The truth about street photography
The truth about street photography
Written by Photius Drakos AKA Frankie Fresco
Renowned Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden once said, “If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, it's a street photograph.” Much like his in your face (literally) photographic style, the quote is straight to the point.
The reality is - unlike video, with photography you only get one soundless frame to convey your point, story or emotion. Understanding the fine balancing act of maximising each section of the area in a photo, without suffocating the viewer is crucial. Once we are able to tell a story with the bare basics, it becomes much easier to put these techniques into story writing and film.
Bruce Gilden is famous for shoving his camera AND flash in peoples’ faces on the streets. Bruce Gilden JAPAN. Tokyo. Kaeda. 1996.
SO how the hell do you do that?
Now I don’t claim to be some kind of photography guru or expert. I do have over a decade of experience though, so I guess there’s a thing or two I can share. OK, so for sure everybody who takes photos will have their own opinions and tell you to do things differently. Truth is there is no right and wrong. Photography is about documenting the world around us, it’s freezing a moment in history and it’s up to the photographer how to do that. To be blunt however, that doesn’t make you an artist, so don’t get it twisted. But let’s say you want to capture the streets with some sort of aesthetic. Sometimes, exciting things happen right next to us, and so we don’t have to overthink our subject matter for a chance to capture an interesting photo.
But realistically we are going to spend most of our time walking the streets and shooting, perhaps waiting for something to happen. Sometimes aimlessly. Happens even to the best of us. The keyword here is waiting.
The Waiting game
One of the most important lessons in street photography is simply waiting. There is this misconception that the incredible photos, by celebrated photographers are simply; point, shoot and BOOM, masterpiece… Every. Single. Time. But let me tell you right now, it’s a load of shit.
Not to throw shade on the gods of photography though, I’m just saying that even whilst experienced photographers can shoot from the hip and still probably get great shots, I guarantee a lot of what we see is calculated and researched. It’s kind of like fishing, there’s a lot of patience involved – but a good fishermen will know the times for correct tides and what kind of bait to use. Photography is the same.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the founding fathers of Magnum Photos, cleverly marketed himself as shooting at the ‘decisive moment’ and moving on, but his contact sheets show us something different.
What I do
So here is my tip from my experiences. In the simplest form, it usually goes like this; Find an interesting spot on the street, maybe it’s a nice archway that could frame your shot well or maybe its the kind of crowd that hangs around on a corner – Now spend some time checking it out. Live it a little bit.
What sort of people hang out around there? How do they interact with the spot? What’s the lighting like at different times of the day? Are there times that are busier than others? The list will go on. While you are sitting there studying this said spot, Start to Listen. What sounds do you hear? Conversations or arguments? Traffic jams or dogs barking? How does the spot smell? Can you smell the shit from the sewerage underneath the footpath? Flowers in bloom from peoples’ gardens? Can you smell food being cooked from the shop down the alley? How does the spot feel? Is it so humid your breaths feel empty? Is it so cold, you can barely feel your face? Does it feel dangerous? Do you feel safe? Or is it somehow a mix of all of the above?
“How does the spot smell? Can you smell the shit from the sewerage underneath the footpath?”
The street was filled with the sweet scent of burning molasses from the Narghile & Turkish music playing from a cafe. I waited as I saw the kid walking down the street, and when he noticed me he started to dance. Photius Drakos TURKEY. Istanbul. Tarlabasi. 2018.
Explore all these things and document them. Write them down in a little notebook or if you have a good memory for these things, just store it in your head. Who knows, maybe your photo will turn out amazing, or maybe it will be shit. But that doesn’t really matter. The point is to get yourself in the habit of being completely engulfed by the street or your surroundings. That right there is your most important lesson. It will help you understand photography in a different way. You will begin to shoot differently if you are aware of everything going on around you and become completely immersed in your environment.
Don’t just sit there at the edge trying to get in and out as quick as possible. Talk to the people around you, try and understand what makes this street alive.
Taking great photos is about being connected and to the environment. A photo without empathy reeks from miles away. Of course time is a luxury and studying a location, so in-depth might, not be viable. But at the very least you should be observant of your senses when you stop to take a photo, even if it’s for a split second. Get into the habit of documenting these experiences visually and mentally, and over time will help you be a better story teller. It will really help you build your scene because it will trigger all your senses, and you will know exactly what sensory information you will need to add to to your image, to help guide people to understand its story.
