Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. The images captured when taking photos in the street are immediate and happen often quite quickly no member of the public stands there and stages this out therefore all images happen by fate.
For me there are a few ways of interpreting the way someone takes photos under the theme of ‘Street Photography’ In these examples some of the images were taken a long time ago. For street photographers they have seen,through images,changes in clothes, appearance and just the way individuals have interacted with one another for the past hundred years or so.
There are many artists that are linked to street photography here are just some examples:
Bruce Gilden
Henri – cartier Bresson
Garry Winogrand
Weegee
Robert Doisneau
Vivian Maier
These are some quotes that photographers have said or wrote whilst out and about photographing the streets and whats inside it.
“Photographers mistake the emotion they feel while taking the photo as a judgment that the photograph is good.” – Garry Winogrand
“I love the people I photograph. I men they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them”- Bruce Gilden
“Don’t wait. the time will never just be right” – Napoleon Hill
Below is a video on some more examples of street photography :
The context behind this image is Arnold Newman essentially was asked to photograph Alfred Krupp (by himself). However when Alfred found out that Newman was Jewish he no longer wanted to be photographed him. Newman insisted of Krupp looking at his portfolio before making any final decisions. Finally Krupp just agreed and the photo was taken and published in 1963. This image was taken in front of whats believed to have been a train factory which was used to deport Jews off to concentration camps. Krupp allegedly used slave labor to make weapons and help the Nazis with the extermination of Jews. However it is believed that Krupp ended up in jail because of his un-thought actions.
Having first looked at this image without knowing any of the background knowledge i wasn’t too keen on it. I didn’t like it because there’s quite a lot of elements going on in the photo in terms of objects wise. additionally the photo being under exposed also makes me not like as there’s quite a lot of dark and tones you wouldn’t normally see if the image was a happy image. Looking closely at the mans face he looks like hes scheming something it looks sinister. Having further investigated the image i can now see that Alfred was actually trying to make himself look evil and that make out to be quite powerful.
The color of the image is quite rusty and dark, by using this effect on the picture it allows the focus to be directly in the middle of the mans face.
Arnold Newman –
Recognized for his incredible ability to capture the spirit and personality of his subjects, Newman is credited for his work in environmental portraiture and having countless world leaders pass before his lens. Born on March 3, 1918 in New York, Newman began studying painting after moving to Miami with his family.
Newman’s career quickly escalated as he explored the idea of photographing his subjects in their own personal environments. He first began photographing artists, often with their own work, and quickly moved on to photographing some of the world’s most prominent figures. With careful composition and dynamic design, his environmental portraiture managed to evoke a sense of the person’s inner spirit. Newman explained, “I am interested in what motivates individuals, what they do with their lives, their personalities, and how I perceive and interpret them.”
Portrait photography or portraiture in photography is a photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait picture might be artistic, or it might be clinical, as part of a medical study.
These images are not mine they are from the internet (from google images)
Every one of these images:
formal
informal
candidate
High angle
Low angle
Headshot
futuristic
high key
colour
black and white
half body
Full body
natural
posed
Environmental Portraits
Arnold Newman
This is an example of an environmental portrait.
The lighting and exposure of the images is quite low however it highlights the focus on to the man who is wearing white. As shown in the image the man is engaging with the camera, unlike street photography where the person being photographed usually isn’t aware environmental portraits is the opposite and encourages the person to be looking at the image.
Arnold Newman began taking images that were based around on who the person actually is. For this man it looks like his background is something along the lines of being a musician so therefore he’s trying to capture part of his identity. This captures the idea of environmental as its trying to portray the idea that this what they do day to day.
Firstly, I used the quick selection tool to select the person in the image. I then inversed it so that the entire area around his was selected instead. After, I turned the hue and saturation right down while also decreasing the brightness a tiny bit. Below is my final outcome:
My initial final outcome.
The reason that I thought I would do this is because it would make the person stand out more against the plain background. I thought this would be a good idea because it would help to bring out people’s personalities and individuality out a lot more as that is what I personally thinks makes street photography interesting.
I also wanted to experiment with making the entire photo black and white also as I thought this could make my image look more like the ones Sander took. To do this i inversed the selection again, so that it was around the person and turned the hue and saturation right down. I kept the brightness at 0 so that the person would still slightly stand out, but not as much as before.
My second outcome, experimenting with black and white.
EditingI edited this image using Lightroom. As the image was overexposed along the top, I lowered the exposure, shadows and black shades and increased increased the contrast, highlights and whites. This helped not make the people in the image too overexposed. Lastly, I cropped the image to get rid of the left part as I thought it was quite unnecessary since it was quite distracting. This way you’re able to notice the main subject of the image more.
Rankin (who’s full name is John Rankin Waddell) is a British fashion photographer and director. He has done photo shoots with numerous celebrities and other influential figures; including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Queen Elizabeth II and the spice girls.
This is a photo of Rankin.
