Street photography (also sometimes called candid photography) is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents^[1] within public places. Although there is a difference between street and candid photography, it is usually subtle with most street photography being candid in nature and some candid photography being classifiable as street photography. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.^[2][3]

In this image the photographer has captured an image of what looks like a couple in the street. The woman in the image looks like she is startled or distracted by something, whereas her partner is looking at her with passion. The lighting in the image is natural lighting but the photographer has edited the image to be in black and white. The image being put into black and white creates a mood to the image as if they are in love but she is being distracted by something. The structure of the people being sat behind them makes it feel as it they are talking about the couple and having a judgment on them. The way the photographer is positioned gets all of the cars and busyness in the back of the image. This creates the idea that they are in their own bubble and do not care about anyone else.

Henri Cartier Bresson inspired mood board:

Vivian Maier inspired mood board:

Examples of street photography in st malo:

Examples of street photography in general:

I don’t have a specific plan, however i want to vary my images and experiment different ways to capture street photography. i do aim to have a large amount of images by the end of the day which i can then go onto editing them and selecting my favourites. I want to be able to compare some of my images to Henri Cartier Bresson and Vivian Maier and analyse the similarities.

INSPIRATION FOR ST.MALO PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP:

William Klein

William Klein was an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. William Klein is best known for incorporating unusual elements into his photographs and videos.

He was born on the 19th of April, 1926 in New York, United Status and died on the 10th of September, 2022 in Paris, France.

Vivian Maier

Vivian Dorothy Maier was an American street photographer whose work was discovered and recognized after her death. She secretly took more than 150,000 photographs during her lifetime, primarily of the people and architecture of Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, although she also travelled and photographed worldwide.

She was born on the 1st of February, 1926 in New York, United Status and died on the 21st of April, 2009 in Illinois, United States.

Saul Leiter

Helen Levitt

William Klein

Tom Wood

Mood Board:

I plan to photograph everyday life on the streets of Saint-Malo, like crowded streets and other activity happening. Preferably without them being aware of being photographed in order to capture them truly being themselves.

WHAT IS NOSTALGIA?

Nostalgia is the sentimental feeling for a previous time or place with typically positive connotations. The feeling is often used to help remind us of who we used to be and reflect on how we change and grow as people. The term was coined by a 17th century medical student as a way of describing the anxieties portrayed by Swiss mercenaries fighting away from home. Nostalgia is sometimes associated with melancholy – a feeling of deep sadness or gloom with no obvious cause – due to the sorrow links with past or unhappy memories. Phrases such as “the good old days” or “golden years” are often used to describe nostalgia.

TRIGGERS

Movies: certain movies or even film eras can trigger nostalgia as that could be what they grew up watching and what influenced them the most. Certain movies could have also shaped how they perceived the world as they grew up or what kind of lifestyle they wanted to live.

Music: listening to old music that they enjoyed, or was just played, can bring back memories or experiences from that time, whether it was certain songs their mother used to sing to them or the song they used to play with their friends.

Environments: natural based elements such as weather, temperature or even specific places can produce nostalgia, causing the homesick feeling for experiences of nature, species, and past environments.

The exhibition “Playtime” by Will Lakeman beautifully displays the theme of nostalgia as Lakeman explores his sentimental memories of the old Fort Regent using artificial intelligence. Will takes advantage of exploring all of the sense by using things such as soundscapes and smells to trap the viewer into reminiscing on old and sometimes forgotten memories – whether they were also from Fort Regent or not – which was heavily influenced by Wills Synaesthesia. Not only does this show off the latest technology but how it is already pushing the boundaries both academically and creatively.

AI is used in “Playtime” as a way to explore Wills often broken or incorrect memories, artificial intelligence was manipulated to piece together and merge how he remembered the old Fort Regent looking and not how it did look in reality. I think this is a very clever and unique approach to take, each image produce would be completely different from the last while still holding that sentimental and nostalgic touch. Another reason why I enjoy this concept so much is that AI can also produce very dream-like images, which is where Lakeman got most of his inspiration and memories from, that are just not quite right or even possible.

I really like that I can understand what Fort Regent looked like in the 70s-90s as I only remember what remains now while it still allowed the older generation to explore their memories again. The bright colours and unusual patterns show off hoe Will remembers the Fort looking, its a mixture of the unreliable dreams and the over enhanced perception of a child.

“I’m really excited for people to see this show, which I now realise I’ve been trying to make for most of my adult life. I have a really intense interest in a specific era of Fort Regent’s history – the funfair and swimming pool – but I have hardly any photos of myself there. I had to try and recreate my memories, and the more I tried the stranger the results became. The show involves photographs, reconstructions made with Artificial Intelligence, a soundscape, found objects and even some smells. Although it’s rooted in “the Fort” I tried to capture something universal in the experience of being a child, beyond excited to go to the leisure centre. I hope it says something to everybody. “

Will Lakeman – Playtime

Probably going to aim for images where the people don’t see me taking them or don’t realise, and I want some type of movement/action.