business fable THE SHIBUMI STRATEGY: A POWERFUL WAY TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE. Several Zen aesthetic design ideals and Japanese practices are applied to personal performance.
Is Photography An Art Essay
Photography Definition Essay
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History of Photography Essay
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The Thing ItselfThe fundamental principle of photography.docxchristalgrieg
The Thing Itself
The fundamental principle of photography
________________________________________________________________
Bill Jay
For more than 30 years I have been deeply involved with the medium of
photography; for most of that time I have directed my lectures and writings at
young(er) photographers.
Hopefully my own attitudes to the medium will continue to evolve; certainly, they
have undergone continuous change. In looking back at the last three decades,
however, I have been aware that one fundamental attitude has remained at the
core of all my experiences in the medium. It is this "frame of reference" which I
would like to share with you in a single article.
I am not claiming that this principle of photography is radical, different or new.
On the contrary. I believe that it is familiar and basic - which means that it
deserves and demands constant repetition, in an age when principles are often
impugned, as if they no longer held relevance.
But like all fixed Rules, it must also be accompanied by flexible strategies,
accounting for individual images of insight and brilliance which, seemingly, ignore
the principle we will discuss. But it is there, and no less crucial for being hidden,
like the foundations of a building.
Perhaps the most obvious, and therefore the most contentious, issue of
photography is the medium's inseparable relationship to The Thing Itself.
Photography performs one function supremely well: it shows what something or
somebody looked like, under a particular set of conditions at a particular moment
in time. This specificity has been, and remains, photography's boon as well as
its bane.
It was not by chance that photography was born in the early 19 century when a
deterministic spirit was fueling the Victorian's fanaticism for facts. The camera,
along with the microscope and the telescope, became one of the primary
instruments for investigating the details of reality. Deeply and strongly rooted in
subject matter, the medium has had an uneasy and tenuous alliance with
authorship since its introduction. Therefore, what a photograph depicts has
generally taken precedence over what a photograph means.
The advantage inherent in this notion is that photography has become an
increasingly useful tool in our society for the transmission of information about
every conceivable aspect of life.
The "disadvantage," is that while a photograph is directing attention to its subject,
it is de-emphasizing the role of the individual who made it. Indeed, in the vast
majority of photographs, even those of extraordinary impact in our lives, we have
no knowledge of, or interest in, the author. Attempting to make individualized
(artistic) photographs in this environment is a bit like discussing metaphysics at a
football stadium during the Super Bowl. This does not mean that the attempt is
without value; it may indeed influence your neighbor. But it does mean that the
chances of being recognized by the publi ...
The essence of street photography is about documenting everyday life and society on the streets. You can find opportunities to practice street photography everywhere and you don’t necessarily need to travel to capture great shots.
10 Tips for Successful Street PhotographyFredBrisker
The essence of street photography is about documenting everyday life and society on the streets. You can find opportunities to practice street photography everywhere and you don’t necessarily need to travel to capture great shots.
10 Tips for Street Photographers from cam2o photowalkers.
1. Use a Wide Angle lens
2. Get Close
3. Always carry your camera with you
4. Do not think about what others think of you
5. Smile often
6. Ask for permission
7. Brand Humanism
8. Look for juxtaposition
9. Be a story-teller
10. Just do it
Is Photography An Art Essay
Photography Definition Essay
War Photography Essay
Essay about Photography
History of Photography Essay
Photography Research Papers
The Thing ItselfThe fundamental principle of photography.docxchristalgrieg
The Thing Itself
The fundamental principle of photography
________________________________________________________________
Bill Jay
For more than 30 years I have been deeply involved with the medium of
photography; for most of that time I have directed my lectures and writings at
young(er) photographers.
Hopefully my own attitudes to the medium will continue to evolve; certainly, they
have undergone continuous change. In looking back at the last three decades,
however, I have been aware that one fundamental attitude has remained at the
core of all my experiences in the medium. It is this "frame of reference" which I
would like to share with you in a single article.
I am not claiming that this principle of photography is radical, different or new.
On the contrary. I believe that it is familiar and basic - which means that it
deserves and demands constant repetition, in an age when principles are often
impugned, as if they no longer held relevance.
But like all fixed Rules, it must also be accompanied by flexible strategies,
accounting for individual images of insight and brilliance which, seemingly, ignore
the principle we will discuss. But it is there, and no less crucial for being hidden,
like the foundations of a building.
Perhaps the most obvious, and therefore the most contentious, issue of
photography is the medium's inseparable relationship to The Thing Itself.