In his portrait photos he tries to bring out and exaggerate the emotions or personality of the person he is photographing, he also encourages and tries to boost the confidence of the person. These two factors combined result in the photos looking very natural and genuine, instead of giving the effect of forced emotions. The exaggerated emotions also make the images more appealing as they stick out from the majority of photos which aren’t as expressive.
He is best known as the founder of the ‘Dazed and Confused’ magazine. His work has appeared in magazines such as GQ, Vogue and Marie Claire. In 2011 Rankin started the biannual fashion, culture and lifestyle magazine, Hunger and launched Rankin Film to produce and direct his own commercial and editorial film work.
Street Photography: Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Mood Board
Threshold Concept
Threshold Concept 7: The meanings of photographs are never fixed, are not contained solely within the photographs themselves and rely on a combination of the viewer's sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, and the specific context in which the image is seen.
When: Friday afternoon
Where: St Helier
How: Using a Canon camera with an 18-55mm lens
Who: Anybody on the streets of St Helier
Why: To capture pictures that are unique and are 'in the moment'
The Photoshoot:
Selected Images to Manipulate:
These are the photos that I believe are the most in focus, more technically accurate and interesting photos.
Manipulated images:
The Editing Process:
To maniplate these images I used adobe lightroom. I cropped many, adjusted the vignette, contrast, exposure, vibrancy, clarity and saturation. To some images I also applied the black and white preset called "punch".
Reflection and My Favourite Images:
These are my favourite images. While taking my photos, we were approached by a homeless man asking for money. While my teacher had a chat to him, I decided to take photos of him. I love both the concept and result of the photos. Later on I saw the man again outside a shop so I decided to talk to him about his life and outcome whilst once again taking photos of him. He was happy to have his photo taken and it seemed like he didn't even know I was taking them. I also love the vibrancy of his eclectic gold leggings he seemed to wear alongside his black fur coat and hat. I also like the photo of the florist because although she is surrounded by happy items such as vibrant flowers and happy statues, her facial expression is contrasting the mood as she looks concerned.
Overall I found at the start taking photos awkward, however I warmed to the oncept and ended up really enjoying the shoot. I feel with more practice I will be able to contruct and create better images. I need to focus on improving my technical skills and perfecting the focus of the camera.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was a french photographer who was considered a master of candid photography. He was also a huge influencer of street photography, helping to make it a recognized form of photography. He photographically reported places through sensitive times, such as the soviet union after Stalin had died.
After World War 2, in which Cartier-Bresson spent most of his time as a prisoner of war- he founded the Magnum photo agency along with other people such as Robert Capa. The Magnum photo agency is a community that allowed photo journalists, who were interested in events happening around the world, to reach big audiences through magazines.
“Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually”
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
The Magnum agency is committed to being authentic in its truthful,storytelling images. Magnum is responsible for documenting most of the world’s most important events like political affairs and disasters and conflict since the 1930s. All the photographers Magnum represent have a shared interest in photographing people,places,cultures and possible powerful and historical events.
Henri Cartier-Bresson mood board
Analysing
Context
This image was taken in London on Trafalgar square on May 12th 1937. Cartier-Bresson said that some people had waited all night, and some people even slept on benches in order not to miss the coronation of George VI.
Visual
Visually, I think the way Cartier-Bresson has chosen to frame this image is very interesting. I like the way the photo has almost been sectioned into layers with people standing on the top third, a line of people sitting on the second third, and finally someone lying down on the bottom third. I think this was a very interesting way to frame the image as it makes it really pleasing to look at, as it looks very organised. I also think there is a very interesting contrast with the person lying down on the newspaper, as the person is dressed darkly, and the newspaper appears really white on the photo. This is interesting because it means that the person stands out really vividly on the photograph.
Technical
On the technical side, the image is very successful also. The image seems to be taken during day as the sky appears white. The image is also not over or underexposed, meaning that the quality of the image is good and it is very sharp so that everyone in the image can be seen clearly.
Conceptual analysis
I think that there could be an underlying meaning of community and also the importance of politics and history. I think this because the image shows a lot of people all gathered closely together, which gives the sense of community. Cartier-Bresson also mentions how people had slept there all night so they wouldn’t miss the ceremony, I think this image shows that politics is important as people were very dedicated to seeing George VI being coronated as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and would be an important part of their counties history. Because of this, the image also gives a strong sense of patriotism.
Comparison to Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden who was born in 1946, is an American street photographer who is known for his very close up portraits of people using a flash gun. He purchased his first camera after seeing Michelangelo’s film “Blowup” in 1968, and he later began taking photography night classes.
Gilden mood board
Similarities to Cartier-Bresson
Like Cartier-Bresson, Gilden is also represented by Magnum Photos, and has been since 1998. He also photographed interesting things and people around the world like homeless people, Yakuza mobsters in Japan, prostitutes and voodoo rituals in Haiti. They both also had black and white photo outcomes.
