Street Photography

In street photography, a kiss is rarely just a kiss. In the photo below entitled "The Kiss" by Alfred Eisenstaedt, and in the photo below that, by Robert Doisneau which has the same title, we are privy to gestures usually reserved for private- rather than public-consumption.

That pictures sometimes capture the private in public is simply one of the fascinating facets of Street Photography. The Eisenstaedt photograph of two strangers sharing a kiss in Times Square to mark the end of World War II is iconic Americana. It is part of the American visual vocabulary. Both Alfred Eisenstaedt and Robert Doisneau happened to be in the right place at the right time (and supremely talented).

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Disparate as those places and times may be, look at the similarities in the pair of pictures: compare the contraposto position of Eisenstaedt's woman to the arched back and tilted head of Doisneau's woman, whose languid drop of the arm indicates surrender to the moment. The photographs depict common-yet completely individual-experiences which, because they are out of context, encompass and evoke the uncommon within us.

Above: The Kiss by Robert Doisneau

It is this long sought-after perfect moment that rolls and rolls of film have hoped to contain. The composition and content can beg our attention as would no choreographed pose.

Prescribing boundaries within street photography is difficult, often hinging upon the personality or ethical concerns of the photographer. Photographers do have the right to photograph people in public places, as well as houses and other buildings, while they may not trespass or photograph certain government installations for security purposes.

Not everything that is legal, however, is always ethical. Asking permission of a subject to make a picture is standard procedure with some photographers. This injects the photographer into the picture and, inevitably, changes what could otherwise have been a candid shot. Other photographers will snap and then ask, preserving the moment and risking the anger or mere tolerance of the subject; or if fortunate, happy surprise.

The shyness or assertive nature of the photographer herself dictates the distance and angles from which street photographs are made. Some photograph at a distance with the zoom lens, while others don't mind becoming intimate with the subject. Good stalking grounds for both personalities are carnivals and amusement parks, public events, and places frequented by tourists: few subjects would expect, realize, or become offended at picture-making given the context. Most participants would expect or not give a second thought to cameras clicking amid a chaotic, party atmosphere.

A debate flourishes among street photographers concerning ethics and tacit privacy rights of subjects, whether they are crammed together riding the metro or found wandering a city street. Concealed cameras are not the equivalent of concealed weapons, however, and no law prohibits their use except where stated. Privacy laws differ from country to country of course and you can learn about yours by searching the web.

If you are a beginning photographer, chances are that you will not attempt guerilla tactics early in your career and instead ease yourself closer to subjects as you gain experience with your zoom lens or unobtrusive little cameras. Interesting photographs can be made with relatively cheap cameras, which however, may lack the high profile of more expensive and larger models. Realize that as a photographer you have the option of concealing your camera while making street pictures.

Street Photography offers more, however, than what some consider voyeurism. I am not primarily a street photographer, but I always have a camera in tow to take advantage of a promising image.

At the Airport by Anne Darling

I took the above photo of a young Chinese woman in Hangzhou airport while on a working trip through China.

She seems emblematic of the constant traveler - sleepy, seeking the comforts of home (typified by the tea set), and yet apparently always on the brink of having her private world interrupted at any moment considering the context in which she has dozed off at the table.

A single drop of tea appears heavy and pregnant with the possibility of breaking the spell. It serves as what Roland Barthes calls "the punctum", it seems to pierce the viewer, and conveys a precarious state, dramatizing that which we, the viewers, take as givens in the picture.

I made the photo below on a street in Nieul-Le-Virouil in France. I asked the woman if I could photograph her canine companion, and caught on camera her reaction upon realizing that she would be part of the picture. For this photo, approaching my subject prior to the making the picture elicited an unrestrained laugh and moment of surprise from the woman.

Outrageous Laughter by Anne Darling

The immediacy of a moment is something that I enjoy seeing in street photography. Viewer experiences vicarious surprise and joy along with the subject as respective emotions blend in one evocative moment. This picture represents, in my eyes, the surprise and fun that are emblematic of street photography. Only the original subject-the dog-is unaware of the situation although he appears to smile too.

The picture with which I want to leave you is one of my own favourites made on the streets of Dalian in China. I was able to compose the picture as the photographer within the picture composed his.

The Girl of My Dreams by Anne Darling

Two teenage boys are dwarfed by the giant image of the alluring lady in red on the billboard. The boys are obviously taken with the model to the extent that they attempt to make a picture with the chic woman. It would be impossible, of course, to fit the model into the picture frame along with the boy model who poses within close proximity to the red image, which makes the content delightful and humorous in a na�ve way.

I like the fact that this street photograph is about photography itself and I also like the spare, crisp nature and angles that form the background in this photograph - to me it becomes a stage upon which an impromptu drama is being acted upon.

Street Photography begins the minute you step outside your door. It is a pleasure to realize that life renews itself in surprising gestures at places unforeseen everyday. Get out your camera and snap to your heart's content, for you never know what awaits you out on the street.

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