Street Photography
Almost from the birth of photography in 1839, there were people taking pictures on the street. Of course, in those early days of photography the shutter was so slow that any people in a street picture showed up as a blur if at all. Beyond this, the cameras were so big and unfamiliar to the public that street photography and the candid seizing of moments of urban reality weren't really possible.
And then, circa 1930 the Leica 35mm camera changed everything. Suddenly, it was possible to have a camera with you at all times. Because of its small size the Leica and the other 35mm cameras that followed permitted photographers to operate with a certain amount of stealth.
The social landscape, as street photography is sometimes called, became a school. The French had a word for these photographers - flaneur...a walker in the city. It implied not only a person walking about looking at things but reflecting on them. Degas, himself a novice photographer was quoted as describing such images as "what you see when passing in the street."
This fascination with life in the street very quickly found its way to the USA and most specifically, to New York City. New York street photography is a genre. In its most perfected form it is a way of seeing the irony and ephemeral nature of city reality. It is not simply a snapshot taken of a street. Rather, it is the use of timing, juxtaposition and framing to capture what Cartier-Bresson called the decisive moment.
Such pictures are not easy to come by. Yet there are those photographers, like Elliot Erwitt, Bruce Davidson, Helen Levitt, Berenice Abbott, Garry Winogrand and many more who have the gift of vision and skill to capture images that speak volumes about human nature, irony and the magic of life.
I believe that some of us are hardwired to appreciate the confluence of seeable elements and reading these is a form of visual intelligence. Such people do not necessarily take photographs...still they see the unspoken message. After all, before there was language there was seeing.
Street photography is a valuable tool for understanding ourselves. Looking at these frozen slices of reality in the calm of a book or gallery permits us to lower our defenses and let in what we might otherwise have missed in the city's hustle and bustle.
Ken Nadle
Labels: Photo, Photography, Street Photography
Comments and suggestions about this and future newsletters are welcome: Email me at Ken@berger-bros.com.
