Street Photography Introduction

What is Street Photography?

Street photography is a genre of photography in which the photographer captures candid images of strangers around them, usually without their knowledge. Street photography depicts the everyday life of strangers as it captures them in a natural, not-posed environment, allowing the photographer to produce images that hold a, sometimes ambiguous, story. This style of photography provides opportunities for photographers to subtly capture the lives of strangers, images range from political riots to people just walking to the shops, each hold their own backstory.

Famous Street Photography Examples

Street Photography – Bruce Gilden

Below is a video of Bruce Gilden, an American street photographer best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a flashgun. The video shows Gilden capturing confrontational close-up images, taking photos of strangers in real time without any prior discussion or plan.

Candid Portraits and street Photography

Street photography can be said to be a type of candid or documentary photography, that is used for art or inquiry, that showcases random occurrences and snapshots of life in public places, without it being set up or staged. Photographers who appropriate this genre of photography, usually aim to focus their images on one subject, such as a portrait.