Honestly when I look back at history books a lot of what ends up showing up is street photos and I think it's important to document that kind of thing you can also really just capture people in the moment and get some pretty incredible stuff when the timing is right
I’m not sure there is obtainable answer to that question… what does it (street photography) mean? I’m sure there is a standard definition of what street photography is, but its meaning? It’s like asking if you can recognize a raindrop if you see it again, or the meaning of a smile. It’s too elusive of a question to answer, sorry about that.
Street Photography to me is a ego humbler compared to the other things i shoot. It make me realize how much i still suck at photography. Seeing how much time and dedication it really takes to quickly find light, composition, and layering on the fly with no second chance, all while having the Guts to take the photo on top of that. It is Harry Mack's Freestyle to Hip Hop. It is the summit that i know i will never reach, but strive to keep going for the challenge.
I think it’s tough to compare street photographers of today, that we’re seeing work in real time, sharing their work in real time, to the curated work of photographers of decades ago. We weren’t seeing new photos made by Erwitt, Meyerowitz, Mary Ellen Mark, etc. every week. I think a lot of this is more about the current times of social media, sharing work, making a living and building a career that way. It certainly has a negative effect on both the work and the photographers making the work, but to consider so much of it as a waste or hopeless or lacking soul is a pretty big generalization. The legendary photographers had their career, the photographers of today are still very much working on theirs. Just my thoughts!
Fair enough Matt, thanks for sharing your thoughts. My point is that when I was starting out the work we were shown and that was rewarded and promoted was a lot heavier on moments in life, photographers spending time waiting for moments and sure beautiful light, but thought provoking images. Now what I see in my circles and in my feed is way less of that and way more guy walking through a beam of light. I'm guilty of guy walking through a beam of light shot too, I just would like to see more what I consider depth, but that's just my cup of tea.
Isn’t that the essential problem of the internet? Over sharing? Not everything needs to be shared. People need to thoughtfully curate their own work before posting. There are too many people chasing likes for that dopamine hit or it’s the only way they think they will get any recognition. And Justin is right, too many copy what they think is cool… if I ever see a shot of yet another vintage motel sign I just might puke.
I think, as has already been alluded to by others, is that when we look at what the old masters shot, we’re seeing their very best work, the stuff that had longevity, the stuff that stood the test of time and remained strong. They didn’t have to keep putting up social media posts to retain a following. Today, there’s a lot of pressure to post every day, post two reels a week, and so on. I’m constantly fighting the pressure to put up a good picture tomorrow. You can stop bothering with social media, but how many are willing to wait two decades to be recognised (if ever). No one even saw Dorothy Maier’s work until she was dead, and that too by chance. There’s a fear that one will be swamped by the billions of photos out there if you stop posting. I think it’s important to understand why you’re shooting, and it should be more than just so your insta feed is up to date. Also, social media is set up for the single shot, whereas many of the old masters shone through a body of work, a study of a city, or some other angle they were pursuing. Why you’re shooting is often more important than what you’re shooting. The rest is all technique and technology.
I have to agree. When I see what‘s posted in streetphotography groups nowadays it’s just sad. It’s just photos of people in the streets. No story, no soul, no artistic expression. Worst of it all: the more compromising you make people look in your photos, the more likes you get.
Hmm... my take is that sometimes we overcomplicate photography by assuming it's not just a photograph. Because at the end of the day that's what it is is a photograph. There's no need for all the standards and philosophies and dissenting opinions. It's just photography. It doesn't matter. If someone has their camera and they like what they're doing THAT is the purpose, that's the only aspect of it it that actually matters.
I hear what you say but just to play devil’s advocate … We live in a very different world than the 20th century greats - certainly in the ‘Western world’. Due to technology and social changes which have accelerated since COVID lockdowns, life is moving off the street and back into homes. You don’t see kids playing in the street any longer, no stray dogs etc Young men are in the gym not hanging around on street corners trying to impress a passing girl who herself is indoors at a Yoga class. (Or vice versa) Life is so sanitised. It’s a reverse of the very origins of street life and street photography in mid 19th century. Life on the street is now quieter and less soulful - until there is a carnival, protest march, marathon race etc But if we photograph ‘emotion’ at these events, is it the same as the everyday interaction of a busy street in a small town or big city of the 1950s and 1960s? Also, we’ve now had over a century of modern, visual life - ie trams, the motor car, big trucks, trains and train stations, practical fashions, smoking etc Nothing visual is very new and exciting to us (except an addiction to smart phones!). The technological advances of today are IT based and unseen. We can hardly go out and photograph new software! Also, there is the impact of social anxiety. With the guns in the USA and growing knife attacks in Europe plus the fear of social or legal consequences. In the UK ‘upskirting’ is now a criminal offence’ and it can be applied to photos of children. You could literally get a criminal record and lose your job by taking a candid photo. I’m obviously not defending creeps harassing women and children for a photo but just how much risk does anyone want to take to get a photograph? Meanwhile, if we’re having fun taking our cliched photos, so what? That’s my rant but keep on doing your rants, Justin. They make us think!
Just by sheer numbers it’s impossible not be repetitive in the age of social media. Around 60.000 pictures are being taken every second, some good, some bad, maybe some future classics who knows. Hard to draw a comparison to the days of classic street photography. I believe we have a great photographer somewhere out there, they are just harder to find today in a world of junk and after all it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Nothing better to argue what is art or not.
The most boring street photography I'm seeing nowadays is shots of people from behind doing nothing but walking away. It's mostly done by street shooter too scared to shoot people face on. And it's ubiquitous all over social media. Another issue is street shooters thinking most of their shots are home runs. Personally, if I come home from a day of shooting with two or maybe three out of 150 shots that I'm excited about processing, then it's been a successful outing. Most amatuer street shooters aren't very critical curators of their own work, in my opinion.
Hi Dave. I returned to photography recently and I am smiling at your shooting ratio after getting two pictures from taking three hundred and twenty pictures a few days ago.
Yes, too many people are just spraying a tonne of shots and instead of thinking and curating they just post most of it which are just terrible. It’s often like someone went for a walk. Snapped 100 photos and posted 30 of them.
while i dont disagree with you 100% i will say: its not always black and white. For example where i live, for the most part street photography where you can clearly identify a person too much is straight up illegal in a country where most people dont want to be photograhed. its not about being too scared (well in some situations because if not careful, you might actual get someone smashing your face if you take a photo him or his wife) but more about trying to somewhat work around the edge of legality inside grey areas and trying to tell stories and incorporate human interaction the best you can, without breaking laws left right and center. i know for example in the us, noone gives a sht and you are allowed to run around and take photos of about anyone. HERE where i live, you are not and you have to be extremely careful not to get into trouble, and still somewhat make it work
I suspect a lot of “street photographers”are just camera enthusiasts that need something easy to point their camera at. So in turn the work is lacklustre, soulless and copy and paste. There is so much obsession about needing a small camera for street photography. Oh you can’t shoot street unless you have a very specific camera.
It’s funny when I hear all this fuss around ‘Street’ photography.. When I first got a camera and wandered around East Londin & Paris as a student, it was just photography, I was just out taking pictures. It had no name...Then later as a news photographer, much of what we shot was in the street.. Even on quiet news days the boss would kick us out of the office to go and find a feature picture, weather feature, illustration etc.. So today I just go out and take pictures. Yes I have my idols, McCullin, Eugene Smith, Willy Ronis, or Elliot Erwitt. But shooting to one or any catagorised type of image doens’ t interest me.. I just shoot like I did as a photojournalist and most importantly for myself..
I'm with you Gareth, when I was in college I didn't even it was a thing and it seemed to morph into heavier on light and shadows but not caring about purpose and moments, but maybe I'm a cranky old man ha ha.
@@AskMOTT I didn't touch on the B&W aspect.. but I do shoot mostly monochrome as I feel it focuses the image more on purpose and moments... Also I grew up in news photography that was firmly B&W only until probably 1992, when the agency switched to colour neg.. I hated this as the chemicals were horrible to use and making a decent colour print fast was quite hard..compared to a B&W.. So I've gone back to B&W as a preferred way of shooting as it helps me focus on what is in the picture and not what colour it is.
This resonates with me. It goes back to over categorisation… the world is obsessed with it. With everything. Genres of films, genres of Music, genres of games. Types of watch, types of bicycle, jeez types of cameras… it’s a vlogging camera, it’s a compact camera, it’s a 4/3 camera, it’s a full frame camera, it’s a point and shoot camera blah blah. There’s mountains bikes, road bikes, EMTB, Hybrid Rd Bikes, Hybrid City Bikes, Trail Bikes, Big Trail Bikes, BMX, Cyclocross bikes, XC Bikes, DH Bikes, Gravel Bikes, Sports Hybrid Bikes, Leisure Hybrid bikes, touring bikes, fat bikes, Fixies, cargo bikes, time trial bikes, aero bikes, track bikes, comfort bikes, hardtail bikes… everything has to be in its own category because we are all seemingly to stupid to work out for ourselves what we should use it for… it’s amazing for the sellers of items because we buy more. We don’t just need one camera anymore… we need at least 3 or 4 that are just slightly different enough so we can justify owning more shit. But more importantly buying more shit.
@@Vartan297 Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it
I don't see this as a rant I see it as a call to action. I completely agree with you. If I see another silhouetted person mid-stride in an angular pocket of light I'm gonna lose it. There is a severe lack of soul in modern street photography, or maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I also feel there is no real danger or lack of order in anything I'm seeing. Almost like every picture is being taken to feed the algorithm and unless it's perfectly exposed, perfectly focused and minutely composed, it isn't worth anyone's time. There's a great Gary Winogrand quote that goes "You no why your pictures are no fucking good? Because they don't describe the chaos of life." Thanks for this video man and for getting this same thought I've been having lately out of my head and into the world.
Don't hurt anyone ha ha. It's funny Tobin, I always think carefully about these videos and end up spending half my time justifying myself or trying not to offend anyone but recently I kinda just said screw it. I'm not saying anything overtly offensive and I'm not shaming any particular photographer, it's just my opinion and in some ways it's a note to myself or at least a reminder to go back to my roots of why I fell in love with photography with images that have soul and emotion. I'm so happy that the majority of people here get what I'm saying, means a lot to me.
You hit the nail on the head, and I'm definitely guilty of the sins you've described as well. I think it's like exercise or diet, in terms of knowing what I should be doing but not always having the patience or commitment to do it. I also think that social media is a large part of the problem: the fact that we post images we know aren't especially good because it feels good to have people tell us they're good. I watched a RUclips video about a professional landscape photographer who spends most of his time traveling the world and ends up with only about six images in a whole year that he feels are worthy of offering for sale. Thank you for the wake up call, and for the time you put into your channel.
Thank you Rob, I appreciate people like you taking the time to write comments because I always fear when I do these unapologetic episodes about my real feelings about things I"m going to have to deal with defending my position in the comments section but I haven't for the most part. This is also a great reminder for me that while I don't have that huge following like a lot of RUclipsrs I have an incredible audience of people who I admire and don't need to be coddled, that's so much more important to me.
I really do agree and also slightly disagree a little with you on this. I agree that it seems like everyone is just taking the same cookie cutter images just to get likes, there is no arguing that. But, I think we do have to consider the world we live in, in 2024, compared to the legends of old. I think a lot of this comes down to pure over saturation of content and images. When the average person can easily take 300+ photos in one day and post most of them online in that same day, we are just inundated with images that are bound to copy other folks. This might be sacrilegious to say, but I imagine that if the classic photographers lived in our time, they would would be doing exactly the same thing. They stood out and are regarded as legends because of three main reasons, sheer skill (obviously), time (because their images are like time-capsules), and the sheer lack of competitors or rather, just others photographers which made it easier for them to stand out and be original. It's the catch 22 of living in a hyper connected and digital world. We have seemingly endless tools to be amazingly creative and show off our work, but so does everyone else. It can be harder to stand out and be original in an overly saturated creative world when three or four main styles are hot at that moment.
Brilliant comment. The "time" factor is one that it often overlooked, but is a major influence. I would add another factor . . . today, we look only at the very best 1% (or less) of the "great" photographer's work. And if we're honest, a good deal of that 1% (or less) really isn't that good. The "great" photographer is "great" in part because we DON'T see so much of their work. Maybe the issue is that today's photographers share too much. You are only so good or so bad as the photographs you allow to be published.
The great, late John Free used to teach that he wanted 3 elements/focal points in the frame before he tripped the shutter. At least three. It was a way of imposing a discipline to photography, and avoiding just snapping away. Much of what we see today is just snapping away...
I find I have the opposite problem, that is to say I try so hard to avoid 'snapping away' that I end up missing good shots through hesitation. So I am trying to get myself into the habit of snapping away but then being very brutal when I do the upload.
@@cjt5mith Daido Moriyama is a proponent of taking the picture if you just think “should I take that picture?” He figures there was something that got your attention, even if it’s just “I wonder what that would look like as a picture”. So you should always act on that impulse, because you never know, it could be right, and then (as you say) be brutal when actually selecting what to keep.
