Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 5/19/00 8:50:53 PM, MicroGrid@aol.com writes: << Bob & Johnny, I hope this hasn't been to painful for you, because it has been a quite a revealing thread for me. . . . much snipped . . . I feel like a voyeur when I look at most "street" photos today. Having said that, I Was in Asia last month and shot tons of "street" photos of the "natives" in the markets, restaurants, everywhere. Why is that acceptable and interesting to me? >> It has not been painful to me. I just worry about crossing the line and offending someone or, alternatively, boring the hell out of the rest of you . . . It has also made me think about a few things. I believe I'm coming to a place were I have no problem with "street photography" per se -- assuming that means candid photos of people captured unawares in their natural environment - -- Photojournalists do that all the time, travel photographers do that all the time. Many photographers do. I also don't have any problem with true "street photography" when done WELL. Many have alluded to HCB, Winogrand and others. That was street photography at its best and of course is worthy of great praise. What I think I have a problem with is a type of photography that is based, at it's very core, in a fear of people -- I have no reason to believe this applies to those who do street photography well -- so they sneak around and try to make pictures without being caught. Now that method has its place in many situations. It's also fine as a way to grow your photography and get accustomed to shooting people but so much of it is really bad. What really bothers me is the pretention that comes with shooting terrible pictures and elevating it to art just because you attach some name -- in this case "street photography" to it. Even Johnny Deadman, on his website, acknowledges that there is some really bad stuff within the genre. Considering that admission, I don't see that Johhny and I have any significant disagreement. Throughout this conversation I have tried to avoid speaking about any specific photographer. This, I hope, allows the various street photographers reading my words to place themselves any place in the spectrum -- from awful to inspiring -- that they feel they belong. Bob (would rather dance in the street than fight in the street) McEowen