WHAT, WHY AND HOW

Street photographs

William Klein, NY, 1986Presenter: Debmalya Sinha

Types of photography

Travel Landscape Portraiture Wildlife Still life Documentary Reportage

Documentary, Environmental, Fashion, Boudoir

Social, Political, PersonalSocial, Political, War, Natural Disasters

Street photography as an umbrella term Travel Landscape Portraiture Wildlife Still life Documentary Reportage

Street Photographs

Convergence

Travel Portraiture Documentary Reportage

Steve McCurry, Agra, India, 1978

Convergence

Travel Portraiture Documentary Reportage

Vivian Maier, Self portrait, 1956

Convergence

Travel Portraiture Documentary Reportage

Larry Clark, Tulsa, Oklahoma

circa 1966

Convergence

Travel Portraiture Documentary Reportage

Mark Riboud, Pentagon anti-vietnam war protest, 1967

What the heck is Street PhotographySome say, it :

Has to be on street (Nuh-uh)Has to have good story (define good!)Has to have people (not always)Chance encounters (nope bruv)

Before more confusion:You can say street photographs are casual documentations of the life in public places.

Eliott Erwitt, Argentina, 2001

Why bother with street photographyMany photographers start with street because:

It challenges you every moment. Unknown environment challenges you to adapt. Anything can happen. Always be alert and ready. Limitless possibilities because the world is your playground now. Teaches you perseverance. Wait for perfect light, perfect position of the

elements in your frame. Teaches you to innovate. Look for unusual viewpoints. Creativity flourishes with all the challenges such as using natural light,

limited gear, fast changing scenes. As you learn to observe the world more, you start to think. Helps a lot of people to find their true self; who they are as a person.

Rules of Photography

There are no rules.

No seriously!

People fret over 1/3rd Rule, Golden Ratio, Bokeh, Sunny 16, Depth of field, what cameras to use, prime vs zoom, what ale to drink, which girl to marry

My tip: Do not think about any technicalities while starting. Just shoot. Keep on seeing great pictures along the way to grow an idea about what works and

why.

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Personally I think “Decisive Moments” are overrated. Don’t fret over it.

Sebastiao Salgado, Mumbai church gate rail station, India, 1996

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Thomas Hoepker, 9/11 Picnic, NY, 2003

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Seville, 1932

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Josef Koudelka, Portugal, 1976

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Trent Parke, Minutes to Midnight, Australia, 2004

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Eliott Erwitt, NY, 1974

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Jacob Aue Sobol, Ulanbatar, Mongolia, 2012

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

David Alan Harvey, Cuba

What makes a good street photograph Story Composition Sense of environment Sense of light Unique Perspective Inclusion Exclusion Element of quirk

Eliott Erwitt, NY, 1972

Tips Backstory – before you start..

Wait, why would you even take pictures?

Creativity Vs PracticeExercise? I thought you said extra fries ..

Camera/Lens combinationPsst. Canon is the best. Nikon sucks.

On the streetOne word. Don’t die under a bus. It sucks.

Look before you leap – source unknown

Why take photographs

Glamour? You’ll get a better chance just by holding a guitar (trust me, that doesn’t work

either!) Money?

Start a poultry farm business instead.

Memories? For whom? You? Anyone else? Who else?

Anything else?

“Most of what I want simply slips away like water flowing through a net, and always what remains are only vague, elusive fragments of images… that sink into countless

strata in my mind.”Daido Moriyama, Misawa, Japan, 1971

Power of photographPhilosophy aside,

Kevin Carter, Sudan, 1993

Power of photographPhilosophy aside,

James Nachtwey, Swaziland, Fight against TB, 2007

Power of photographPhilosophy aside,

Taslima Akhtar, A final embrace, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2013

Power of photographPhilosophy aside,

Nilufer Demir, Humanity washed ashore, Turkey, 2015

Nonchalance

Tough times. We are so used to with all the atrocities around the world, Someone needs to slap us in the face to wake us up.

We need to choke on our morning tea while lazily leafing through newspapers.

Photographs have the power to do that.

Creativity is not an on/off switchIt is a gradual process which only gets better with practice!

Take pictures anywhere anytimeEven if it is a selfie in a bathroom.

Yes, you heard me right!

Try to be innovative even with your selfies!

Francesca WoodmanVivian Maier Alec Soth Helmut Newton

Sensorship Sucks

The best camera is the one with youCamera does not matter.

Vision matters

Raghu Rai, Taj mahal, India, 1970

On the street Pack light.

More baggage = less walking Avoid confrontations. Move on. If your pictures aren’t good enough,

you aren’t close enough. Respect your subjects and their

personal space. Carry a plastic bag, extra battery,

memory card / extra film. Miss shots, but please don’t die. Avoid earphones. Listen to the

surroundings. Don’t shut one sense off.

Michael Ackerman, Poland, Circa 2002

Useful Resources Flickr – 500PX – tumblr Say no to Facebook Agencies:

MagnumPhotos Agence’ VU VII

Street / Documentary Photography Blogs Burn Magazine Lensculture Invisible Photogrpaher Asia American Suburb X Eric Kim (Absolutely not a fan but has some starting

resources) Josh White’s blog https://jtinseoul.wordpress.com

Collectives:• In-public (http://www.in-public.com/photographers)• ViVO• Burn my eye• That’s life (India) (http://www.thatslife.in)

Krishnendu Saha, Darjeeling, India, 2014

Famous names: Documentary Eliott Erwitt Garry Winnogrand Raghu Rai Martin Parr Diane Arbus David Alan Harvey Ami Vitale Olivia Arthur Munem Wasif Sim Chi Yin Darcy Padilla Nancy (Nan) Goldin Jacob Aue Sobol Bruce Gilden Joel Merowitz Junku Nishimura

After these: Perosnal Documentaries(not everyone’s cuppa)

Daido MoriyamaAntoine D’Agata

Michael AckermanNobuyoshi Araki

Pablo Barthelomew Sally Mann Alec Soth Alex Webb Alex Majoli Roger Ballen Trent Parke Stephen Shore Robert Frank William Egglestone Bruce Davidson Josef Koudelka Thomas Hoepker Dayanita Singh Steve McCurry Sebastiao Salgado

Chien Chi Chang Kishore Parekh Prabudha Dasgupta Raghubir Singh

I should stop now…

Famous names: Reportage - War Robert Capa James Nachtwey Don McCullin Peter Van Agtamel Kevin Carter Joao Silva Greg Marinovich Gerda Taro Ron Haviv Ed Kashi Christopher Morris John Stanmayer Anja Mascarnehas

Damn dude, does he ever stop wapping :/The copyrights of all the images are of the respective photographers.