Enjoyed the rant Justin! I think the wider debate behind “street photography” is the difficulty of finding a unique voice as a photographer today. So much has been done and said during the golden age of the medium. It’s as tough as trying to reinvent Rockn’roll today as a musician. Shooting the streets of NYC for the past decade as a side project (my biz is wedding photography), finding a unique approach has been the toughest. I feel we have all seen all the NYC street images, very very hard to say anything new. I can’t blame people replicating successful recipes…trying to be unique is definitely the way more demanding path. Cheers!
I totally get this, but I think I’ve got a slightly different take, based on my (very non-photography-based) professional career (I teach creative writing): any time something that’s been a bit “out of fashion” for a while, e.g. poetry, photography (especially photography with an actual camera and not just a phone, or even film photography), when the resurgence starts there are a lot of people who get into it with an emphasis on the product rather than the process. It gets them likes and followers and maybe what passes for a little bit of fame these days, and that’s what they’re chasing, not the development of their craft and their art. So, tried and true “formulas” rule and much of the work ends up seeming very derivative to anyone who has an awareness of the history of the craft. And here, at long last, is my take: it’s always been this way. People have always been people, and we’ve always produced a great deal of mediocre (or, I suppose, as the kids would say, “mid”) “art.” But that’s the great thing about time - the good stands the test and the rest is forgotten. But it can be frustrating in the moment; we can feel inundated, or even like we’re drowning, in mediocre work, especially when that work is receiving praise. I think the current social media landscape has had an interesting, and amplifying, effect on this process, which can, for many of us, make it even more disheartening, but it also seems to have sped up the process as well. In my own professional world, there were “popular” poets producing (what I would consider) very mediocre, very derivative work just a few years ago that my students just couldn’t get enough of. Now, just 5-7 years later, most of my students not only never mention them, almost none of them have even heard of those “poets.” They’ve moved on to the next thing, not even realizing it is the next thing. For them, it’s just *the* thing. Side note: I’d argue the same could be said for music, all the other visual arts, and basically any creative endeavor. The pattern keeps repeating. Seeing that pattern repeat again and again is one of the advantages of being “an old guy.” Realizing that good work will always get made and, usually, recognized (while the mediocre gets forgotten) is what keeps me from (hopefully) being “an angry old guy.”
I've realized it long time ago that GOOD street photography is HARD. Pedestrians stepping from a shadow area into the ray of light, reflections, abstractions, juxtapositions... or wait - my "favourite" - shots through window glass of people sitting in the café or on the bus (I've done it myself :) I believe that good street photography should be PROJECT or THEME based. Then it has a chance to be interesting and potential successful in some way.
The most important part of my photography journey was learning no longer to care about other people's opinions. All I create is just what I is pleasing to my eyes. There is no story, no deeper meaning just simply estheticly pleasing to me. I worked a few years as a photographer doing all kinds of assignments. But creating something for someone else just made me unhappy. And I ditched shooting raw I like photography not editing. Fujis Jpegs are fine for me. Plus I like the fact that the shutter press is the final image. No tricks no gimmicks just in body photography.
Fair enough mate. I do agree with you on the JPEG part, sometimes all you wanna do is focus on capturing the image without thinking about the "final" look after edit. I personally won't stop shooting in RAW since Sony camera's jpeg styles are nowhere near as good as Fujifilm's film simulations but I can appreciate the simplicity.
I quite like that idea, although I suppose I feel I am trying to capture the moment how I saw it, rather than how my camera saw it. Sometimes the camera makes different choices to the ones I would have made, so my approach is to shoot in RAW and then keep the editing to an absolute minimum. But then maybe I just like editing more than you do 🙂
I shoot what I think is interesting to me. Don’t really care if it’s been done or who sees it. Not trying to be a professional or go viral. Just having fun and have images to look back on when I get old. Glad I don’t have this crazy complex about it all. Get out and shoot. Practice and grow.😬
Harry Gruyaert: “There is no story, it’s just a question of shapes and light". I agree though, conveying emotion and meaning in a photograph is more rewarding
Absolutely true, so many channels are copying each other - even the music sounds the same! So many Leicas and wobbly jazz-lite soundtracks with really dull photos - I think the YT pressure to keep churning out regular content is partly responsible. With the exception of real pros like yourself, most people don't get more than one or two good shots in a week, so we see a lot of stuff that should have been edited out.
One or two shots a week? I’m lucky if I get six good photos I really like within a year. Too many people post too many substandard photos to Instagram just to keep playing the algorithm.
This is a conversation we need to be having as a community. Whenever there’s a big jump in popularity of anything there’s an influx of people at the ground level. For a lot of people Covid was the catalyst for picking up and camera and starting their street photography journey (at least it was for me). The problem is people joining in recent years see a very watered down version of the art form. Tik Tok, Instagram, and even RUclips have popularized a very simple version of street. I’m guilty of this as well, starting out I watched a ton of Pierre T Lambert and thought his was the world’s greatest photographer. It wasn’t until I went back to the more grass roots of the genre that I started to learn what a good/great image even is. Not to diss all the modern day social media photographers (hell I started a channel to be one of them) but there’s something to be said about praising people for high follower counts verses amazing results. I think we need to do better as a community at shining light on the people that have truly mastered the craft.
I have been photographing for nearly fifty years, and one time pro. The debate is not just about street photography but photography in general. I have seen some brilliant work done and presented on the social media, but 95% of what I see these days in any genre of photography is just pure junk. Yes, digital has a role in it as producing crap and then manipulating it in post costs nothing but I also see it with film, just as much in fact. I dont know what the answer is, but piling up more expensive tech with more irrelevant features is not. That much I know. Some of my best work recently were done with a Soviet era FED-2 with 52 mm Industar lens and couple of rolls of TriX and HP5, despite owning the ones with the red circle, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Lumix digital imaging computers. It is certainly not the equipment for sure.
@@lensman5762 this is absolutely a factor as well! The marketing cycles for new camera gear has made it way too much about, what brand you shoot versus what you actually do with the camera. It takes years to get the camera (especially newer ones with fancy features) to become an extension of our eyes and minds, but most people move on to the next one far too soon due to thinking they have to have the latest and greatest. Sorry this was a bit rambled haha. Fully agree, gear is not the solution.
AMEN. Thank you. Not saying my own work isn't guilty of the same at times, but I recognized some years ago that 'black and white person walking in front of a wall' is boring, overdone. There are great versions of this theme but 99% of the time it is amateurish and the result of being afraid to push the shot further, get closer, find meaning and purpose. Thank you for calling it all out.
I think what you are describing is the "Zeitgeist" of today. We are llving in a copy&paste time in all areas, whether it is photography, music , trends or even behaviour. We loose our personal creativiy because we are constantly surrounded and influenced by everyone elses creativity or copy&pastery. I think to overcome that we have to spend more time with ourselves, offline than time online. It's hard but something one can train i believe. streetphotography for me is captering a moment in time that is worth capturing.
I like the idea that it's important to "have a 'why.'" My camera is always with me, so it's easy to capture a photo when I see something interesting. But, not every shot has a purpose (a 'why'). I've come to believe that finding the meaning/purpose in a photo involves finding the emotional message of the image. Conveying the emotion of a picture is really hard to do. But, for me, it starts with genuine empathetic observation. Which, in itself, is a difficult skill to develop.
I don't know... I partially agree. I think there are some tropes that are over done... but I do see alot of good photos. I think alot of this "soulessness" is just that, we tend to be very nostalgic... seeing the past as better days... there's not necessarily more soul in older photos, just that we see naturally see even mundane photos from the 40s, 50s, 60s etc as more interesting, older clothing, cars, signs, store fronts... we see it as a more distant, lost era that we are connecting to in the photo... maybe in the 2060s, they will look at our shots from the 2000s to 2020s as being more soulful
@@Justaperson717 well, it certainly is the trend. Then again, sometimes, somewhere, something happens and people, real people, galvanize and surprise themselves and each other. Know what I mean?
I totally agree. I just stuck my toe in street photography shooting and I'm amazed. How many rules some of these people think they have to follow there's nothing worse than being boring. I try something new every time I go out
imitation can often be an important part of a creative journey - ask any really young and honest writer and they'll tell you they've written plenty in a style approximating someone they idolise. The problem is when the journey ends at imitation, and seeks to go no further. And that is, to me at least, where street photography is right now. Great vid mate
Salty! Hope your dog is feeling better. I will never be a professional or have a big following, and honestly that isn't what I'm looking for in photography. I look for things that I think are interesting and try and shoot them in a way that is pleasing for me. If it is a hit on Vero, then cool. If not no worries either. I'm at the end of a 30 year career as a busy firefighter, so my ego is fairly secure. What makes me happy is when I can shoot something, print it, and put it up on my wall. If I can do that, and look at the hanging picture and say "Damn! I like that" then I have hit my mark. I like watching you, because your work has a flavor all it's own, and while I have no desire to copy you, I use it to learn and add tools to the toolbox to use when the mood or the need strikes. Keep up the videos.
Thank you Larry and thanks for the comment about my dog, he seems back to normal running around and being a terror. Pretty cool I've got a firefighter watching my videos, I always admired and respect that job man, bravo. Enjoy your week and happy shooting.
As a guy who’s about to show a decently broad selection of his street photography publicly for the first time ever, I was certain this was going to sting. But it absolutely put me at ease as the photos I’ve already chosen for the show nearly all hit the qualities you (also) seem to feel make for exceptional street photography, regardless of the technical aspects of the execution. It also makes me a little glad I’ve always felt that and have never been one to get overly finicky about the technical execution of my photography, largely because doing so often robs the soul from the moment and from the art of it. Thanks for sharing what I’m certain is likely going to make some other folks a little uncomfortable!
Love your thoughts man. So many influencers tryna be relevant. The worst are the 'film photographers', thinking that that their choice of media makes them creative. Argh. You brushed upon the most important concept of all. Have an idea or direction for your images. That's the true creativity. Not Nikon vs. Canon or Film vs. Digital.
[0:05] 😠 The speaker is critical of current trends in street photography, finding them repetitive and lacking journalistic depth. [0:29] 📸 Street photography often focuses on aesthetic formulas like high contrast black and white or ironic juxtapositions, which the speaker finds cliché. [2:08] 🎞 Legendary street photographers like Elliot Erwitt are praised for injecting emotion and soul into their work, a quality the speaker believes is missing in contemporary street photography. [3:07] 🔄 The speaker urges photographers to break away from formulaic approaches and instead find their own unique style and purpose in their photography. [5:32] 🌟 Photography should aim to show viewers something new or familiar in a fresh way, a principle the speaker believes is often overlooked in current street photography trends.
Just like you need catchy subjects for your videos to get views, street photographers need catchy pictures to get the mainstream public to get views and followers on IG. The good and creative street photographs are often not understood by the general audience. So really it's up to you, to either feature what you consider your very best work, or seek popularity. I try to mix it up, but always within my creative vision.
I think over-consumption of media is to blame for the substantial output of unoriginal photographs. When a photographer browses Instagram several hours a day they will likely be unconsciously directed to re-create what they have seen. So when they take a photograph, they might think of it as original, but it’s actually more or less a recreation of something they have already viewed. Later they’ll come home and post those photos to social media where more people will be exposed. It’s a vicious cycle.
of course you are not getting street photography like you didn't through the 20 century eg 1900-2000 . especially the first half , or up to the 60s because every country still had its unique identity before globalisation and the market economy took a grip , today , most countries are identical in their identities, people are behaving in the same way apart from the very poor and undeveloped countries were you are not going because you will not survive . eg Haiti , Sierra loane, Yemen , central America, Venezuela , etc etc ..You are not getting anything new or unique because all people are doing now is looking at their phones .. People are just hypnotised zombies , their is very little variance in behaviour , but also people taking photographs , street photographers , are using the same boring equipment that all yeld the same results , they are using the same refined processes .. following the same formula .. copying one another .. its all Been done before ... these 2 facts/statement explain the state of street photography ...
Part of me wants to be like “oh, here comes Justin bashing all the other RUclipsrs again,” but I think you have a point to some degree. As a hobbyist who would at least like to think I’m halfway decent and can capture some good photos, I’m at the point with my photography where being able to figure out how folks implement certain shots is helpful for my technical skills and it’s fun to do if I’m being honest. But I’m also approaching it knowing I want to essentially be able to have those skills in my arsenal so I can use them down the road or at least understand the mechanics of the process if it eventually helps me do my own thing.
Oh no Bryan, I don't want my thing to be "Bashing RUclipsrs" as I'm also considered one as well ha ha, I just sort like to weigh in on bad trends as I see them, glad you watched more to see that my intentions and I'm also happy with your approach to things, it's smart to understand and expand :).
We mainly see the best curated work of famous photographers, but never their outtakes. With social media, that's different. We see everyone's work both good and bad, myself included. Most photos I take, I probably shouldn't share, but it's part of figuring it out. Of course we all emulate work, it's hard not to. With so many pictures being taken, it feels mathematically difficult not to have a photo that is reminiscinate of someone else's prior work. Some of the greats didn't have that worry because they were laying the foundations that we would go on to study.
