Street Photography |
“Everybody Street illuminates the lives and work of New York’s iconic street photographers and the incomparable city that has inspired them for decades. The documentary pays tribute to the spirit of street photography through a cinematic exploration of New York City, and captures the visceral rush, singular perseverance and at times immediate danger customary to these artists. Covering nine decades of street photography, “Everybody Street” explores the careers and influences of many notable photographers––a number of whom have never been documented, featuring: Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Jill Freedman, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, Rebecca Lepkoff, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeff Mermelstein, Clayton Patterson, Ricky Powell, Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, and Boogie, with historians Max Kozloff and Luc Sante."
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Introduction to Street Photography
Studying a Successful Photographer...
Joel Meyerowitz is a New York photographer. He began as a street photographer in the late 1960s. Originally working with black and white film, he also began experimenting with colour transparencies (slides). He was unable to print these images until much later due to the cost of creating dye transfer prints. His style combines sharp observation of people's behaviour on the streets with gentle, often surreal humour. He is drawn to odd gestures, colour combinations, signs and objects. His pictures are about the sudden surprise and pleasure of seeing through the camera lens. His most memorable pictures seem to have been grabbed from the chaos of the streets. |
Another thing that interests me is the sudden spaces of light throughout the image that contrast with the past rain and dominating shadows. As if the darkness and shadows are departing with the rain.
“Making any statement of your feelings is risky. It’s just like making pictures.” – Joel Meyerowitz |
This is an image by Joel Meyerowitz and one of my favourite by him. What I like most about this image is the composition and the lighting. The colours in the picture are limited to a few (black, red, creamy white) and that brings the picture out even more in my opinion. The composition is complicated yet simple, people are scattered but keep to one side of the image as well as the cars - buildings are only slightly visible because of the shadows that dominate the picture.
The top left hand corner of the image really interests me because the wall on the side of the building looks very unique. Where as a wall should look still and solid, it looks as if it is moving or flowing (like water). I find this interesting because you can tell that it has been raining from the ground on the left side of the image - the resemblance of the material used to cover the building work and the rain is conspiring. “I think about photographs as being full, or empty. You picture something in a frame and it’s got lots of accounting going on in it–stones and buildings and trees and air – but that’s not what fills up a frame. You fill up the frame with feelings, energy, discovery, and risk, and leave room enough for someone else to get in there.” – Joel Meyerowitz |
Everybody Street: New York city Street Photography Documentry
To start off our topic on street photography, the class watched a film/documentary called "Everybody Street". The documentary is set in New York city and includes a group of successful Photographer sharing their experiences, opinions and feeling about Street Photography.
We were asked to take notes under a few question based on Street Photographers. Extending from our notes, the class wrote a response to too the ideas in the film in an essay.
My notes are below;
We were asked to take notes under a few question based on Street Photographers. Extending from our notes, the class wrote a response to too the ideas in the film in an essay.
My notes are below;
Street Photography #1
Everybody street is a film about street photography and is based in New York. It informs people about most aspects in street photography - behaviour of street photographers, choice of equipment, subjects of interest, the risks they face and why they choose to photograph on the street.
Whilst describing another photographer who had inspired him, Joel Meyeowitz describes Robert Frank as "Balletic". I get from this that Robert Frank was graceful and had the agility and characteristics of a Ballet dancer. Since Frank is one of the most successful street photographers in America, it gives me the impression the ideal behaviour and characteristics for an artist who works on the street would be lithe and light-footed, flexible and acrobatic. Other street artists link the behaviour of a successful photographer to the likes of an animal - such as; wolves and tigers. Martha Cooper states that she feels like a tiger hunter "attacking from the rear". This shows a prey and predator relationship between the artist and the art. From this film I have understood that street photography requires predatory behaviour, a modest presence, ability to stay invisible and be open-minded and ready for surprises.
When photographing on the street, the type of equipment you use needs to be compact and easy to handle. One of the most popular cameras used in street photography is the old-fashioned Leica. It is both small and easy to use, ins addition it conceals the fact that you are taking an image of a person. Other street photographers might change their cameras to suit their style of street photography - Jill Freedman uses a 4 by 5 Linhof camera so that she can photograph the graffiti on vehicles from a distance.
