Street Photography is a popular genre, but there is by no means a consensus on what exactly its contours are. In fact all of our Street Shots cast members have different approaches and methods. And check out the 4700+ photos in our contest, again a wide range of themes and approaches. But just so you know, there is one name that pretty much everyone we have spoken to brings up when we ask about street photography, and that name is: Gary Winogrand.
Gary Winogrand is best known for the pictures he took on the streets of New York with his 35mm Leica camera in the 60s and 70s, but he was always taking pictures up until his premature death in 1984. His archives still contain thousands of undeveloped rolls of film. Winogrand had a style and a wit that was totally unique, but yet he influenced generations of photographers. He is still a major inspiration for many working photographers today. Personally, whenever I hear the phrase ’street photographer,’ I have a vision of Gary Winogrand.
Here is a great interview with Gary Winogrand from a 1982 Bill Moyers program. And here is a link to an online gallery.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Street photography means seeing and capturing art that is already out there in the streets — life as art, not the other way around. And the best street photographs manage to create unfamiliar while still giving a viewer chance to identify the familiar elements of everyday life — it’s a mirror but with photographer’s name on it.
So, trying to define street photography by its aesthetics might be a futile exercise — there are as many approaches as there are photographers. I believe street isn’t even a genre of photography. Nevertheless, street does have its defining characteristics:
– it is shot in a public space;
– it is not staged — a street photographer doesn’t engage with her/his subject in any relationship other than that created by his/her use of a camera
– it is not concerned with ethics; it is all about the aesthetics: the beautiful, the ugly, sublime ridiculous, shocking etc.
– when in doubt, check Gary Winogrand!
June 10th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I took two workshops with Gary Winogrand in 1969, it was conducted in his apartment on the upper west side. He rarely if ever talked about his own photos and was not to communicative about our work either. I was applying for a CAPS Grant in 1970 and I needed a third “sponsor” my other two were Jack Deshin (NYT photo critic) and Helen Wright from Leica.It was with some trepidation that I called Gary as I didn’t even know what he thought of my work.
He answered the phone and I told him I was uncomfortable because I need another sponsorship letter and I didn’t have any idea if he liked my work or not … he answered: I love your work! of course I’ll write a letter for you!
I wound up getting that Grant and I was in heaven! It was the start of my career.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:25 am
I agree with Maria’s comment listing some of the ways that street photography differs from other types of photography. I’m also a great admirer of Gary Winogrand’s photography. While I think his work and especially that of Lee Friedlander changed modern conceptions of what could be photographed in public settings, street photography as a way of working, as a photography genre, didn’t appear out of the blue with the 60’s generation. Check out ‘The New York School: Photographs 1936-1963 by Jane Livingston (1556702396) to see how attitude and personal commitment to this particular way of seeing the world evolved and grew with a previous generation of committed and driven photographers.
My own take on street photography is that its actually a more personal way of working and seeing the world than that practised by other types of photographers (including documentary photographers.) In general I think the work produced IS more aftful but that its also tougher to produce and is much less understood or appreciated than other types of photography.
Which is why I guess the personal rewards, are that much greater for those of us who stick with it and continue to work in this area.
April 11th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Great post. YOu make it seem so easy to share your experiences. I wish I could do as well in sharing on my blog. I just got it started and sometimes feel stuck on what to share or if it is the right thing to share. what to do?