Can we (partly) blame the internet? We are constantly bombarded by information 24/7. After seeing quite lot of photos, my brain built some sort of knowledge database and quickly recognize those "cliches", something like these: - Close, wide-angle look? Aha...Garry Winogrand - Decisive moment, like jumping or doing something interesting? HCB - A rather complex, colorful multi-layered framing? Alex Webb - Dramatic B&W lightning? Fan Ho - Anything mundane in color? Eggleston. - Etc Without no doubt, copying is the most basic form of learning. Not all of us strive to be a pro or established artist, so being unique isn't a major concern. And this is not a street photography specific problem. Basically applies to any photography genre. Not offering a solution, just kinda exaggerating the problem. BTW, I still ocassionally do 1 or 2 things above :D
I have mixed thoughts about studying the masters from the last century, then trying to find a style I might pursue or relate to. I am happy to see the resurgence of film shooters, can’t decide to laugh or smile, having started my photo journey in 1967. You can’t be like someone else, worse reaction, he/she is just copying, a watered down version. Just shoot. Also it is very tough to reinvent the wheel, is anyone in landscape photography the next Ansel Adams? or Ernst Hass, Saul Leiter or Henri Cartier-Bresson. I love their work and look to create, but I’m not them. So I guess just studying their images and techniques then trying to apply them to what I see and create is the best I can do. Just shoot.
All good points. I have just started doing street photography and I realized that the city I live in will never provide me with the photos that I see online. The architicture here doesn't provide those dreamy and mysterious shots that are common in other places, so I have had to adapt and find my own level and make do with what is available. Some of what I have done is crap and some has merit but I'm slowly finding my way and trying things that I hope doesn't follow the trends that are popular. The most important thing I feel is having fun and enjoying trying to be creative while doing this. Thanks for your thoughts on this subject.
This really does make sense to me, and it’s hard to put into words, but you explained it well. ☺ Street photography, whether documentary, journalism, or reportage, opens up so many conversations. Some street photographers love playing with geometry and harsh contrasts in black and white, as you described, while others capture a scene without worrying about aesthetics, simply showing what’s in front of them. However, a great street photographer does more: they capture the moment well and leave you with more than just a depiction of the scene, evoking some kind of emotion or feeling.
I document my day to day life which involves now and then some street shots, but not too many. I take pics every day, sometimes only 1 and sometimes more. But it is a daily matter of observing ,having love for light and composition
Glad to hear you say this. Often I see youtube photographers going on about their amazing photos, showing them out in the field, and then the end result, overlaid with some cinematic music, and it is very easy to get sucked into thinking those are good photos. But I have started looking at those photos a bit more critically and have come to realize if they were my photos, I wouldn't share them with even my wife. I was thinking I was being overly self critical, but after listening to you, perhaps I am just not getting sucked into the hype. I am thinking I might need one of your 1-on-1 consultations 😊. I need some real, critical, and hopefully constructive feedback on my work from someone whose reputation and knowledge is based on more than 5 million subscribers. Thanks.
Thanks Don , I’d love to dive into your photography with you. I’m happy mid episode was so well received by most with a few outliers but that was to me expected. I’ve seen so much below average photography pass as good because like you said it was packaged nicely into a branded and successful channel which had more effort dumped into to then their actually photography.
Love what you do, and do what you love and dont hate on others, I say. For every amatuer using a formula there are 10 RUclipsrs pretending to be pros, o ex-pros....
Common among street photographers is this strange idea that you have to shoot with one lens and one lens only...and it must be a prime. This is actually a pretty common approach for many people to many things other than photography. This idea that you have to struggle to get something or else it is somehow diminished in value. In 2022 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail...4000km across the USA from Mexico to Canada. I was amazed at how many hikers felt that having a good tent, or occasionally getting off the trail for a shower or a good meal was somehow cheating and that some degree of suffering was necessary to appreciate the experience. I have no name for this phenomenon, but it is becoming increasingly common. I think this is also partially responsible for some photographers reverting to film.
We're at a very different place now than 1965, "Street" wasn't even a thing it was just a new vision set against what there always is, mundane pretty pictures technically executed. Most people won't be very good, but digital has must made it possible for most people to be averagely better than people used to be in film. Technically the bar is raised, but aesthetically it's the same as ever. In their day, Evans, Frank, Winogrand, Arbus, Friedlander were outsiders, Winogrand said famously "we know too much about what a good picture looks like" or to that effect, he was trying to "break" photography and find something new. Friedlander has evolved steadily while keeping his essential look. The reason street is boring now is because it's like Club Jazz, you sit-down to the two drinks minimum, and hear a recreation of Giant Steps. It's trying to make the "good" picture. It's not having a conversation about pushing the art into a new direction. Art seems to have little power against social media. Instead of arguing through ideas in art, we are just arguing the comments. I'm happy for RUclips, more creation is good even if the things being made are middling. There will always be a very few doing it better, and they will be doing it so much better you cannot fathom, just like in sport. When it's better, it's not even close. Think Arnold, Mermelstein, Sarah Vanrij, there are others.
Your take was far better than the often gatekeeping that I see from many RUclipsrs. Of course biggest example is in order to do street photography the "legit way", you must be like 24mm-35mm, up in the scene. They will automatically try and put down someone for using a zoom to "snipe", but these people will also use their own stealth, shooting from the hip or using zone focusing like, what is the difference at that point? You are right, that you will then see these often cookie-cutter images with no personality from them.
Part of the probelm is that cameras are so good nowadays anyone can take a photo. Its easy. What isn't easy and therefore neglected is learning the craft. Its easy to make yourself sound intelligent by parroting off BS about Bayer filters and megapixels and sensor size (and copying everyone else) but it takes years to learn how to tell a story. Having said that, there are a number of examples of photographers form the last decade who were just taking snapshots, in effect, so its not entirely new.
I spent Christmas and New Year mostly alone in India, and took a very long hard look at myself and reflected on my photos. And I was guilty as hell of so many of these "recipes" that had worked for years. It's hard to change when you feel like you're deliberately making life harder on yourself, but I'm so glad I did, and now I feel my photos have far more substance to them (Even if I'm taking 95% less photos than I did before.) Sometimes the best advice is the hardest pill to swallow, but this video is exactly on point. Cheers for this sir, much appreciated as always.
Justin, an old mentor of mine told me many times “if the truth hurts, maybe it should”. Thusly, I respect and agree with your opinion. As I have been a photographer for nearly 50 years, and actually worked in the industry in portraiture and photojournalism for part of that (a long long time ago) I see the same scene - repeated over and over, in not only my work but the vast majority of others posting online. Nowadays, I shoot for a very limited audience - a very critical audience … “me”, and I can tell ya I hear the same thing of my work - frequently. Would love to catch up with you someday. If you ever swing through Doha Qatar… look me. up. Take care…
Thanks, yeah, I imagine many people will be angry saying I'm generalizing, etc. I'm not trying to call anyone out and I'm tired of spending 3/4 of my time in my videos overexplaining and defending myself so my new thought process is just say it, say it as nicely as I can and try not to call anyone out, but just say it truthfully and let the chips fall where they may. Same goes for Hanoi, give me a shout of you want to come visit and chase beams of light with people in them :).
As a street photographer myself, I agree with you 1000%. However what you haven't mentioned is that today we are heavily restricted in what we can photograph on the streets, especially in Europe with its recent privacy laws. I think the current trend of what you call soulless street photography is a direct consequence of that. Photographers have found ways to represent people as tiny figures in a composition or make them into silhouettes against a backdrop for example - so that they cannot be identified. This tells us nothing about the people in the photos or life on the streets. Every street photographer knows that as soon as you ask permission before taking a photo, the spontaneity is completely lost. I'm afraid the great genre of "real street photography", as captured by the likes of Erwitt, Bresson, Doisneau, Maier, etc, is now tragically over. They captured the true flavour of life on the streets in their respective era, something we can no longer do.
Hmmm… Some good points here, however, the mass of street photography has probably always been in a sad state. The difference is, that today we get to see all those "negs", that never ever came to light prior to social media and instagram in particular. Digital has freed up street photography to the masses who just want to have a go, and social media and Alogrithms has socialised those wanting to have a go, into shooting shadows and thinking that that is what street photography is all about. Digital editing tools, enables images with little to no soul, to be photoshopped to your hearts content, and even over-processed images are considered a style choice today. I think that all these things probably used to happen back in the day also, but in most instances, to a lesser extent. Deffo the publication aspect. Some old film shooters, still have rolls and rolls of film that they haven't even processed due to lack of funds, and I'm guessing that a large proportion of those shots probably have no soul, and are not "bangers", and when you are paying to have them processed, that's as far as some of those images will go. It becomes a part of the selection process, determining the worthy from the non worthy shots. In digital today, we don't have that, so some of those "no soul" shots make it through much easier. When we look back to the masters, the great shots that we see from them, tend to be the same few repeatedly shown all the time. Probably not more than ten memorable shots from the masters, over forty or fifty YEARS of active shooting!… Why would anyone think little old "me" could match anything like that, uploading every day to instagram? We need to stop comparing what we do, to what the masters did, and just get on with our own growth and development, and learn to gauge that in the time and space that we are in today. If we are lucky enough to get our images into print, we may be blessed to produce one or two really memorable shots in our lifetime, for the future generation to pour over with whatever capture devices and social media implants humans will have in the 2100s. That's if AI hasn't killed us all off by then.
Glad this was said, the internet has created a kind of race to the creative bottom where everyone chases what seems to work for everyone else. It’s stymying.
@@AskMOTT I also think some people will understand you perfectly but actually like the kind of photography you’re lamenting here and will distort what you said to defend it. Some people would rather defend their bland taste rather than try and expand their palette.
Michael Ernest Sweet predicted much of this a decade ago in his essay on HuffPost titled "Street Photography Has No Clothes". He has banged on this drum in numerous articles since then. You two would be good buddies!
One hundred percent. Needed to be said. In fact its the repetitive nature thar gets me wound up. There are some modern copycats selling books and courses, but its just fine art silhouette photography marketed as "street photography". There's no soul in it.
I am guilty of all the sins you named (except smartphone photography, which is deadly). Sadly, as the EU banned portraying persons in the streets, I had to transform myself into a museum photographer. Works of art took the place of people, and museum directors followed the "community aesthetic": if you want to eat, you have to. Do I like it? No, I'm studying to become a philosophy researcher at 53 because that "stereotype" you describe is not photography, and it disgusts me. So, I changed my life since I can't change photography's new "standards." I admit I really miss the old good street photography. Legislations and bills to pay aside, it seems to me that nowadays, street photography has become a competition, and it is no longer a dedication: making "impactful" standardized images to get as many "likes" as possible instead of building a body of work, a portfolio, a project and evolve as a photographer. If photography is your job, then "likes" will not pay your bills; hard work will do. Thank you for the hints and reflections.
Speaking of Alex Webb, nowadays everyone does (or tries to do) "Alex Webb" too. The "layering" style is everywhere. I think it is extremely difficult to be a good street photographer. Yet today, anyone who goes out into the street and takes photos considers themselves a street photographer.
I think it is a symptom of social media, and people chasing the sweet, sweet high of getting likes. These kinds of pictures, that you've just described, have a higher chance of getting that like. People also equate many followers with that person being a good photographer. That is most likely not true. It means, in my experience, that they've mastered a style that will give them alot of likes and followers. If you browse the profile of some of those high follower count people, all they post is one image - with many, many variants of it. "The Instagram style" is something I've thought about many times (I need to get those thoughts on paper), and it have made its mark on photography so much that it will go down in photo history.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” I don’t agree. I feel it does have to be this way because it is the reality of life that people who are truly great at something are rare by definition which is always in comparison to the field. In anything, but especially art, you have the ones who are at the top and the rest are people who try to copy what they can. I would say most musicians that have existed, even with great technique throughout history are copying and can’t imbue emotions like the greatest, but they’re good enough for the public. All the average people will always look up to the ones with some skill and they’ll make a living off it. In short you’ll always have this majority group of “copiers” and the public that will praise their work
Why don't we have nowadays superb photographies like those made by Cartier-Bresson and other ones? We have now very fast focusing cameras, digital cameras, Photoshop, etc. But I never see story telling photographies, with no composition, but only street images with people walking. Old style photographers had rudimentary cameras but their works are superb.
I think the most important thing is to shoot what you enjoy. Try to block out the noise of what other people think or do, and think whether what you're doing is giving you what you want. If that means you do the more stereotypical style of street photography, good for you. Own it. But don't do it just because others are doing it.
"Nobody Cares About Your Photography" by Ted is the one playing in my head while watching your video. The moment you bring out new ideas in social media, everybody will copy it to the point that it is hard to trace who did it first. There is a reason why most of the "Legends" came from older times. Limited resources, black and whites and much simpler times. Marketing also plays a big role for you to stand out as a type of Photographer.
@@AskMOTT Always the Mom, hehe! My Photography is mostly Street, City and just random day to day things that interests me. If it makes me happy, then I am good, but if it will make other people happy, then it's a bonus! Happy clicking!