The most popular topic photographers choose (judging from the film) is Down Town New York. One artist described Uptown New York as "too prim and picture ready". Photographing people, subways, building and vehicles, signs of culture and emotion, and - the subject that really interested me - gangsters, violence and how the law deals with violence. Boogie, a photographer from Serbia (but is based in streets New York), focused on the gangsters, their addictions, and how they choose to go about everyday life. Another photographer, Martha Cooper, bases her work on police officers and how they deal with criminals. These two subjects stood out to me because of the link between them and how each one displays two perspectives of something more or less the same.
Reasons for photographing on the streets vary from one photographer to another. One of my favourite things said when explaining why street photography was their choice "its a way of reading your culture", which could mean understanding the people and things that surround your everyday life. Another quote that I felt was interesting was ".. a way of capturing the ephemeral" (ephemeral meaning not lasting) I think this states the importance of making sure the past lives on - as Boogie said at one point "a strategy of becoming immortal".
A phrase that was repeated by many of the artists in the film was "excitement and don't think, react situations" that come along with street photography.
"The hardest and most dangerous photography is street" said Jeff Mermelstein. The danger of street photography can vary, I think, can vary depending on what you choose to focus on. For example Jill Freedman, who chooses to capture vehicles and buildings mostly, is not in much danger when compared to Boogie or Martha Cooper who both focus on a more dangerous and violent side of the streets. Worst case scenario, they could get seriously injured or even killed.
A successful street Photographer according to Bruce Davidson, an artist based in New York, "knows what the picture is and understands it" Knowing what you've captured and understanding it's meaning to you. Joel Meyerowitz explains that anyone who can capture are where there "is a beauty and a beast, but the beast is the beauty" has succeeded in their work. Picturing and framing something that is not thought highly of and bringing it your own beauty. I think that a successful artist has a connection with his/her art and uses it as a symbol to show that connection. Jameel Shabazz, an artist who focuses on capturing people in his images states that "people are symbols in images" and that "photography "battles the mundane", rivals with the boring and normal.
My favourite description of a successful street photographer would be a quote from William Klein saying that "the smile (on the person part of the pictures face) is a reflection of what you've (the artist) given them." Because anyone can make someone smile with a picture of them meaning anyone can be a successful artist!
Whilst describing another photographer who had inspired him, Joel Meyeowitz describes Robert Frank as "Balletic". I get from this that Robert Frank was graceful and had the agility and characteristics of a Ballet dancer. Since Frank is one of the most successful street photographers in America, it gives me the impression the ideal behaviour and characteristics for an artist who works on the street would be lithe and light-footed, flexible and acrobatic. Other street artists link the behaviour of a successful photographer to the likes of an animal - such as; wolves and tigers. Martha Cooper states that she feels like a tiger hunter "attacking from the rear". This shows a prey and predator relationship between the artist and the art. From this film I have understood that street photography requires predatory behaviour, a modest presence, ability to stay invisible and be open-minded and ready for surprises.
When photographing on the street, the type of equipment you use needs to be compact and easy to handle. One of the most popular cameras used in street photography is the old-fashioned Leica. It is both small and easy to use, ins addition it conceals the fact that you are taking an image of a person. Other street photographers might change their cameras to suit their style of street photography - Jill Freedman uses a 4 by 5 Linhof camera so that she can photograph the graffiti on vehicles from a distance.
The most popular topic photographers choose (judging from the film) is Down Town New York. One artist described Uptown New York as "too prim and picture ready". Photographing people, subways, building and vehicles, signs of culture and emotion, and - the subject that really interested me - gangsters, violence and how the law deals with violence. Boogie, a photographer from Serbia (but is based in streets New York), focused on the gangsters, their addictions, and how they choose to go about everyday life. Another photographer, Martha Cooper, bases her work on police officers and how they deal with criminals. These two subjects stood out to me because of the link between them and how each one displays two perspectives of something more or less the same.
Reasons for photographing on the streets vary from one photographer to another. One of my favourite things said when explaining why street photography was their choice "its a way of reading your culture", which could mean understanding the people and things that surround your everyday life. Another quote that I felt was interesting was ".. a way of capturing the ephemeral" (ephemeral meaning not lasting) I think this states the importance of making sure the past lives on - as Boogie said at one point "a strategy of becoming immortal".
