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Street Photography

cliveh

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I apologise in advance for my ignorance, but can someone enlighten me as to what is ‘Street Photography’? Is it photographs taken in the street as opposed to lanes or in the country, or at the top of buildings, in parks etc.?
 
Followed that link to the list of street photographers, here's a name I recognize... Joel Meyerowitz presents a good "definition" in the short video on his home page...

Dead Link Removed
 
what is

I think most olde tyme photographers consider street photography as a form of art where a cameraperson goes out and records daily life in such a way as to illuminate the life/situation of the neighborhood and/or the people being photographed. More than a record, it is an insight into a way of life.
 
Street Photography is:
William Klein
Louis Faurer
Sid Grossman
Lisette Model
Lee Friedlander
Helen Levitt
Garry Winogrand
Ted Croner
Robert Frank
Saul Leiter
Diane Arbus
Weegee
Walker Evans
Bruce Davidson.
etc.

I think of it more as a feel than a location. Grossman and others did brilliant street work on Coney Island, and Arbus did street work in people's bedrooms.

A terrific introduction is the large and somewhat pricy book "The New York School" by Jane Livingston. Her voluminous essay runs over 100 pages and is perhaps the most comprehensive overview available of the productive associations and influences between many of the photographers listed above.

You could also add Ray Metzker, and to some degree, Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind.

And we couldn't forget Vivian Maier, although we almost did.
 
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You,yourself,are a street photographer,Clive-you just didn't know it.
 
you wander around. you walk up and down streets, sidewalks, alleys, lanes, byways, highways, sideways and fairways.

you take pictures.

that's it.
 
Your thread got me to thinking about a video I saw of an interview with a street photographer where the crew followed him around.

So while I keep searching I come across an APUG gem worth following... Links to a site dedicated to street photography.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
 

It's an enduring form of photography and not confined to any particular age group