I am only an amateur photographer who has been at it since the late 50s. I gave up on street photography 50 years ago when I finally admitted that, if there was one thing I hated more than people, it was streets. I'm happy with wildlife and am far more interested in the subjects than what anyone else thinks of my pictures. We have a family Signal group called the poorly focused wildlife group where we share our pictures (all photographic defects are not only accepted but actively encouraged). It's impossible to make a picture of, say, an osprey nest so bad we wouldn't be excited to see it.
A couple of the guys (Shallow and Pennyman?) I think you are talking about are funded by Leica and one gives workshops globally to teach more people to shoot the same way. How do you feel about that as a Leica ambassador?
So I think you hit a home run with the "know your why" but you strike out here: perhaps 98% of people's why they do photography just isn't transcendental and they are happy with that ... hence all the "boring" photography. Some people just like taking pictures, and the act of photography, and the gear, and all that -- and I think that's ok cause who cares. But yeah, I agree, most of the stuff out there feels like fast food -- satisfies (maybe) for a few moments, and then is digested and forgotten quickly.
This is brilliant, exactly how I was thinking and trying to capture emotion. I have some ideas for some projects. Going to check out your site. I like your approach.
When I shoot pictures that thrill me, get me excited, happy and content,…that’s enough for me. And yes, clichés photography is boring, life and soulless. I have pictures on my wall at home, images that I took when I was traveling in Asia. A friend of mine walked into my place and noticed a picture in my hallway and he liked it , he stood there for a while and I observed his face, as he was taking in the image. I enjoy photography especially for the memories of a special moment I snatched out of the hands of time.
I disagree. The problem with all of the examples that you pointed out is that those bodies of work were pulled from hundreds (if not thousands) of photos to only showcase the best of the best photos that were taken over years and in some cases decades. The problem today is the demand for fast and continuous turnaround that forces people to post the best of the week or day OR forces people to show the process that it takes to develop their skills (which you’re suggesting people should try to develop). Should everyone spend years getting good at photography before posting anything online? There is plenty of “boring” or derivative work out there, but it should be seen as the process when these photos are posted which takes a ton of time. Also, there are still plenty of street photographers who are awesome as a result of years of practice that are able to keep up with social media demands, but they’ve already developed the skills. Joe Greer, Tetsuo Suzuki, Billy Dee, and Alan Schaller come to mind. Those few greats are probably comparable to the ratio of great to mediocre photographers that have always been. The difference is that you see everyone’s work now without the need for a MoMA exhibition.
100% on the money, as only an experienced photographer can point out. Don't forget the "groundbreaking" images of a gas station at night. Originality is hard; good ideas are even more difficult. I remember the year (1980) I attended the Missouri Workshop. Nearly everyone's first story idea got rejected, some their second, third, and even fourth. The attendees weren't a group of weekend shooters; these were all seasoned professional photojournalists from around the world, with one exception: me. I was there on a student scholarship. But that didn't win me any favor or special treatment. I was there to learn, and man, did I! Sadly, today, so many think all they need to do is point and press the button, and art will spit out on the other side. Which brings us to this point: copy and paste imagery with no insight, little craft, and void of emotion. As long as it garners vast numbers of likes, it's art. Sigh.
Very interesting take. As a relatively new photographer I am already finding I can spot these sort of cliched photos, but I suppose like all the other composition 'rules', you need to know what the conventions are in order to know how and when to break them. Also it is worth saying that sometimes a conventional 'cliched' photo just somehow works ...
A lot of this is social media. Everyone needs to upload every minute of everyday. Too many rely on the camera to do it all. Auto everything. For them to make a living, they have to post, post , post regardless of the actual content. Not a rant, fact
Nailed it. Soul and storytelling is what separates Garry Winogrand, Elliot Erwitt, and Vivian Maier, from the rash of snapshot peddlers out there. If it was easy, everyone would do it, but instead everyone is trying it but most are failing. It's hard; I've been working at it only for a couple of years and am just starting to be able to create the feeling in others that made me take the picture in the first place. As a career musician and critic, I can tell you it is the same there, carbon copies of carbon copies. If you are just rehashing Fan Ho, Joel Meyerowitz, or Sebastiao Salgado, god bless but we don't really need a RUclips channel by you purporting to teach us street photography. As AC/DC's Angus Young said, "There is a place to practice your scales; it is just not in front of me." Keep preaching brother.
Many, if not most, of the legendary street photographers were accomplished professionals, often with a background in art or design. Knowing what you’re doing is helpful.
I believe the biggest misunderstanding lies in confusing street photography with “street RUclips” or "street Insta". RUclipsrs believe that a single walk can produce ten presentable photographs, while the legends you spoke of became and continue to be famous for their life’s work… There are still those good people who tell fascinating stories with their pictures. You just don’t find them on every corner.
You have a good point. A lot of street photography is quite pointless in away that it does not have a real story or soul, as you say. We also live in a different world. People are a lot more aware of their own privacy. The rules and laws are more strict than they used to be. That is one reason why we see less faces in street photographs. Then there is of course the vast amount images we see all the time. There are so many photographs published that the good ones just gets buried to the flow of photos. The masters also used decades to make their photographs, their bodies of work. Nowadays many think that we can make it in a week. Part of the charm of the masters is the fact that the images are from an era that is not here anymore. Of course some of the work was popular at the time when it was made. Partly because people saw things and places that have not been or have no way of going. In todays world we travel and see stuff on tv. But I do agree with you that most street photographs are a bit boring and cliches. We all are guilty of that, me included.
I tried doing street photography but often times i cant find what i want to photograph because i want to capture moments that are strong and story driven but unfortunately such moments just doesn't really happen and oftentines would come home without taking a single photo
It is a snapshot of a moment in time - if it connects emotionally that is all that matters to me irrespective of what anyone else thinks of it - that is the purist pleasure of photography and it does not necessarily have to apply only to street photography ( though that may involve a different conversation !)
I think it has a lot to do with most people aren’t living in reality. People used to interact in public and now so much is just people walking around on their phones. The subjects are soulless and it comes thru in the photography.
OMG SO TRUE Dude you are so right in a funny way and you made my day. First time here, subscribed , don't let me down. By the way, were you drying your nail polish whilst shooting this video
Yes well said!!! Unfortunately our culture elevates mediocrity and today's glut of street photographers give importance to work that is undeserved. Multitudes of YT and Instagram identikit photographers churn out soulless images and massage each other's egos and end up believing they are creating special work. Someone needs to tell them that shooting with film and a Leica M6 doesn't make crap special. It may be fun, but boring street doesn't give me any emotion. Photography is important when it takes the form of projects - the photo essay that is attached to personal human experiences is the stuff that has real depth, not random shots of stuff we have seen a million times before! Rant over lol.
Oh hell yes. Too true. It seems to me that social media is driving/enabling this tendency. The nexus of this phenomenon seems to currently be Tokyo, where the street photography scene is so popular there are roving posses of (mostly) young dudes with either a vintage film camera or a Ricoh GR, producing thousands of images of Japanese people living their normal life. Alternatively you have legions of US photographers taking pastel film shots of old cars and gas stations. Literally soulless. The positive side of this self-perpetuating cycle is that interest in photography remains strong.
I def agree with a lot street photography being lackluster these days! I feel like this previously niche art form is now more popular than ever (with the rise of Fuji cameras and RUclips discourse around SP) so naturally you get more beginners/hobbyists who are just making okay-ish predictable stuff. I think that's okay because a ton of talented photographers are still out there - just takes more sifting to find them! That being said, and speaking from my experience, even if I try to always aim for strong shots that tell a story and create an emotion, I feel pressured into making more dull/predictable shots because I can't realistically pump out 50 masterpieces every month. I also feel like with all these legends, Erwitt being my favorite, we are now seeing a highly refined version of their body of their work at the end of their career, where they had lots and lots of time to select and only the best of the best work made it. Maybe in their time if these legends had had socials, building up their careers, we would have seen some slightly lower quality, more predictable, "average" stuff because sometimes that's what you need to post in order to keep an Instagram account going. I think good art is rare, even for great artists Bottom line is, imho - 1. There are bad street photogs but that's part of any popular hobby, not everyone can be talented (sadly) 2. Even if you're a good talented photographer, street photography is so random and demanding, maybe only 1% (if not fewer) of shots are truly keepers - so in this day and age you have to share some of the average/popular stuff just to keep things going and "exist" online. Just my thoughts!
I've been thinking about this for the past few as my instafeed is filled with nice yet souless shot. Working hard to bring some emotions into my work as I want to explore new territory
The best thing about street photography is the exercise we get going from one mundane shot to the next. So don't give up, exercise is important. :) Cheers from Aus.
Your rant is valid. Nowadays street photography is pointless, meaningless and boring. (mine too) All of the new SM photographers doing the same production line BS. They always talk about "my style" "do this way or that way", or "this gear or that lens is the best" but they never will get "a picture is worth a thousand words" kind of image. Do you know why I'm not on SM because I know my images suck or least mediocre, however, I was a Master photographer and an ex judge.
I totally agree with you. I began as a photojournalist, then moved into other areas of photography-- wedding photography, portraits, grad. seniors, models, etc. And I don't claim to be a "street photographer," however, on occasion I like to take a day or two and walk the streets doing street photography. My success ratio is extremely low because I want emotion in my photos. I want the image to convey something to the viewer other than, like you said, "oh, that's a good image." And because of my standards it's hard to get a good street shot. I do get them, and I'm pleased when I do. Some of my images are printed in b&w and some in color. The street photography I see on RUclips is extremely pedestrian, no soul, no meaning, usually a person captured in shadow or light walking in shadow or light, etc. Means nothing. Good street photography, to me, has to convey emotion. I think it's the photojournalist still in me that demands that. Anyway, you made some excellent points. I hope all the so-called street photographers on RUclips watch your video.
after 35years of shooting, I finally stopped shooting completely due to the very issues you mentioned. Everyone considers themselves a street photographer… it’s become diluted as an art form IMO. A sad state of affairs for the art and craft of authentic image creation. Soulless is an understatement
I agree with you. Cameras are so advanced it's difficult to not get a good exposure but just getting a good exposure isn't necessarily a good photograph. I see too many people just shooting on the street, people walking around, etc. but there's no moment (or the soul you're talking about). Modern cameras, such as they are, make getting a good photograph even more difficult. I'm also a firm believer in studying the masters of the past; know your craft so you can self-critique objectively.
Spot on! If you aren't original and don't stand out, you are just more noise to drown out the signal. Be the signal, not the noise. If you follow the rules, you are just like the rest of the herd. Break the rules, but break them with purpose.
The difference is the newer “street photographers” are not as good as these legendary photographers. I see tons of boring photos and people trying to pass as street photography. I don’t do street photography I do urban photography.
I completely agree with you. Social media "street photography" is inundated with Fan Ho-inspired photos of high contrast, hard shadow lines with a distant (and often silhouetted) subject. For example, Alan Schaller is a photographer who's enjoying a surge in popularity of such street photography. Sure, his photographs are immaculately composed and I recognise that he has a keen eye for geometry and one can learn much from his work. Yet at the same time, I find his photographs repetitive and forgettable; like they were manufactured. While I don't expect to see photos on IG that come even close to the level of Henri Cartier-Bresson and other street photography greats, I'd love to see photos that aren't overly reliant on dramatic lighting and emulating the styles of past masters. Yes yes, I am aware that imitating great work is an effective way to learn, that there isn't much room for "true originality", and that increased accessibility to cameras inevitably means that mediocre photos are much more prevalent. It's just that I see many photographers with a good eye but lacking in vision, chasing what best aligns with the social media algorithm.
What does street photography mean to you ?
Engagements with subjects: dialogues, encounters, discussions. A moment in my life and their life.
A direct connection with your surroundings be it a major city center with millions of people or a middle of nowhere place without people.
Honestly when I look back at history books a lot of what ends up showing up is street photos and I think it's important to document that kind of thing you can also really just capture people in the moment and get some pretty incredible stuff when the timing is right
I’m not sure there is obtainable answer to that question… what does it (street photography) mean? I’m sure there is a standard definition of what street photography is, but its meaning? It’s like asking if you can recognize a raindrop if you see it again, or the meaning of a smile. It’s too elusive of a question to answer, sorry about that.
Street Photography to me is a ego humbler compared to the other things i shoot. It make me realize how much i still suck at photography. Seeing how much time and dedication it really takes to quickly find light, composition, and layering on the fly with no second chance, all while having the Guts to take the photo on top of that. It is Harry Mack's Freestyle to Hip Hop. It is the summit that i know i will never reach, but strive to keep going for the challenge.
I think it’s tough to compare street photographers of today, that we’re seeing work in real time, sharing their work in real time, to the curated work of photographers of decades ago. We weren’t seeing new photos made by Erwitt, Meyerowitz, Mary Ellen Mark, etc. every week. I think a lot of this is more about the current times of social media, sharing work, making a living and building a career that way. It certainly has a negative effect on both the work and the photographers making the work, but to consider so much of it as a waste or hopeless or lacking soul is a pretty big generalization. The legendary photographers had their career, the photographers of today are still very much working on theirs. Just my thoughts!
Plus one.
