[Leica] Street Photography: a meme invented on the internet

[Phil Swango]

Mark, I'm surprised to hear you say you never heard the term until very
recently.  I've heard it used for years to refer to the school of photogs
like Winogrand, Frank, Klein, Friedlander, etc., who worked with 35mm
cameras mostly in urban settings to capture the feel and look of life on
the urban streets.  There's an excellent book on the history of the genre:
"Bystander: A History of Street Photography," that's well worth a read.
<
http://www.amazon.com/Bystander-History-Street-Photography-Afterword/dp/0821227262/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430629487&sr=1-3&keywords=bystander
>

The authors say that the term originated in the 19th century to describe
photographers who set up their tripods on urban sidewalks and offered to
take portraits of passersby for a fee and deliver the prints by mail.  It
evolved through the years to refer to other genres of work shot in street
settings.

There used to be an online group hosted by John Brownlow that focused on
the genre but it is no longer up AFAIK.  I can't remember the name of the
group, but others here once belonged.

I like the term myself and would happily use it to describe any work I've
done in that setting.

Yay!  I'm a street photographer!


-- 
Phil Swango
307 Aliso Dr SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505-262-4085