Differences to Cartier-Bresson
Unlike Cartier-Bresson, Gildren takes a more notifiable approach to his street photography. Instead of taking candid images of people passing by, Gilden is known for getting very up close into people’s personal space and using a flash gun in their faces. Their intentions were also quite different. Although they both had a very keen interest in different people and capturing interesting things on the street, they each took an individual approach.
Outcomes
As they both took their own approaches, their outcomes are very mostly very different.
USA. New York City. 1992. Women walking on Fifth Avenue by Gilden.
As you can see Gilden’s approach leads to portraits with different expressions, mostly of people looking quite shocked and surprised. Whereas Cartier-Bresson’s approach leads to more natural, candid images, where people aren’t looking at the camera therefore not realizing that images of them are being taken like the one pictured below:
For the street photography shoot we went out into town to try and capture some photographs and portraits.
Below is the contact sheet of the photographs I was able to capture. Not all of the images came out successful as there was some issues with motion blur and the camera taking too long to focus and not being able to capture someone as they were moving however there were some successful photographs where motion blur became a happy accident and some images worked well.
Contact Sheet from shoot
Outcomes of the Shoot
Below I have my most successful outcomes of the shoot, not all are completely in focus but I feel they work with the images that they are and I can relate them to some other professional photographers that also use motion blur to their advantage in their photographs.
Own Photograph | DSC-0003
DSC-0003: For this photograph I feel it works well due to one man being in focus and still at the back of the image but having the man that is towards the front of the image out of focus due to motion I feel it creates a different perspective and depth as usually the background is slightly out of focus and the foreground is sharp, however it is swapped for this photograph and I feel that it is that which helps to make it a successful photograph. I have experimented and placed the photograph into black and white to see how the photograph plays out without the colour which I also feels works with this image.
DSC-0003 | Black and White VersionOwn Photograph | DSC-0004Own Photograph | DSC-0033Own Photography | DSC-0012
DSC-0012: For this photograph my initial intention was to have the woman in focus however due to the act of her moving and the background being more still she become slightly out of focus and the background very clear, however I still feel that this image works well as we can pick up on some visual connections between what the lady is wearing and the coloured stripes that can be seen in the background and this is a visual connection that can work well. I feel I could relate this photograph to ones like Bruce Gilden’s as some of his photographs also contain motion blurs.
When you have your light source facing directly at the front of your subject, this is flat lighting. Flat lighting on a face will mean that your subject is well lit and you are unable to see any shadows along their face.
Broad Light
With broad light (a type of side lighting), the face of your subject is at an angle and the most well-lit side of the face is closest to the camera and the shadow falls on the back side of the face. This type of light can make a face look fuller so it’s ideal for those with very narrow faces.
Short Light
Another type of side lighting, short light is the opposite of broad light in that the face is at an angle and the shadow falls on the side of the face closest to the camera. This type of light works well to thin a face and is flattering on most people.
One thing to keep in mind is that shadows draw out textures and imperfections. While broad light is a wonderful way to emphasize freckles, it will also draw out imperfections like acne and scars.
Split Light
Split lighting is another type of side lighting but it is defined as light that hits your subject from the side at a 90 degree angle.
You can easily recognize split lighting in an image by half of the subject being lit and the other half in the shadows. With a face specifically, you’ll see the shadow line straight down the middle of the forehead, nose, and chin.
Backlight
Back light is just that, light that comes from behind your subject. This is commonly seen in photos from the beloved golden hour, when the sun is low in the horizon and starting to set, but can be done at all hours of the day.
Rim Light
Rim light falls under the backlight category but deserves a spot of its own. With backlight you often see the hazy or airiness from the light in the background resulting in highlights but you don’t have that with rim light.
With rim light, you’ll see the light from behind only highlight the edges of your subject (there’s a little haze falling into the top right of the frame below but you can see how the rim light separates the subject from the background). This is great to use when you need to separate your subject from the background.
Butterfly Light
With butterfly light, the light is placed above and in front of your subject to create a small shadow under the nose resembling a butterfly (hence the name). This type of light beautifully highlights prominent cheekbones which is why you most often see it used on women.
However, it emphasizes the shadows from deep set eyes. Again, know your subject’s face and how the light will affect their features. Butterfly light is also commonly referenced as paramount light.
Loop Light
Loop lighting is pretty much my go-to when creating light. With loop lighting, the light is about 45 degrees to the side and slightly above eye level. This position of the light creates a shadow just under and to the side of one nostril and the nose. This is a flattering type of light on most everyone.
Within this experimentation, I used a white backdrop to only keep the focus on the foreground, I then used one main light on the left so that shadows were created on the right side of the face.
I edited this image using Lightroom. As the image was overexposed along the top, I lowered the exposure, shadows and black shades and increased increased the contrast, highlights and whites. This helped not make the people in the image too overexposed.
Lastly, I cropped the image to get rid of the left part as I thought it was quite unnecessary since it was quite distracting. This way you’re able to notice the main subject of the image more.