Fair enough Matt, thanks for sharing your thoughts. My point is that when I was starting out the work we were shown and that was rewarded and promoted was a lot heavier on moments in life, photographers spending time waiting for moments and sure beautiful light, but thought provoking images. Now what I see in my circles and in my feed is way less of that and way more guy walking through a beam of light. I'm guilty of guy walking through a beam of light shot too, I just would like to see more what I consider depth, but that's just my cup of tea.
Isn’t that the essential problem of the internet? Over sharing? Not everything needs to be shared. People need to thoughtfully curate their own work before posting. There are too many people chasing likes for that dopamine hit or it’s the only way they think they will get any recognition. And Justin is right, too many copy what they think is cool… if I ever see a shot of yet another vintage motel sign I just might puke.
@@GS-vb3zn I might puke as well ha ha, yeah and this was also directed at myself as a reminder to go back to my roots and what I love in photography.
I think, as has already been alluded to by others, is that when we look at what the old masters shot, we’re seeing their very best work, the stuff that had longevity, the stuff that stood the test of time and remained strong. They didn’t have to keep putting up social media posts to retain a following. Today, there’s a lot of pressure to post every day, post two reels a week, and so on. I’m constantly fighting the pressure to put up a good picture tomorrow. You can stop bothering with social media, but how many are willing to wait two decades to be recognised (if ever). No one even saw Dorothy Maier’s work until she was dead, and that too by chance. There’s a fear that one will be swamped by the billions of photos out there if you stop posting. I think it’s important to understand why you’re shooting, and it should be more than just so your insta feed is up to date. Also, social media is set up for the single shot, whereas many of the old masters shone through a body of work, a study of a city, or some other angle they were pursuing. Why you’re shooting is often more important than what you’re shooting. The rest is all technique and technology.
I have to agree. When I see what‘s posted in streetphotography groups nowadays it’s just sad. It’s just photos of people in the streets. No story, no soul, no artistic expression. Worst of it all: the more compromising you make people look in your photos, the more likes you get.
Hmm... my take is that sometimes we overcomplicate photography by assuming it's not just a photograph. Because at the end of the day that's what it is is a photograph. There's no need for all the standards and philosophies and dissenting opinions.
It's just photography. It doesn't matter. If someone has their camera and they like what they're doing THAT is the purpose, that's the only aspect of it it that actually matters.
I hear what you say but just to play devil’s advocate …
We live in a very different world than the 20th century greats - certainly in the ‘Western world’. Due to technology and social changes which have accelerated since COVID lockdowns, life is moving off the street and back into homes. You don’t see kids playing in the street any longer, no stray dogs etc Young men are in the gym not hanging around on street corners trying to impress a passing girl who herself is indoors at a Yoga class. (Or vice versa) Life is so sanitised. It’s a reverse of the very origins of street life and street photography in mid 19th century.
Life on the street is now quieter and less soulful - until there is a carnival, protest march, marathon race etc But if we photograph ‘emotion’ at these events, is it the same as the everyday interaction of a busy street in a small town or big city of the 1950s and 1960s?
Also, we’ve now had over a century of modern, visual life - ie trams, the motor car, big trucks, trains and train stations, practical fashions, smoking etc Nothing visual is very new and exciting to us (except an addiction to smart phones!). The technological advances of today are IT based and unseen. We can hardly go out and photograph new software!
Also, there is the impact of social anxiety. With the guns in the USA and growing knife attacks in Europe plus the fear of social or legal consequences. In the UK ‘upskirting’ is now a criminal offence’ and it can be applied to photos of children. You could literally get a criminal record and lose your job by taking a candid photo. I’m obviously not defending creeps harassing women and children for a photo but just how much risk does anyone want to take to get a photograph?
Meanwhile, if we’re having fun taking our cliched photos, so what?
That’s my rant but keep on doing your rants, Justin. They make us think!
Thank you
You have the point
Just by sheer numbers it’s impossible not be repetitive in the age of social media. Around 60.000 pictures are being taken every second, some good, some bad, maybe some future classics who knows. Hard to draw a comparison to the days of classic street photography. I believe we have a great photographer somewhere out there, they are just harder to find today in a world of junk and after all it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Nothing better to argue what is art or not.
The most boring street photography I'm seeing nowadays is shots of people from behind doing nothing but walking away. It's mostly done by street shooter too scared to shoot people face on. And it's ubiquitous all over social media. Another issue is street shooters thinking most of their shots are home runs. Personally, if I come home from a day of shooting with two or maybe three out of 150 shots that I'm excited about processing, then it's been a successful outing. Most amatuer street shooters aren't very critical curators of their own work, in my opinion.
Hi Dave. I returned to photography recently and I am smiling at your shooting ratio after getting two pictures from taking three hundred and twenty pictures a few days ago.
Yes, too many people are just spraying a tonne of shots and instead of thinking and curating they just post most of it which are just terrible. It’s often like someone went for a walk. Snapped 100 photos and posted 30 of them.
while i dont disagree with you 100% i will say: its not always black and white. For example where i live, for the most part street photography where you can clearly identify a person too much is straight up illegal in a country where most people dont want to be photograhed. its not about being too scared (well in some situations because if not careful, you might actual get someone smashing your face if you take a photo him or his wife) but more about trying to somewhat work around the edge of legality inside grey areas and trying to tell stories and incorporate human interaction the best you can, without breaking laws left right and center. i know for example in the us, noone gives a sht and you are allowed to run around and take photos of about anyone. HERE where i live, you are not and you have to be extremely careful not to get into trouble, and still somewhat make it work
2 or 3 keepers? Man I’m happy with one per roll 😂 or outing and often don’t even get that.
I suspect a lot of “street photographers”are just camera enthusiasts that need something easy to point their camera at. So in turn the work is lacklustre, soulless and copy and paste. There is so much obsession about needing a small camera for street photography. Oh you can’t shoot street unless you have a very specific camera.
i disagree a lot it takes skills to shoot good street photography
It’s funny when I hear all this fuss around ‘Street’ photography.. When I first got a camera and wandered around East Londin & Paris as a student, it was just photography, I was just out taking pictures. It had no name...Then later as a news photographer, much of what we shot was in the street.. Even on quiet news days the boss would kick us out of the office to go and find a feature picture, weather feature, illustration etc.. So today I just go out and take pictures. Yes I have my idols, McCullin, Eugene Smith, Willy Ronis, or Elliot Erwitt. But shooting to one or any catagorised type of image doens’ t interest me.. I just shoot like I did as a photojournalist and most importantly for myself..
I'm with you Gareth, when I was in college I didn't even it was a thing and it seemed to morph into heavier on light and shadows but not caring about purpose and moments, but maybe I'm a cranky old man ha ha.
@@AskMOTT I didn't touch on the B&W aspect.. but I do shoot mostly monochrome as I feel it focuses the image more on purpose and moments...
Also I grew up in news photography that was firmly B&W only until probably 1992, when the agency switched to colour neg.. I hated this as the chemicals were horrible to use and making a decent colour print fast was quite hard..compared to a B&W..
So I've gone back to B&W as a preferred way of shooting as it helps me focus on what is in the picture and not what colour it is.
This resonates with me. It goes back to over categorisation… the world is obsessed with it. With everything. Genres of films, genres of Music, genres of games. Types of watch, types of bicycle, jeez types of cameras… it’s a vlogging camera, it’s a compact camera, it’s a 4/3 camera, it’s a full frame camera, it’s a point and shoot camera blah blah. There’s mountains bikes, road bikes, EMTB, Hybrid Rd Bikes, Hybrid City Bikes, Trail Bikes, Big Trail Bikes, BMX, Cyclocross bikes, XC Bikes, DH Bikes, Gravel Bikes, Sports Hybrid Bikes, Leisure Hybrid bikes, touring bikes, fat bikes, Fixies, cargo bikes, time trial bikes, aero bikes, track bikes, comfort bikes, hardtail bikes… everything has to be in its own category because we are all seemingly to stupid to work out for ourselves what we should use it for… it’s amazing for the sellers of items because we buy more. We don’t just need one camera anymore… we need at least 3 or 4 that are just slightly different enough so we can justify owning more shit. But more importantly buying more shit.
@@Vartan297 Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it
@@handfuloflight 😂😂😂😂😂
I don't see this as a rant I see it as a call to action.
I completely agree with you. If I see another silhouetted person mid-stride in an angular pocket of light I'm gonna lose it. There is a severe lack of soul in modern street photography, or maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I also feel there is no real danger or lack of order in anything I'm seeing. Almost like every picture is being taken to feed the algorithm and unless it's perfectly exposed, perfectly focused and minutely composed, it isn't worth anyone's time.
There's a great Gary Winogrand quote that goes "You no why your pictures are no fucking good? Because they don't describe the chaos of life."
Thanks for this video man and for getting this same thought I've been having lately out of my head and into the world.
Don't hurt anyone ha ha. It's funny Tobin, I always think carefully about these videos and end up spending half my time justifying myself or trying not to offend anyone but recently I kinda just said screw it. I'm not saying anything overtly offensive and I'm not shaming any particular photographer, it's just my opinion and in some ways it's a note to myself or at least a reminder to go back to my roots of why I fell in love with photography with images that have soul and emotion. I'm so happy that the majority of people here get what I'm saying, means a lot to me.
You hit the nail on the head, and I'm definitely guilty of the sins you've described as well. I think it's like exercise or diet, in terms of knowing what I should be doing but not always having the patience or commitment to do it. I also think that social media is a large part of the problem: the fact that we post images we know aren't especially good because it feels good to have people tell us they're good. I watched a RUclips video about a professional landscape photographer who spends most of his time traveling the world and ends up with only about six images in a whole year that he feels are worthy of offering for sale. Thank you for the wake up call, and for the time you put into your channel.
Thank you Rob, I appreciate people like you taking the time to write comments because I always fear when I do these unapologetic episodes about my real feelings about things I"m going to have to deal with defending my position in the comments section but I haven't for the most part. This is also a great reminder for me that while I don't have that huge following like a lot of RUclipsrs I have an incredible audience of people who I admire and don't need to be coddled, that's so much more important to me.
I really do agree and also slightly disagree a little with you on this.
I agree that it seems like everyone is just taking the same cookie cutter images just to get likes, there is no arguing that. But, I think we do have to consider the world we live in, in 2024, compared to the legends of old. I think a lot of this comes down to pure over saturation of content and images. When the average person can easily take 300+ photos in one day and post most of them online in that same day, we are just inundated with images that are bound to copy other folks. This might be sacrilegious to say, but I imagine that if the classic photographers lived in our time, they would would be doing exactly the same thing. They stood out and are regarded as legends because of three main reasons, sheer skill (obviously), time (because their images are like time-capsules), and the sheer lack of competitors or rather, just others photographers which made it easier for them to stand out and be original. It's the catch 22 of living in a hyper connected and digital world. We have seemingly endless tools to be amazingly creative and show off our work, but so does everyone else. It can be harder to stand out and be original in an overly saturated creative world when three or four main styles are hot at that moment.
Brilliant comment. The "time" factor is one that it often overlooked, but is a major influence. I would add another factor . . . today, we look only at the very best 1% (or less) of the "great" photographer's work. And if we're honest, a good deal of that 1% (or less) really isn't that good. The "great" photographer is "great" in part because we DON'T see so much of their work. Maybe the issue is that today's photographers share too much. You are only so good or so bad as the photographs you allow to be published.
The great, late John Free used to teach that he wanted 3 elements/focal points in the frame before he tripped the shutter. At least three. It was a way of imposing a discipline to photography, and avoiding just snapping away. Much of what we see today is just snapping away...
I find I have the opposite problem, that is to say I try so hard to avoid 'snapping away' that I end up missing good shots through hesitation. So I am trying to get myself into the habit of snapping away but then being very brutal when I do the upload.
@@cjt5mith Daido Moriyama is a proponent of taking the picture if you just think “should I take that picture?” He figures there was something that got your attention, even if it’s just “I wonder what that would look like as a picture”. So you should always act on that impulse, because you never know, it could be right, and then (as you say) be brutal when actually selecting what to keep.
When did Mr free pass away. So sad.
Digital made snapping away 'free'; when every photo cost money to take (film & processing), that concentrated the mind somewhat.
Enjoyed the rant Justin! I think the wider debate behind “street photography” is the difficulty of finding a unique voice as a photographer today. So much has been done and said during the golden age of the medium. It’s as tough as trying to reinvent Rockn’roll today as a musician. Shooting the streets of NYC for the past decade as a side project (my biz is wedding photography), finding a unique approach has been the toughest. I feel we have all seen all the NYC street images, very very hard to say anything new. I can’t blame people replicating successful recipes…trying to be unique is definitely the way more demanding path. Cheers!