Photography performs one function supremely well: it shows what something or
somebody looked like, under a particular set of conditions at a particular moment
in time. This specificity has been, and remains, photography's boon as well as
its bane.
It was not by chance that photography was born in the early 19 century when a
deterministic spirit was fueling the Victorian's fanaticism for facts. The camera,
along with the microscope and the telescope, became one of the primary
instruments for investigating the details of reality. Deeply and strongly rooted in
subject matter, the medium has had an uneasy and tenuous alliance with
authorship since its introduction. Therefore, what a photograph depicts has
generally taken precedence over what a photograph means.
The advantage inherent in this notion is that photography has become an
increasingly useful tool in our society for the transmission of information about
every conceivable aspect of life.
The "disadvantage," is that while a photograph is directing attention to its subject,
it is de-emphasizing the role of the individual who made it. Indeed, in the vast
majority of photographs, even those of extraordinary impact in our lives, we have
no knowledge of, or interest in, the author. Attempting to make individualized
(artistic) photographs in this environment is a bit like discussing metaphysics at a
football stadium during the Super Bowl. This does not mean that the attempt is
without value; it may indeed influence your neighbor. But it does mean that the
chances of being recognized by the publi ...
The essence of street photography is about documenting everyday life and society on the streets. You can find opportunities to practice street photography everywhere and you don’t necessarily need to travel to capture great shots.
10 Tips for Successful Street PhotographyFredBrisker
The essence of street photography is about documenting everyday life and society on the streets. You can find opportunities to practice street photography everywhere and you don’t necessarily need to travel to capture great shots.
10 Tips for Street Photographers from cam2o photowalkers.
1. Use a Wide Angle lens
2. Get Close
3. Always carry your camera with you
4. Do not think about what others think of you
5. Smile often
6. Ask for permission
7. Brand Humanism
8. Look for juxtaposition
9. Be a story-teller
10. Just do it
If you’d have told me at the time that this would lead me to photograph Arnold Schwarzenegger from just metres away, spend an evening alone drinking cocktails in a bar where the drink chooses you (before then going to sleep in a nuclear bunker), star in a toothpaste advert (ironic, given my British teeth), or be chased down an alleyway by an angry Danish man, I’d never have believed you
If you’d have told me at the time that this would lead me to photograph Arnold Schwarzenegger from just metres away, spend an evening alone drinking cocktails in a bar where the drink chooses you (before then going to sleep in a nuclear bunker), star in a toothpaste advert (ironic, given my British teeth), or be chased down an alleyway by an angry Danish man, I’d never have believed you.
I know this above title sounds a bit clickbaity – and to be honest, it is – proclaiming anything to “be dead” always sounds alarmist. But really, I don’t see a bright future for the medium I love.
Photography DB3 - Shooting The Truth / Week 3Dyllin Aleluia
Photography DB3
Dyllin Aleluia, Michael Bastin,
Matthew Brackett, Rhys Davis
When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?
Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?
How and why Henry Pitch Robinson created Feading Away? What was the reason?
Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?
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Street Photography Doesn’t Need to be ‘On the Street’
1. Street Photography Doesn’t Need to
be ‘On the Street’
OCT 12, 2019 SIMON KING
8 COMMENTSTweetShare 18
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500 K 1 M
2. It can be very easy to arbitrarily limit oneself by genre; I think the effect this has on the mindset
of a photographer can potentially really damage the quality of the work they look to produce.
I think that street photography is one of the broadest and most inclusive genres, and it’s
interesting to see the ways that some photographers are distancing themselves from the name:
some have started to call it “everyday photography/documentary” or “life photography” among
other terms. “Street” is a very loaded directive, which really implies that the photography must
take place on a street — or even that the subject of the image is the street.
In my own understanding of street photography, I incorporate the idea that “street” is more of a
mentality, similar to the idea of a street artist, street musician, or street dancer, who can ply their
art/technique pretty much anywhere, rather than being anything to do with a physical location.
It connotes improvisation and spontaneity.
For me, the location doesn’t matter as much as the actual content of the image, which has most
recently been a balance between action and interaction. Whether it’s an action of a subject, or
interaction between subject/s and environment that’s what tends to catch my eye and keep my
interest.
3. I think that photographers who take “street photography” too literally end up with fairly basic
images of what tends to happen on a street – people walking from one place to another,
people standing around, people crossing roads. This doesn’t really offer anything distinct to an
audience and is unlikely to provide anything of substance on repeat viewings.