A phrase that was repeated by many of the artists in the film was "excitement and don't think, react situations" that come along with street photography.
"The hardest and most dangerous photography is street" said Jeff Mermelstein. The danger of street photography can vary, I think, can vary depending on what you choose to focus on. For example Jill Freedman, who chooses to capture vehicles and buildings mostly, is not in much danger when compared to Boogie or Martha Cooper who both focus on a more dangerous and violent side of the streets. Worst case scenario, they could get seriously injured or even killed.
A successful street Photographer according to Bruce Davidson, an artist based in New York, "knows what the picture is and understands it" Knowing what you've captured and understanding it's meaning to you. Joel Meyerowitz explains that anyone who can capture are where there "is a beauty and a beast, but the beast is the beauty" has succeeded in their work. Picturing and framing something that is not thought highly of and bringing it your own beauty. I think that a successful artist has a connection with his/her art and uses it as a symbol to show that connection. Jameel Shabazz, an artist who focuses on capturing people in his images states that "people are symbols in images" and that "photography "battles the mundane", rivals with the boring and normal.
My favourite description of a successful street photographer would be a quote from William Klein saying that "the smile (on the person part of the pictures face) is a reflection of what you've (the artist) given them." Because anyone can make someone smile with a picture of them meaning anyone can be a successful artist!
Street Photography Attempt #1
These are images taken by me around the school using a DSLR camera. The class was asked to focus on the level we took the pictures from and to think about whether or not what we were picturing was interesting or not. Overall, my images came out pretty good and although I took about 120 images - I decided to display some of the best and the worst of my images. My focus on levels was one thing that really went well because i managed to get some shots from many different angles.
WWW: This is one of my favourite images because of the fact that the boys head is missing. I didn't know I had even taken this image, but when I saw it afterwards, I really liked it. Although the composition could have been better, I like how the boys body is angled - so you can tell he's looking behind - but not exactly where he is looking
EBI; This picture is one of my least favourites because its lacks interest and also I don't think it can be looked into or described in much detail. However, what does interest me is The composition of the birds and how some are facing backwards and others forward. Overall, this image could have been alot better if I had maybe involved the sky or changed the angle I took it from.
Street Photography Homework #2
For homework, we were asked to take a few photos of the streets, in our own time - above are a few I took. I didn't get to take many, but I think the four I did manage to take were somewhat interesting. I did try to change the angles I captured the images in.
This is my favourite image and the most interesting out of the images I have taken, it shows more colour and is taken at a good angle. It also captures alot in one picture and I like how the door has complicated line that divide up the picture. I also find intriguing how the people seem to scatter farther into the horizon of the picture. Perhaps I could have taken the image from a low angle to make the people look bigger and the picture would have looked better, but the lighting when I tilted the camera lens down came out dark and suited the picture so I think it looks better this way.
Provided Image Analysis;
This is an image by Gary Winogrand, it is called Sunset Boulevard and was taken in 1969. The class was asked to analyse the image on paper after discussing it as a group.
The image includes three girls as they walk down Sunset Boulevard in America, on the right side of girls (as they are in the middle of the image) are what appear to be a few Lower-Class people as they wait for the bus. On the left is a person who is in a wheelchair - what they are doing, if they are a man or women or who they are is unclear. This image was taken from the West side, most likely at late afternoon judging from the amount of pedestrians and how the shadows respond to the level of the sun. Most of light in the picture is focused on the three girls which are at the centre point.
What I notice about this image is the fact that the shape of the trees are seemingly correspondent to the hairstyles of the girls, also the shadows make the walkway seem like a runway.
This image is picturesque, as it makes these three girls who probably minding their own business seem important and regal compared to the people on either side of them. This also reflects on the way the trees are shaped like the hairstyles.
Something else that stands out to me is the way the picture is tilted almost as if the building on either side are about to collapse. There is not much that can be said about this other than that the photographer must have seen this image in front of him and decided that it looked best at a tilt.
If I could ask Gary Winogrand a question I think it would be; "How did you feel when you saw this image and what made you want to take the picture?".