I totally get this, but I think I’ve got a slightly different take, based on my (very non-photography-based) professional career (I teach creative writing): any time something that’s been a bit “out of fashion” for a while, e.g. poetry, photography (especially photography with an actual camera and not just a phone, or even film photography), when the resurgence starts there are a lot of people who get into it with an emphasis on the product rather than the process. It gets them likes and followers and maybe what passes for a little bit of fame these days, and that’s what they’re chasing, not the development of their craft and their art. So, tried and true “formulas” rule and much of the work ends up seeming very derivative to anyone who has an awareness of the history of the craft. And here, at long last, is my take: it’s always been this way. People have always been people, and we’ve always produced a great deal of mediocre (or, I suppose, as the kids would say, “mid”) “art.” But that’s the great thing about time - the good stands the test and the rest is forgotten. But it can be frustrating in the moment; we can feel inundated, or even like we’re drowning, in mediocre work, especially when that work is receiving praise. I think the current social media landscape has had an interesting, and amplifying, effect on this process, which can, for many of us, make it even more disheartening, but it also seems to have sped up the process as well. In my own professional world, there were “popular” poets producing (what I would consider) very mediocre, very derivative work just a few years ago that my students just couldn’t get enough of. Now, just 5-7 years later, most of my students not only never mention them, almost none of them have even heard of those “poets.” They’ve moved on to the next thing, not even realizing it is the next thing. For them, it’s just *the* thing. Side note: I’d argue the same could be said for music, all the other visual arts, and basically any creative endeavor. The pattern keeps repeating. Seeing that pattern repeat again and again is one of the advantages of being “an old guy.” Realizing that good work will always get made and, usually, recognized (while the mediocre gets forgotten) is what keeps me from (hopefully) being “an angry old guy.”
I've realized it long time ago that GOOD street photography is HARD. Pedestrians stepping from a shadow area into the ray of light, reflections, abstractions, juxtapositions... or wait - my "favourite" - shots through window glass of people sitting in the café or on the bus (I've done it myself :) I believe that good street photography should be PROJECT or THEME based. Then it has a chance to be interesting and potential successful in some way.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts Rostyk.
The most important part of my photography journey was learning no longer to care about other people's opinions. All I create is just what I is pleasing to my eyes. There is no story, no deeper meaning just simply estheticly pleasing to me. I worked a few years as a photographer doing all kinds of assignments. But creating something for someone else just made me unhappy. And I ditched shooting raw I like photography not editing. Fujis Jpegs are fine for me. Plus I like the fact that the shutter press is the final image. No tricks no gimmicks just in body photography.
Fair enough mate.
I do agree with you on the JPEG part, sometimes all you wanna do is focus on capturing the image without thinking about the "final" look after edit.
I personally won't stop shooting in RAW since Sony camera's jpeg styles are nowhere near as good as Fujifilm's film simulations but I can appreciate the simplicity.
I quite like that idea, although I suppose I feel I am trying to capture the moment how I saw it, rather than how my camera saw it. Sometimes the camera makes different choices to the ones I would have made, so my approach is to shoot in RAW and then keep the editing to an absolute minimum. But then maybe I just like editing more than you do 🙂
Once I see a beanie, a Leica (or Fuji), and some lofi music... I know what's coming.
LOL
This comment made my day lol.
yep. 1000 of crap photos.
You mean a beanie like the one Justin wears? 🤣
@@beholder2012 . I love Justin's work. Don't do that. Lol
I shoot what I think is interesting to me. Don’t really care if it’s been done or who sees it. Not trying to be a professional or go viral. Just having fun and have images to look back on when I get old. Glad I don’t have this crazy complex about it all. Get out and shoot. Practice and grow.😬
Harry Gruyaert: “There is no story, it’s just a question of shapes and light".
I agree though, conveying emotion and meaning in a photograph is more rewarding
Absolutely true, so many channels are copying each other - even the music sounds the same! So many Leicas and wobbly jazz-lite soundtracks with really dull photos - I think the YT pressure to keep churning out regular content is partly responsible. With the exception of real pros like yourself, most people don't get more than one or two good shots in a week, so we see a lot of stuff that should have been edited out.
One or two shots a week? I’m lucky if I get six good photos I really like within a year. Too many people post too many substandard photos to Instagram just to keep playing the algorithm.
@@joetrent4753 yeah you're right, I just watched an episode by an unnamed big RUclipsr that proved the point very well
Yep the more expensive the camera the worser the photographs. Aimeless clicking and playing with expensive gear. And all the same photographs.
This is a conversation we need to be having as a community. Whenever there’s a big jump in popularity of anything there’s an influx of people at the ground level. For a lot of people Covid was the catalyst for picking up and camera and starting their street photography journey (at least it was for me). The problem is people joining in recent years see a very watered down version of the art form. Tik Tok, Instagram, and even RUclips have popularized a very simple version of street. I’m guilty of this as well, starting out I watched a ton of Pierre T Lambert and thought his was the world’s greatest photographer. It wasn’t until I went back to the more grass roots of the genre that I started to learn what a good/great image even is. Not to diss all the modern day social media photographers (hell I started a channel to be one of them) but there’s something to be said about praising people for high follower counts verses amazing results. I think we need to do better as a community at shining light on the people that have truly mastered the craft.
I have been photographing for nearly fifty years, and one time pro. The debate is not just about street photography but photography in general. I have seen some brilliant work done and presented on the social media, but 95% of what I see these days in any genre of photography is just pure junk. Yes, digital has a role in it as producing crap and then manipulating it in post costs nothing but I also see it with film, just as much in fact. I dont know what the answer is, but piling up more expensive tech with more irrelevant features is not. That much I know. Some of my best work recently were done with a Soviet era FED-2 with 52 mm Industar lens and couple of rolls of TriX and HP5, despite owning the ones with the red circle, Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Lumix digital imaging computers. It is certainly not the equipment for sure.
@@lensman5762 this is absolutely a factor as well! The marketing cycles for new camera gear has made it way too much about, what brand you shoot versus what you actually do with the camera. It takes years to get the camera (especially newer ones with fancy features) to become an extension of our eyes and minds, but most people move on to the next one far too soon due to thinking they have to have the latest and greatest. Sorry this was a bit rambled haha. Fully agree, gear is not the solution.
AMEN. Thank you. Not saying my own work isn't guilty of the same at times, but I recognized some years ago that 'black and white person walking in front of a wall' is boring, overdone. There are great versions of this theme but 99% of the time it is amateurish and the result of being afraid to push the shot further, get closer, find meaning and purpose. Thank you for calling it all out.
Thanks Matthew, guilty as well, that was sort of an episode directed at reminding me as well to go back to my roots.
I think what you are describing is the "Zeitgeist" of today. We are llving in a copy&paste time in all areas, whether it is photography, music , trends or even behaviour. We loose our personal creativiy because we are constantly surrounded and influenced by everyone elses creativity or copy&pastery. I think to overcome that we have to spend more time with ourselves, offline than time online. It's hard but something one can train i believe. streetphotography for me is captering a moment in time that is worth capturing.
I like the idea that it's important to "have a 'why.'" My camera is always with me, so it's easy to capture a photo when I see something interesting. But, not every shot has a purpose (a 'why'). I've come to believe that finding the meaning/purpose in a photo involves finding the emotional message of the image. Conveying the emotion of a picture is really hard to do. But, for me, it starts with genuine empathetic observation. Which, in itself, is a difficult skill to develop.
I don't know... I partially agree. I think there are some tropes that are over done... but I do see alot of good photos.
I think alot of this "soulessness" is just that, we tend to be very nostalgic... seeing the past as better days... there's not necessarily more soul in older photos, just that we see naturally see even mundane photos from the 40s, 50s, 60s etc as more interesting, older clothing, cars, signs, store fronts... we see it as a more distant, lost era that we are connecting to in the photo... maybe in the 2060s, they will look at our shots from the 2000s to 2020s as being more soulful
Nowadays it's hard to capture emotions or interesting situations on the streets, because people's lives no longer happen on the streets.
@@Justaperson717 well, it certainly is the trend. Then again, sometimes, somewhere, something happens and people, real people, galvanize and surprise themselves and each other.
Know what I mean?
I totally agree. I just stuck my toe in street photography shooting and I'm amazed. How many rules some of these people think they have to follow there's nothing worse than being boring. I try something new every time I go out
imitation can often be an important part of a creative journey - ask any really young and honest writer and they'll tell you they've written plenty in a style approximating someone they idolise. The problem is when the journey ends at imitation, and seeks to go no further. And that is, to me at least, where street photography is right now. Great vid mate
Salty! Hope your dog is feeling better. I will never be a professional or have a big following, and honestly that isn't what I'm looking for in photography. I look for things that I think are interesting and try and shoot them in a way that is pleasing for me. If it is a hit on Vero, then cool. If not no worries either. I'm at the end of a 30 year career as a busy firefighter, so my ego is fairly secure. What makes me happy is when I can shoot something, print it, and put it up on my wall. If I can do that, and look at the hanging picture and say "Damn! I like that" then I have hit my mark. I like watching you, because your work has a flavor all it's own, and while I have no desire to copy you, I use it to learn and add tools to the toolbox to use when the mood or the need strikes. Keep up the videos.
Thank you Larry and thanks for the comment about my dog, he seems back to normal running around and being a terror. Pretty cool I've got a firefighter watching my videos, I always admired and respect that job man, bravo. Enjoy your week and happy shooting.
As a guy who’s about to show a decently broad selection of his street photography publicly for the first time ever, I was certain this was going to sting.
But it absolutely put me at ease as the photos I’ve already chosen for the show nearly all hit the qualities you (also) seem to feel make for exceptional street photography, regardless of the technical aspects of the execution. It also makes me a little glad I’ve always felt that and have never been one to get overly finicky about the technical execution of my photography, largely because doing so often robs the soul from the moment and from the art of it.
Thanks for sharing what I’m certain is likely going to make some other folks a little uncomfortable!
Congrats on the exhibition,I think that's so cool and so happy for you.
@@AskMOTT Thanks! I’m really looking forward to it!
I feel images can be an amalgamation of art and storytelling. Finding your own UNIQUE style is important. To hear someone call this out is refreshing.
Thank you, I'm sure I'll get backlash but I'm tired of overexplaining in my videos.
Love your thoughts man. So many influencers tryna be relevant. The worst are the 'film photographers', thinking that that their choice of media makes them creative. Argh. You brushed upon the most important concept of all. Have an idea or direction for your images. That's the true creativity. Not Nikon vs. Canon or Film vs. Digital.
Thanks JK, always love your comments on here brother.
[0:05] 😠 The speaker is critical of current trends in street photography, finding them repetitive and lacking journalistic depth.
[0:29] 📸 Street photography often focuses on aesthetic formulas like high contrast black and white or ironic juxtapositions, which the speaker finds cliché.
[2:08] 🎞 Legendary street photographers like Elliot Erwitt are praised for injecting emotion and soul into their work, a quality the speaker believes is missing in contemporary street photography.
[3:07] 🔄 The speaker urges photographers to break away from formulaic approaches and instead find their own unique style and purpose in their photography.
[5:32] 🌟 Photography should aim to show viewers something new or familiar in a fresh way, a principle the speaker believes is often overlooked in current street photography trends.
Just like you need catchy subjects for your videos to get views, street photographers need catchy pictures to get the mainstream public to get views and followers on IG. The good and creative street photographs are often not understood by the general audience. So really it's up to you, to either feature what you consider your very best work, or seek popularity. I try to mix it up, but always within my creative vision.
I think over-consumption of media is to blame for the substantial output of unoriginal photographs. When a photographer browses Instagram several hours a day they will likely be unconsciously directed to re-create what they have seen. So when they take a photograph, they might think of it as original, but it’s actually more or less a recreation of something they have already viewed. Later they’ll come home and post those photos to social media where more people will be exposed. It’s a vicious cycle.
of course you are not getting street photography like you didn't through the 20 century eg 1900-2000 . especially the first half , or up to the 60s because every country still had its unique identity before globalisation and the market economy took a grip , today , most countries are identical in their identities, people are behaving in the same way apart from the very poor and undeveloped countries were you are not going because you will not survive . eg Haiti , Sierra loane, Yemen , central America, Venezuela , etc etc ..You are not getting anything new or unique because all people are doing now is looking at their phones .. People are just hypnotised zombies , their is very little variance in behaviour , but also people taking photographs , street photographers , are using the same boring equipment that all yeld the same results , they are using the same refined processes .. following the same formula .. copying one another .. its all Been done before ... these 2 facts/statement explain the state of street photography ...
So true. No soul. No emotion. Just meaningless snaps. So sad!
Part of me wants to be like “oh, here comes Justin bashing all the other RUclipsrs again,” but I think you have a point to some degree. As a hobbyist who would at least like to think I’m halfway decent and can capture some good photos, I’m at the point with my photography where being able to figure out how folks implement certain shots is helpful for my technical skills and it’s fun to do if I’m being honest. But I’m also approaching it knowing I want to essentially be able to have those skills in my arsenal so I can use them down the road or at least understand the mechanics of the process if it eventually helps me do my own thing.
Oh no Bryan, I don't want my thing to be "Bashing RUclipsrs" as I'm also considered one as well ha ha, I just sort like to weigh in on bad trends as I see them, glad you watched more to see that my intentions and I'm also happy with your approach to things, it's smart to understand and expand :).
We mainly see the best curated work of famous photographers, but never their outtakes.
With social media, that's different. We see everyone's work both good and bad, myself included. Most photos I take, I probably shouldn't share, but it's part of figuring it out.
Of course we all emulate work, it's hard not to. With so many pictures being taken, it feels mathematically difficult not to have a photo that is reminiscinate of someone else's prior work.