Of course, things like interesting characters, interesting compositions, or use of the light can
elevate these, but without that core action/interactivity I find the majority lacking. It didn’t take
long for “straight” streets to lose my interest and focus – I think even street corners provide
more room for interesting interaction than something as basic as a straight path.
There are so many other options for places to exercise a street eye. London has many
incredible squares, both iconic and residential. Iconic squares provide massive foot traffic, and
many opportunities to capture street portraits, candid scenes, and interesting details. The
cozier residential squares offer intimacy and often isolation, with calmer conditions. People
tend to let their guard down, and a camera can go unnoticed in a crowd, or otherwise
photogenic location.
4. For me, a street itself is more a conduit between these places of interest. Aside from when
something exceptional or out of the ordinary is happening, which provides perhaps a crowd, or
unique conditions, I don’t see many opportunities for photographs on the street itself.
I think Londoners are used to maintaining a respectful distance, which makes the 28-35mm
techniques of layering, stacking, and close up flash a little trickier – these styles I associate with
New York and Japan, and are not something I’ve seen executed well in London.
5. Other spaces I feel are prime for street photography include bus stops/garages, on public
transport itself, stations, squares, parks, beaches, galleries, and museums. All of these are
places where people really exercise behavior other than simply wandering around, and offer a
far more diverse range of environments to work with.
6. In the past when I’ve produced this kind of write up I’ve wondered whether it’s actually
worthwhile or necessary, and I’ve seen this sentiment in the comments as well. Why spend time
defining things when you could simply act, and shoot, and not worry about it? This is a valid
argument. After all, the “greats” didn’t have access to this kind of blog to get lots of different
opinions about their field, they simply produced work. There are fantastic examples of street
photography taken all over the world, even in rural areas, where there isn’t even a street
nearby!
My answer is that the connected nature of art and photography means it’s unavoidable to have
this kind of discussion around a genre. Language greatly informs the way we frame ideas and
conceptualize our actions – whether conscious or unconscious. Photographers I know
personally have become frustrated with shooting street photography as they are limited by the
definition, the issue I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Their street results have not
yielded the results they wanted or expected, but their work shines in other areas.
It would be so simple for them to excel if they only shifted their understanding of what they
were out to create and the tools and boundaries they were able to use to do so.
7. About the author: Simon King is a London based photographer and photojournalist, currently
working on a number of long-term documentary and street photography projects. The opinions
expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can follow his work
and you can read more of his thoughts on photography day-to-day over on .
Simon also teaches a short course in Street Photography at UAL, which can be read about
.
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• Reply •
bdebre • 3 hours ago
FFS "street" is understood by all but the most pedantic or literal. It's
fine.
△ ▽
• Reply •
Jonathan Maniago • 8 hours ago
If "street photography" sounds too ambiguous, I suggest "public
candids" as an alternative.
△ ▽
• Reply •
Andy • 16 hours ago
I agree with many of the points made by the article author. For me,
I'm not sure "Documentory Photography" really works either... I tend
to relate that more to photo journalism and documenting events of a
news or historical nature. From my perspective, I think "public
photography" really describes the spirit and intention of "street
photography". As far as the comment: "Should we photograph the
Homeless etc..list endless...that's what makes it fun and more
interesting than other genres"; this often comes up and is debated
extensively. I really think in comes down to exercising "commonsense
and good judgement" and also has a situational facet as well. For the
example of "homeless subjects"... I don't personally see an issue if
you don't show an identifiable face without permission. Some
powerful images can be created and stories told with the subject
remaining anonymous.
△ ▽
• Reply •
Jerry Syder • 20 hours ago
Great discussion on a genre that is broadly used, so much so that I
adapted it in my own "street portrait" project. At first, I was merely
looking for an association, something to tag it with on Instagram.
Then, when I come to talking about it, I would refer to it as my "Street
Photography" project. As you say, for me, it's the mentality or idea or
style behind the word Street.
△ ▽
• Reply •
Des Byrne • 21 hours ago
Good topic to discuss all the greats whom we now call street
photographers shot in parks on beaches in circus tents..etc..since it's
such a subjective genre lots will disagree with your article....same
as..Is posed shots street photography? Should we photograph the
Homeless etc..list endless...that's what makes it fun and more
interesting than other genres..
△ ▽
Share ›
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9. • Reply •
kbb • a day ago
I still say it'd be more accurate and less embarrassing to call
documentary photography 'Documentary Photography'.
△ ▽
Sam J. • a day ago
Cool article I don't do much street photography but I'll be in London
Share ›
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