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On Street Photography
It’s always a chance encounter.
Street photography is a whirlwind of various circumstances.
Look at that photograph. Really look at it. Take a minute and look around the various details.
Many people crossing the street. The train leaving the station. The dark, overcast sky. Notice the splash of orange that the train gives in spite of a mostly colorless foreground and background.
The people are all going about their business as usual, and they have filled the crosswalk in just the same moment that the train is about to hurdle off of the frame. The image is taken from above street level, too.
Now, I doubt our photographer could have imagined this shot would turn out just so. Maybe he waited for the right time, or maybe he just turned around and saw it. In either case, we can be sure of only the fact that he had a camera on hand.
Street photography is always a chance encounter.
You go out, bringing your camera along with, and you walk around, looking for something that catches the eye. Maybe it’s the kitschy look of a storefront, or the way some fluorescent tube lights shine through the darkness of a winter evening.
There are people, too. You didn’t bring them there for this photo-op. You and them just happen…