Some of the greats didn't have that worry because they were laying the foundations that we would go on to study.
Can we (partly) blame the internet?
We are constantly bombarded by information 24/7. After seeing quite lot of photos, my brain built some sort of knowledge database and quickly recognize those "cliches", something like these:
- Close, wide-angle look? Aha...Garry Winogrand
- Decisive moment, like jumping or doing something interesting? HCB
- A rather complex, colorful multi-layered framing? Alex Webb
- Dramatic B&W lightning? Fan Ho
- Anything mundane in color? Eggleston.
- Etc
Without no doubt, copying is the most basic form of learning. Not all of us strive to be a pro or established artist, so being unique isn't a major concern. And this is not a street photography specific problem. Basically applies to any photography genre.
Not offering a solution, just kinda exaggerating the problem. BTW, I still ocassionally do 1 or 2 things above :D
I have mixed thoughts about studying the masters from the last century, then trying to find a style I might pursue or relate to. I am happy to see the resurgence of film shooters, can’t decide to laugh or smile, having started my photo journey in 1967.
You can’t be like someone else, worse reaction, he/she is just copying, a watered down version. Just shoot. Also it is very tough to reinvent the wheel, is anyone in landscape photography the next Ansel Adams? or Ernst Hass, Saul Leiter or Henri Cartier-Bresson. I love their work and look to create, but I’m not them. So I guess just studying their images and techniques then trying to apply them to what I see and create is the best I can do. Just shoot.
Fair enough Chris, I just hope it becomes more trendy to capture emotion and tell stories a bit more .
@@AskMOTT "Capture Emotions and Tell Stories" is now on the lock screen of my phone.
@@AskMOTT Emotion and Story. I look at some work on you tube and don’t feel it.
All good points. I have just started doing street photography and I realized that the city I live in will never provide me with the photos that I see online. The architicture here doesn't provide those dreamy and mysterious shots that are common in other places, so I have had to adapt and find my own level and make do with what is available. Some of what I have done is crap and some has merit but I'm slowly finding my way and trying things that I hope doesn't follow the trends that are popular. The most important thing I feel is having fun and enjoying trying to be creative while doing this. Thanks for your thoughts on this subject.
This really does make sense to me, and it’s hard to put into words, but you explained it well. ☺ Street photography, whether documentary, journalism, or reportage, opens up so many conversations. Some street photographers love playing with geometry and harsh contrasts in black and white, as you described, while others capture a scene without worrying about aesthetics, simply showing what’s in front of them. However, a great street photographer does more: they capture the moment well and leave you with more than just a depiction of the scene, evoking some kind of emotion or feeling.
I document my day to day life which involves now and then some street shots, but not too many. I take pics every day, sometimes only 1 and sometimes more. But it is a daily matter of observing ,having love for light and composition
Glad to hear you say this. Often I see youtube photographers going on about their amazing photos, showing them out in the field, and then the end result, overlaid with some cinematic music, and it is very easy to get sucked into thinking those are good photos. But I have started looking at those photos a bit more critically and have come to realize if they were my photos, I wouldn't share them with even my wife. I was thinking I was being overly self critical, but after listening to you, perhaps I am just not getting sucked into the hype.
I am thinking I might need one of your 1-on-1 consultations 😊. I need some real, critical, and hopefully constructive feedback on my work from someone whose reputation and knowledge is based on more than 5 million subscribers.
Thanks.
Thanks Don , I’d love to dive into your photography with you. I’m happy mid episode was so well received by most with a few outliers but that was to me expected. I’ve seen so much below average photography pass as good because like you said it was packaged nicely into a branded and successful channel which had more effort dumped into to then their actually photography.
Love what you do, and do what you love and dont hate on others, I say. For every amatuer using a formula there are 10 RUclipsrs pretending to be pros, o ex-pros....
Common among street photographers is this strange idea that you have to shoot with one lens and one lens only...and it must be a prime. This is actually a pretty common approach for many people to many things other than photography. This idea that you have to struggle to get something or else it is somehow diminished in value. In 2022 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail...4000km across the USA from Mexico to Canada. I was amazed at how many hikers felt that having a good tent, or occasionally getting off the trail for a shower or a good meal was somehow cheating and that some degree of suffering was necessary to appreciate the experience. I have no name for this phenomenon, but it is becoming increasingly common. I think this is also partially responsible for some photographers reverting to film.
We're at a very different place now than 1965, "Street" wasn't even a thing it was just a new vision set against what there always is, mundane pretty pictures technically executed. Most people won't be very good, but digital has must made it possible for most people to be averagely better than people used to be in film. Technically the bar is raised, but aesthetically it's the same as ever. In their day, Evans, Frank, Winogrand, Arbus, Friedlander were outsiders, Winogrand said famously "we know too much about what a good picture looks like" or to that effect, he was trying to "break" photography and find something new. Friedlander has evolved steadily while keeping his essential look. The reason street is boring now is because it's like Club Jazz, you sit-down to the two drinks minimum, and hear a recreation of Giant Steps. It's trying to make the "good" picture. It's not having a conversation about pushing the art into a new direction. Art seems to have little power against social media. Instead of arguing through ideas in art, we are just arguing the comments. I'm happy for RUclips, more creation is good even if the things being made are middling. There will always be a very few doing it better, and they will be doing it so much better you cannot fathom, just like in sport. When it's better, it's not even close. Think Arnold, Mermelstein, Sarah Vanrij, there are others.
Your take was far better than the often gatekeeping that I see from many RUclipsrs. Of course biggest example is in order to do street photography the "legit way", you must be like 24mm-35mm, up in the scene. They will automatically try and put down someone for using a zoom to "snipe", but these people will also use their own stealth, shooting from the hip or using zone focusing like, what is the difference at that point? You are right, that you will then see these often cookie-cutter images with no personality from them.
Part of the probelm is that cameras are so good nowadays anyone can take a photo. Its easy. What isn't easy and therefore neglected is learning the craft. Its easy to make yourself sound intelligent by parroting off BS about Bayer filters and megapixels and sensor size (and copying everyone else) but it takes years to learn how to tell a story. Having said that, there are a number of examples of photographers form the last decade who were just taking snapshots, in effect, so its not entirely new.
I spent Christmas and New Year mostly alone in India, and took a very long hard look at myself and reflected on my photos. And I was guilty as hell of so many of these "recipes" that had worked for years. It's hard to change when you feel like you're deliberately making life harder on yourself, but I'm so glad I did, and now I feel my photos have far more substance to them (Even if I'm taking 95% less photos than I did before.) Sometimes the best advice is the hardest pill to swallow, but this video is exactly on point. Cheers for this sir, much appreciated as always.
Justin, an old mentor of mine told me many times “if the truth hurts, maybe it should”. Thusly, I respect and agree with your opinion.
As I have been a photographer for nearly 50 years, and actually worked in the industry in portraiture and photojournalism for part of that (a long long time ago) I see the same scene - repeated over and over, in not only my work but the vast majority of others posting online.
Nowadays, I shoot for a very limited audience - a very critical audience … “me”, and I can tell ya I hear the same thing of my work - frequently.
Would love to catch up with you someday. If you ever swing through Doha Qatar… look me. up.
Take care…
Thanks, yeah, I imagine many people will be angry saying I'm generalizing, etc. I'm not trying to call anyone out and I'm tired of spending 3/4 of my time in my videos overexplaining and defending myself so my new thought process is just say it, say it as nicely as I can and try not to call anyone out, but just say it truthfully and let the chips fall where they may. Same goes for Hanoi, give me a shout of you want to come visit and chase beams of light with people in them :).
As a street photographer myself, I agree with you 1000%. However what you haven't mentioned is that today we are heavily restricted in what we can photograph on the streets, especially in Europe with its recent privacy laws. I think the current trend of what you call soulless street photography is a direct consequence of that. Photographers have found ways to represent people as tiny figures in a composition or make them into silhouettes against a backdrop for example - so that they cannot be identified. This tells us nothing about the people in the photos or life on the streets. Every street photographer knows that as soon as you ask permission before taking a photo, the spontaneity is completely lost.
I'm afraid the great genre of "real street photography", as captured by the likes of Erwitt, Bresson, Doisneau, Maier, etc, is now tragically over. They captured the true flavour of life on the streets in their respective era, something we can no longer do.
Hmmm… Some good points here, however, the mass of street photography has probably always been in a sad state. The difference is, that today we get to see all those "negs", that never ever came to light prior to social media and instagram in particular. Digital has freed up street photography to the masses who just want to have a go, and social media and Alogrithms has socialised those wanting to have a go, into shooting shadows and thinking that that is what street photography is all about. Digital editing tools, enables images with little to no soul, to be photoshopped to your hearts content, and even over-processed images are considered a style choice today. I think that all these things probably used to happen back in the day also, but in most instances, to a lesser extent. Deffo the publication aspect. Some old film shooters, still have rolls and rolls of film that they haven't even processed due to lack of funds, and I'm guessing that a large proportion of those shots probably have no soul, and are not "bangers", and when you are paying to have them processed, that's as far as some of those images will go. It becomes a part of the selection process, determining the worthy from the non worthy shots. In digital today, we don't have that, so some of those "no soul" shots make it through much easier. When we look back to the masters, the great shots that we see from them, tend to be the same few repeatedly shown all the time. Probably not more than ten memorable shots from the masters, over forty or fifty YEARS of active shooting!… Why would anyone think little old "me" could match anything like that, uploading every day to instagram? We need to stop comparing what we do, to what the masters did, and just get on with our own growth and development, and learn to gauge that in the time and space that we are in today. If we are lucky enough to get our images into print, we may be blessed to produce one or two really memorable shots in our lifetime, for the future generation to pour over with whatever capture devices and social media implants humans will have in the 2100s. That's if AI hasn't killed us all off by then.
Glad this was said, the internet has created a kind of race to the creative bottom where everyone chases what seems to work for everyone else. It’s stymying.
Thank you Kip,I think a lot of people misunderstood this episode but I'm happy most didn't.
@@AskMOTT I also think some people will understand you perfectly but actually like the kind of photography you’re lamenting here and will distort what you said to defend it. Some people would rather defend their bland taste rather than try and expand their palette.
Michael Ernest Sweet predicted much of this a decade ago in his essay on HuffPost titled "Street Photography Has No Clothes". He has banged on this drum in numerous articles since then. You two would be good buddies!
I’ll definitely have to read that article , thanks for sharing .
One hundred percent. Needed to be said. In fact its the repetitive nature thar gets me wound up. There are some modern copycats selling books and courses, but its just fine art silhouette photography marketed as "street photography". There's no soul in it.
I am guilty of all the sins you named (except smartphone photography, which is deadly). Sadly, as the EU banned portraying persons in the streets, I had to transform myself into a museum photographer. Works of art took the place of people, and museum directors followed the "community aesthetic": if you want to eat, you have to. Do I like it? No, I'm studying to become a philosophy researcher at 53 because that "stereotype" you describe is not photography, and it disgusts me. So, I changed my life since I can't change photography's new "standards." I admit I really miss the old good street photography. Legislations and bills to pay aside, it seems to me that nowadays, street photography has become a competition, and it is no longer a dedication: making "impactful" standardized images to get as many "likes" as possible instead of building a body of work, a portfolio, a project and evolve as a photographer. If photography is your job, then "likes" will not pay your bills; hard work will do. Thank you for the hints and reflections.
Speaking of Alex Webb, nowadays everyone does (or tries to do) "Alex Webb" too. The "layering" style is everywhere. I think it is extremely difficult to be a good street photographer. Yet today, anyone who goes out into the street and takes photos considers themselves a street photographer.
I think it is a symptom of social media, and people chasing the sweet, sweet high of getting likes. These kinds of pictures, that you've just described, have a higher chance of getting that like. People also equate many followers with that person being a good photographer. That is most likely not true. It means, in my experience, that they've mastered a style that will give them alot of likes and followers. If you browse the profile of some of those high follower count people, all they post is one image - with many, many variants of it.
"The Instagram style" is something I've thought about many times (I need to get those thoughts on paper), and it have made its mark on photography so much that it will go down in photo history.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” I don’t agree. I feel it does have to be this way because it is the reality of life that people who are truly great at something are rare by definition which is always in comparison to the field. In anything, but especially art, you have the ones who are at the top and the rest are people who try to copy what they can. I would say most musicians that have existed, even with great technique throughout history are copying and can’t imbue emotions like the greatest, but they’re good enough for the public. All the average people will always look up to the ones with some skill and they’ll make a living off it. In short you’ll always have this majority group of “copiers” and the public that will praise their work
Why don't we have nowadays superb photographies like those made by Cartier-Bresson and other ones? We have now very fast focusing cameras, digital cameras, Photoshop, etc. But I never see story telling photographies, with no composition, but only street images with people walking. Old style photographers had rudimentary cameras but their works are superb.
I think the most important thing is to shoot what you enjoy. Try to block out the noise of what other people think or do, and think whether what you're doing is giving you what you want. If that means you do the more stereotypical style of street photography, good for you. Own it. But don't do it just because others are doing it.