I would ask this question because then I would get a glimpse of how a real street photographer feels when they see something worth using film and taking a picture of.
If I could name this picture I would name it "Shadows of Reflection" because the main and stand out things in this image are the shadows and reflections. This is because of the way the shadows and reflection in the image define and bring out the picture, it would be pointless if they were not there.
The image includes three girls as they walk down Sunset Boulevard in America, on the right side of girls (as they are in the middle of the image) are what appear to be a few Lower-Class people as they wait for the bus. On the left is a person who is in a wheelchair - what they are doing, if they are a man or women or who they are is unclear. This image was taken from the West side, most likely at late afternoon judging from the amount of pedestrians and how the shadows respond to the level of the sun. Most of light in the picture is focused on the three girls which are at the centre point.
What I notice about this image is the fact that the shape of the trees are seemingly correspondent to the hairstyles of the girls, also the shadows make the walkway seem like a runway.
This image is picturesque, as it makes these three girls who probably minding their own business seem important and regal compared to the people on either side of them. This also reflects on the way the trees are shaped like the hairstyles.
Something else that stands out to me is the way the picture is tilted almost as if the building on either side are about to collapse. There is not much that can be said about this other than that the photographer must have seen this image in front of him and decided that it looked best at a tilt.
If I could ask Gary Winogrand a question I think it would be; "How did you feel when you saw this image and what made you want to take the picture?".
I would ask this question because then I would get a glimpse of how a real street photographer feels when they see something worth using film and taking a picture of.
If I could name this picture I would name it "Shadows of Reflection" because the main and stand out things in this image are the shadows and reflections. This is because of the way the shadows and reflection in the image define and bring out the picture, it would be pointless if they were not there.
Saul LeiterSaul Leiter was an American Photographer and painter whose early work in the 1940's and 1950's contributes to what is known today as the New York School of Photography. His work can be recognized in many collections that are both public and private. He was encouraged to take photographs by Pousette-Dart and W. Eugene Smith, he began by taking black and white pictures using a 35mm Leica. However in 1948 he began taking colour pictures. For the next twenty years Leiter worked as a fashion photographer and was published in Elle, Show, British Vogue, Queen and Nova.
Saul Leiter died on the 26th of November 2013 in New York and is represented by the Howard Greenberg Gallery, also in New York. |
The image below was taken by Saul Leiter and was originally for a magazine, it is one of the images by Leiter that intrigue me the most. This is because of Saul's use of shadow and surface to bring out the image and make it unique, without these qualities this image would not be as interesting as it is. The shadows fall across the female in a pattern that makes her more majestic than she might appear without them and they make the bedding blends in itself without attracting the viewers eyes. This causes us to look at the subject of the picture which is the nude individual. What makes her stand out even more is the fact that she is placed in the centre of the picture. If I could ask Leiter one question about this image it would be to ask if he used The Rule of Thirds to arrange this image effectively.
Photo Challenge 3 - Diagonals;
For this challenge we were asked to focus on the angles in our picture and to deliberately try to include angles in our photo. Overall I think that I did well, most of my pictures have angles in them although there are some that don't.
This image relates to our challenge because of the variety of diagonals in the image. The first diagonal that i see is the image of the female covering her face - she goes through the middle of the image at an angle and is the main focus of the image. Another diagonal in this image is the arrangement of tables in the room. They cross from one side of the room the middle of the image. One diagonal that cathes my attention is the orange panels at the top of the image which take over hat space in the picture.
This image has many diagonals but my favourite is the way the two of my classmates create a diagonal in each mirror with their reflections. They are also the darker colours in the image and bring out the picture.
Another angle in this image is the grey line that runs from one side to the other at the bottom of the image. It runs straight through all of the boxes in The Rule of Thirds and is cropped out on the left side.
Another angle in this image is the grey line that runs from one side to the other at the bottom of the image. It runs straight through all of the boxes in The Rule of Thirds and is cropped out on the left side.
The image below is not interesting in many ways but it does have a lot of angles.
Street Photography Final piece
This set of images is what I consider my final piece. It was inspired by the Photo challenge and homework given to us by my teacher and I have chosen to take a set of images revolving around the same thing but with a visible difference.