KEYWORDS & DEFINITIONS OF THE STREET

Street Photography – “Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.” (En.wikipedia.org, n.d.)

People/Public, Crowds, Strangers, Cultures/Sub-cultures, Multicultural, Community, Candid shot, Cites, Towns, Villages, Roads, Shops, Work, Architecture, Characteristics, Transport, Lifestyle, Busy or quiet, Urbanisation, Walking, Interaction, Protest, Crime, Politics, Fashion, Working class, Suburban, Identity, Snapshots, Events, Music, Entertainment, Communication, Travel , Clean or Dirty, Trends

From researching, I have created the list above of keywords, that I think relates to the street.

DIANE ARBUS

In this image, Arbus has taken a candid portrait image of a couple. This couple seems typical, but as you start to look closer, perhaps you start to see that the women isn’t happy or comfortable around the man. From the position of her hand and the distance of her pulling away from the man, she seems awkward. But on the other hand, the man is dominant as he has his leg on top of her, this could imply that he controls the relationship. As he also doesn’t make eye contact with the camera, he seems less approachable than the woman, and angrier. I like the use of selective focus on the couple, as it blurs the background it gives the people more movement, as they walk past them. Sometimes it good to show people like this, because the street is not always full up of happy people.

DON SPRINGER

In the photo, the subject seems to be a trap. Like the man is trap inside a prison, it has a dark atmosphere about it. The tonal contrast contributes to this, making it look more sinister and dangerous. The low viewpoint and closeness of the surrounding make the viewer feel trap and claustrophobic as well.

It’s an uncomfortable feeling, even though most people use this every day of their way of commuting. When you imagine making your way to the train station you don’t imagine it to look like this. The fact that Springer hasn’t shown the face of the man makes the image more mysterious. Springer has also done a great job at framing because these gates move quickly round, and the station was probably busy, especially being in New York.

JOEL MEYEROWITZ

In the image, Joel Meyerowitz has taken an image of a woman on a scooter, amid New York City. What’s fascinating is that the woman is more worried over her looks than her safety. She is stopped in the middle of the road to check her nails. There may have been a red light in front of her, which could have been a possibility. But also by the way she dressed, she is wearing a dress in heels. Which implies that she is not worried about the danger of herself, because heels are not the safest shoes to drive in, also stopping in the middle of the road is dangerous as well.

The colours in the images are beautiful. Meyerowitz captured the woman in a blue dress on a blue scooter, and a blue car in the background. With the browns, greys colours of the roads and buildings surrounding her, this makes her stand out well. And direct the viewer’s eyes directly onto the woman.

Movement in this image is a crucial element, you can tell she is in a blur, I don’t know if that was intentional, but it works. The movement of the people in the background and other cars makes up the photograph. It tells a story about her and the city that surrounds her.

ANDRE KERTESZ

The use of direction from the people and the arrow produces a leading line in this image. It’s like they are all followers. All the people under the umbrellas, look the same and are taking the same direction. As the image is in black & white, the arrow becomes a bright white, and your eye is drawn to this first, it is effective.

The weather condition can help make images more effective and certain elements stand out more. In this case, the rain brings out the shininess of the ground and the umbrellas. Especially as Kertesz has taken this image from a high viewpoint, makes it feel like they are taking a path, as the pavement is making a curve shape leading the people round to the arrow. From the height, it makes the people look ant-like, because of how small they are, they all look the same, and they are taking the same path as ants do. It also makes you think, do all of these people work together? Do they know each other? Is this their way of travelling? Where are they going?

VIVIAN MAIER

In this photograph, my initial reaction is the separation between colour. I don’t know if this was deliberate, or was a consequence, but it seems like separation of the people. The way how the only people looking back are the dark tone women is interesting. It could imply that the white businessmen and women won’t listen or look their way. As they are blurred, this could mean that back in that time, society pushes them to the back. This links as there is an American flag hanging, meaning that this building is where people perhaps have good, well-paid jobs. And the sense that the reason why the women are looking back is that they don’t have good jobs.

The way Maier has framed the women is also like a window. This window is what they see, and maybe who society (at that time) thinks was more important. There are mixed emotions in this image, and you can tell from their faces and body language. The darker tone women look unhappy and sad with a bit of attitude. However, the white men and women, look relaxed and happy. Maybe because they don’t have to worry about many things, whereas the other women do. This is why street photography is essential, because it can document and pick up moments and emotions about that part in time and where in the world.

DEFINING ‘THE STREET’

‘The street’ to me can mean many things — a way to lead you home or to meet new people. Compared to the landscape, the street is fast-moving, busy and tends to be a lot more happening. For example, vehicles, crossing a street, architecture, people, even to the displays of the shop windows. The street is a modern urban experience, where people put on their best clothes, but never even talk to each other, or let alone see that person ever again. So why do people do this? Street fashion is not a catwalk fashion style. The street is full of real people. However, the street is not just made up of people; it’s the architecture. The windows and doors make up the city, from the objects on display, to the idea of space between the window & display. Even advertisement such as people holding a newspaper can make up a street and bring it even more to life.

I think the street is about the moment. In a studio, you can reproduce an image asking the model to do the same pose again, but on the street, you can’t ask a car or person to go past you again, it’s in the moment and timing. Also, this can be down to the time and day. The streets can change character over time — for example, Saturday night vs Tuesday night, or night vs day. Parts of the world are culturally different, from London streets vs Tokyo streets.

But the street can also be used to document life and events. For example, protests, this could highlight a great sense of community and sub-culture. But also could document the ugly sides to the protests going on in the world. There are also two different sides to the protest that could have an interesting interaction. The sides are the protesters and the police. Most of the time, the police are there to keep things civil and safe, but there are some times where incidents happen, and these communities could turn into crime, which crime is another part of the street. Peoples lifestyles and choices could influence this. Capturing these moments requires patience and time. Waiting around for the perfect moment can make the street characteristics come to life, and show the true essence of a particular area.