"Nobody Cares About Your Photography" by Ted is the one playing in my head while watching your video. The moment you bring out new ideas in social media, everybody will copy it to the point that it is hard to trace who did it first. There is a reason why most of the "Legends" came from older times. Limited resources, black and whites and much simpler times. Marketing also plays a big role for you to stand out as a type of Photographer.
My mom cares about my photography ha ha. Thanks for sharing, I'll check that out for sure.
@@AskMOTT Always the Mom, hehe! My Photography is mostly Street, City and just random day to day things that interests me. If it makes me happy, then I am good, but if it will make other people happy, then it's a bonus! Happy clicking!
I am only an amateur photographer who has been at it since the late 50s. I gave up on street photography 50 years ago when I finally admitted that, if there was one thing I hated more than people, it was streets. I'm happy with wildlife and am far more interested in the subjects than what anyone else thinks of my pictures. We have a family Signal group called the poorly focused wildlife group where we share our pictures (all photographic defects are not only accepted but actively encouraged). It's impossible to make a picture of, say, an osprey nest so bad we wouldn't be excited to see it.
A couple of the guys (Shallow and Pennyman?) I think you are talking about are funded by Leica and one gives workshops globally to teach more people to shoot the same way. How do you feel about that as a Leica ambassador?
So I think you hit a home run with the "know your why" but you strike out here: perhaps 98% of people's why they do photography just isn't transcendental and they are happy with that ... hence all the "boring" photography. Some people just like taking pictures, and the act of photography, and the gear, and all that -- and I think that's ok cause who cares. But yeah, I agree, most of the stuff out there feels like fast food -- satisfies (maybe) for a few moments, and then is digested and forgotten quickly.
This is brilliant, exactly how I was thinking and trying to capture emotion. I have some ideas for some projects. Going to check out your site. I like your approach.
When I shoot pictures that thrill me, get me excited, happy and content,…that’s enough for me. And yes, clichés photography is boring, life and soulless. I have pictures on my wall at home, images that I took when I was traveling in Asia. A friend of mine walked into my place and noticed a picture in my hallway and he liked it , he stood there for a while and I observed his face, as he was taking in the image. I enjoy photography especially for the memories of a special moment I snatched out of the hands of time.
I disagree.
The problem with all of the examples that you pointed out is that those bodies of work were pulled from hundreds (if not thousands) of photos to only showcase the best of the best photos that were taken over years and in some cases decades.
The problem today is the demand for fast and continuous turnaround that forces people to post the best of the week or day OR forces people to show the process that it takes to develop their skills (which you’re suggesting people should try to develop). Should everyone spend years getting good at photography before posting anything online?
There is plenty of “boring” or derivative work out there, but it should be seen as the process when these photos are posted which takes a ton of time.
Also, there are still plenty of street photographers who are awesome as a result of years of practice that are able to keep up with social media demands, but they’ve already developed the skills. Joe Greer, Tetsuo Suzuki, Billy Dee, and Alan Schaller come to mind. Those few greats are probably comparable to the ratio of great to mediocre photographers that have always been. The difference is that you see everyone’s work now without the need for a MoMA exhibition.
100% on the money, as only an experienced photographer can point out. Don't forget the "groundbreaking" images of a gas station at night. Originality is hard; good ideas are even more difficult. I remember the year (1980) I attended the Missouri Workshop. Nearly everyone's first story idea got rejected, some their second, third, and even fourth. The attendees weren't a group of weekend shooters; these were all seasoned professional photojournalists from around the world, with one exception: me. I was there on a student scholarship. But that didn't win me any favor or special treatment. I was there to learn, and man, did I! Sadly, today, so many think all they need to do is point and press the button, and art will spit out on the other side. Which brings us to this point: copy and paste imagery with no insight, little craft, and void of emotion. As long as it garners vast numbers of likes, it's art. Sigh.
Very interesting take. As a relatively new photographer I am already finding I can spot these sort of cliched photos, but I suppose like all the other composition 'rules', you need to know what the conventions are in order to know how and when to break them. Also it is worth saying that sometimes a conventional 'cliched' photo just somehow works ...
A lot of this is social media. Everyone needs to upload every minute of everyday. Too many rely on the camera to do it all. Auto everything. For them to make a living, they have to post, post , post regardless of the actual content. Not a rant, fact
Nailed it. Soul and storytelling is what separates Garry Winogrand, Elliot Erwitt, and Vivian Maier, from the rash of snapshot peddlers out there. If it was easy, everyone would do it, but instead everyone is trying it but most are failing. It's hard; I've been working at it only for a couple of years and am just starting to be able to create the feeling in others that made me take the picture in the first place. As a career musician and critic, I can tell you it is the same there, carbon copies of carbon copies. If you are just rehashing Fan Ho, Joel Meyerowitz, or Sebastiao Salgado, god bless but we don't really need a RUclips channel by you purporting to teach us street photography. As AC/DC's Angus Young said, "There is a place to practice your scales; it is just not in front of me." Keep preaching brother.
Many, if not most, of the legendary street photographers were accomplished professionals, often with a background in art or design.
Knowing what you’re doing is helpful.
It definitely helps :).
I believe the biggest misunderstanding lies in confusing street photography with “street RUclips” or "street Insta". RUclipsrs believe that a single walk can produce ten presentable photographs, while the legends you spoke of became and continue to be famous for their life’s work… There are still those good people who tell fascinating stories with their pictures. You just don’t find them on every corner.
You have a good point. A lot of street photography is quite pointless in away that it does not have a real story or soul, as you say. We also live in a different world. People are a lot more aware of their own privacy. The rules and laws are more strict than they used to be. That is one reason why we see less faces in street photographs. Then there is of course the vast amount images we see all the time. There are so many photographs published that the good ones just gets buried to the flow of photos. The masters also used decades to make their photographs, their bodies of work. Nowadays many think that we can make it in a week. Part of the charm of the masters is the fact that the images are from an era that is not here anymore. Of course some of the work was popular at the time when it was made. Partly because people saw things and places that have not been or have no way of going. In todays world we travel and see stuff on tv. But I do agree with you that most street photographs are a bit boring and cliches. We all are guilty of that, me included.
Just take photos you like, not what others may like.
Agree
I tried doing street photography but often times i cant find what i want to photograph because i want to capture moments that are strong and story driven but unfortunately such moments just doesn't really happen and oftentines would come home without taking a single photo
It is a snapshot of a moment in time - if it connects emotionally that is all that matters to me irrespective of what anyone else thinks of it - that is the purist pleasure of photography
and it does not necessarily have to apply only to street photography ( though that may involve a different conversation !)
I think it has a lot to do with most people aren’t living in reality. People used to interact in public and now so much is just people walking around on their phones. The subjects are soulless and it comes thru in the photography.
I think that's a very interesting point, and is observably increasingly the case
Justin, thanks for the photography “tough-love”. I’m SO guilty of soul less photos (but I’m working on changing that). Take care & be well.
OMG SO TRUE
Dude you are so right in a funny way and you made my day.
First time here, subscribed , don't let me down.
By the way, were you drying your nail polish whilst shooting this video
Yes well said!!! Unfortunately our culture elevates mediocrity and today's glut of street photographers give importance to work that is undeserved. Multitudes of YT and Instagram identikit photographers churn out soulless images and massage each other's egos and end up believing they are creating special work. Someone needs to tell them that shooting with film and a Leica M6 doesn't make crap special. It may be fun, but boring street doesn't give me any emotion. Photography is important when it takes the form of projects - the photo essay that is attached to personal human experiences is the stuff that has real depth, not random shots of stuff we have seen a million times before! Rant over lol.
We have a "video" for projects about personal human experience. It way more better for these cases.
Pointless rant
Oh hell yes. Too true. It seems to me that social media is driving/enabling this tendency. The nexus of this phenomenon seems to currently be Tokyo, where the street photography scene is so popular there are roving posses of (mostly) young dudes with either a vintage film camera or a Ricoh GR, producing thousands of images of Japanese people living their normal life. Alternatively you have legions of US photographers taking pastel film shots of old cars and gas stations. Literally soulless. The positive side of this self-perpetuating cycle is that interest in photography remains strong.
Well said Don, I forgot about all house terrible self published books about old gas stations, maybe I’ll rant about that next :).
Great take. I totally agree with everything you pointed out about Street Photography.
I def agree with a lot street photography being lackluster these days! I feel like this previously niche art form is now more popular than ever (with the rise of Fuji cameras and RUclips discourse around SP) so naturally you get more beginners/hobbyists who are just making okay-ish predictable stuff. I think that's okay because a ton of talented photographers are still out there - just takes more sifting to find them!
That being said, and speaking from my experience, even if I try to always aim for strong shots that tell a story and create an emotion, I feel pressured into making more dull/predictable shots because I can't realistically pump out 50 masterpieces every month. I also feel like with all these legends, Erwitt being my favorite, we are now seeing a highly refined version of their body of their work at the end of their career, where they had lots and lots of time to select and only the best of the best work made it.
Maybe in their time if these legends had had socials, building up their careers, we would have seen some slightly lower quality, more predictable, "average" stuff because sometimes that's what you need to post in order to keep an Instagram account going. I think good art is rare, even for great artists
Bottom line is, imho - 1. There are bad street photogs but that's part of any popular hobby, not everyone can be talented (sadly) 2. Even if you're a good talented photographer, street photography is so random and demanding, maybe only 1% (if not fewer) of shots are truly keepers - so in this day and age you have to share some of the average/popular stuff just to keep things going and "exist" online. Just my thoughts!
Agree with the street photography critique. On the positive side, the RUclips photographers are inspiring people to go out and shoot more. I like that
I hear that camera sales have gone up year-on-year, for the first time since 2011. that too is good news
@@wnn5508 Agree
I've been thinking about this for the past few as my instafeed is filled with nice yet souless shot. Working hard to bring some emotions into my work as I want to explore new territory
The best thing about street photography is the exercise we get going from one mundane shot to the next. So don't give up, exercise is important. :) Cheers from Aus.
I might try something different like walking around a big city and surprising people with a camera lens in their face.
Your rant is valid. Nowadays street photography is pointless, meaningless and boring. (mine too) All of the new SM photographers doing the same production line BS. They always talk about "my style" "do this way or that way", or "this gear or that lens is the best" but they never will get "a picture is worth a thousand words" kind of image. Do you know why I'm not on SM because I know my images suck or least mediocre, however, I was a Master photographer and an ex judge.
I totally agree with you. I began as a photojournalist, then moved into other areas of photography-- wedding photography, portraits, grad. seniors, models, etc. And I don't claim to be a "street photographer," however, on occasion I like to take a day or two and walk the streets doing street photography. My success ratio is extremely low because I want emotion in my photos. I want the image to convey something to the viewer other than, like you said, "oh, that's a good image." And because of my standards it's hard to get a good street shot. I do get them, and I'm pleased when I do. Some of my images are printed in b&w and some in color. The street photography I see on RUclips is extremely pedestrian, no soul, no meaning, usually a person captured in shadow or light walking in shadow or light, etc. Means nothing. Good street photography, to me, has to convey emotion. I think it's the photojournalist still in me that demands that. Anyway, you made some excellent points. I hope all the so-called street photographers on RUclips watch your video.
after 35years of shooting, I finally stopped shooting completely due to the very issues you mentioned. Everyone considers themselves a street photographer… it’s become diluted as an art form IMO. A sad state of affairs for the art and craft of authentic image creation. Soulless is an understatement
It’s “Vapid”
Crosswalk/Stripes
Balloon head
Reflections
Alex Webb replica scenes
I agree with you. Cameras are so advanced it's difficult to not get a good exposure but just getting a good exposure isn't necessarily a good photograph. I see too many people just shooting on the street, people walking around, etc. but there's no moment (or the soul you're talking about). Modern cameras, such as they are, make getting a good photograph even more difficult. I'm also a firm believer in studying the masters of the past; know your craft so you can self-critique objectively.
Spot on! If you aren't original and don't stand out, you are just more noise to drown out the signal. Be the signal, not the noise. If you follow the rules, you are just like the rest of the herd. Break the rules, but break them with purpose.
The difference is the newer “street photographers” are not as good as these legendary photographers. I see tons of boring photos and people trying to pass as street photography. I don’t do street photography I do urban photography.
I completely agree with you. Social media "street photography" is inundated with Fan Ho-inspired photos of high contrast, hard shadow lines with a distant (and often silhouetted) subject. For example, Alan Schaller is a photographer who's enjoying a surge in popularity of such street photography. Sure, his photographs are immaculately composed and I recognise that he has a keen eye for geometry and one can learn much from his work. Yet at the same time, I find his photographs repetitive and forgettable; like they were manufactured.
While I don't expect to see photos on IG that come even close to the level of Henri Cartier-Bresson and other street photography greats, I'd love to see photos that aren't overly reliant on dramatic lighting and emulating the styles of past masters. Yes yes, I am aware that imitating great work is an effective way to learn, that there isn't much room for "true originality", and that increased accessibility to cameras inevitably means that mediocre photos are much more prevalent. It's just that I see many photographers with a good eye but lacking in vision, chasing what best aligns with the social media algorithm.