Street photographers do it in public
Mention the term street photography to a group of photographers and inevitably the talk switches to the current debate around the right to take pictures in public, and the continuing friction between the police and photographers which I wrote about last week.
But stepping back a minute, let's consider who takes pictures in public places, the press and tourists are the obvious ones, yet there's a growing band of photographers who roam the streets with their camera making pictures, the street photographer.
For many it's a natural extension of something we all do, people watching, yet for the street photographer it's an activity that's carried out through the viewfinder of the camera.
The aim is to order the chaos of everyday situations in the frame, to create juxtapositions of objects that delight the eye, make us laugh, stop us in our tracks and make us ask is that for real?
One of the great street photographers, American Joel Meyerowitz, described the feeling of being on the street as a photographer in the book Bystander: A History of Street Photography that he co-authored with Colin Westerbeck:
"There is something exciting about being in the crowd, in all that chance and change - it's tough out there - but if you keep paying attention something will reveal itself - just a split second - and then there's a crazy cockeyed picture."
The great thing about street photography is that all you have to do is step out of your front door with camera in hand and you are up and running. Who knows what you might find around the next corner.
Despite potential pictures being all around us those moments described by Joel don't come along that often, maybe only a few times a year, and it takes a better photographer than me to do them justice.
One of the best is Nick Turpin, who, having worked as a staff photographer at The Independent newspaper in London for seven years left in 1997 to pursue his first love, street photography.
A crazy dream some would say, and even Nick will readily admit that it's probably the least commercial of all photographic genres and is financed by his work as a design and advertising photographer.
Recently he launched a new magazine, Publication, for street photographers by street photographers, bucking the trend as many magazines slip from the printed page to the world of online, but as he explains there are reasons why he feels the time is right.
Nick told me:
"It is called Publication as everything street photographers do is in a public place. Ten years ago you had to be in to the genre to even have heard of it, today technology has made a huge difference; and everyone has a camera in their mobile phone, and that's partly why the time for this magazine is now. There is a large community of people interested in this form of photography."
Intrigued, I ordered a copy and it arrived neatly packaged in a white box. Publication is in the form of a booklet that contains a series of essays by street photographers talking about their work and for the first issue, where they get their inspiration.
It also contains 22 prints, each one by a different photographer with details of the picture and their biographies on the reverse.
There's work from well known street photographers such as Matt Stuart, David Solomons and Stephen McLaren alongside relative newcomers, like Jack Simon and Luca De Marchi.
That's the beauty of the genre, there's no hierarchy, only a handful of photographers make a living from this type of work, in some ways it's the perfect photographic genre offering a level playing field.
You just need to open your eyes and really see, peel away the layers to reveal the absurdities of the everyday.
The prints in Publication are an ideal way to mix photographic styles, as although all the featured photographers work on the street their approach varies. Nick explained:
"It's about giving people photos they can hold in their hands, an exhibition they can curate themselves. They can keep the shots they like and put the others back in the box. One person described it as a gallery exhibition delivered, and I wish I'd thought of that first."
The magazine is self produced and self financed, and initially targeted at the street photography community on the internet, but the aim is to open up the genre to a wider audience.
Each issue is a limited edition of 2000, each numbered individually, and mine turns out to be number 828. Just over the magic number apparently, as Nick needed to sell at least 800 to make the next issue a possibility.
So what about the future, will it require revenue from advertising to pay the way? Nick says no:
"I want Publication to be something timeless that you can collect and keep, I think advertising would distract from the words and pictures and make it look dated in years to come. This of course puts the pressure on us because it means we have to completely fund each edition from sales of the last one but the magazine would be better for it."
As I mentioned at the start of this post photography in the public arena is also in the news at present, with a series of stories about photographers being stopped by police in the UK
Nick told me he was:
"A bit nervous about the press coverage of people being stopped, I felt that while it wasn't being discussed then the government wouldn't make any change to the law. I feared when it was in public eye they may look at it and maybe make the wrong decision, perhaps bringing in a privacy law like the one in France."
Nick spends much of his time living in France, near Lyon where he occasionally takes to the streets with his camera.
In France Nick tells me "there is a real belief by the public that you are not allowed to take pictures of them and in the UK there is a similar feeling, it a misunderstanding and a big challenge".
It's certainly true to say people are far more aware of the camera and their image now than they ever have been.
A recent report by the Manifesto club which describes itself as campaigning "against the hyper regulation of everyday life" talks about a growing a suspicion of photographers and puts it down to the drip drip effect of negative stories, not just those in recent weeks involving the police.
Indeed if you have a view you might like to take part in a poll on Nick's website.
But let's not dwell on these issues, as Nick mentions:
"While there is some moral and political debate to be had around street photography on the whole I think it's a force for good, one of the few uncensored ways we have of seeing our own society and the decisions we have made within that society."
Indeed photographers are as likely to appear in someone else's pictures as anyone and they're also well aware of the issues.
And there you have it. Flicking through the 22 prints in Publication I'm left with the urge to go out and take pictures to add to my own street photos, to improve, to see those moments, and indeed capture them forever through that little hole in the front of my camera.
It's one of the most accessible forms of photography, at times frustrating, but all you need is a camera and the desire.
If you need further inspiration then take a look at In-public, a site for street photographers founded by Nick nearly 10 years ago.
You can see more of Nick Turpin's work on his website and blog sevensevennine.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~29~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
Thanks Chris for your article, and the article ("In the eyes of the law") that you wrote previously. Very interesting read for a photographer who has snapped shots in lots of lands where my cameras have been viewed with suspicion or superstition!
What intrigues me though is the "disconnect" between people complaining about street photography and the issue of CCTV!
I have been away from "home" for the best part of 30 years (mostly), and as a returning UK citizen I am shocked, upset and find it incredulous that our nation has become the "most watched" (by CCTV)! I cannot understand the mindset of what WAS Britain and what now is!
I don't want to go into the whole CCTV shame and disgusting embarrassment (which it is for me), but my question is how can people complain about street photography when we're going on the files - how many times a day is it? - just by walking round our cities, towns and, in my case, villages?
I find my photograph taken, and video of my life, going into government files to be MUCH more disturbing than being captured on film (or digital) by tourists, amateur photographers or people otherwise armed with cameras on our streets!
Complain about this comment
I have enjoyed this form of photography for some time, especially when using a waist-level finder on a camera.
Directing the camera lens at 90 degrees to the way you are facing. Bystanders are fascinated that you appear to be photographing, perhaps, a featureless wall, rather than the expressions on their faces. They never notice the camera is directed at them.
Complain about this comment
Street Photography is one of the oldest Genres of Photography, which is currently suffering from BAD teatment from the officers on the street. in fact, it os teh casual photographer's image,informers and the CCTV footage that teh police resort to for information yet the same people, are being victomised. I travel to USA almost every two months and quite often ask a policeman if i can take his picture in the Street, they never refuse and thsi is the police where 9/11 happened yet, in England Paranoia is rife!! Many of teh most famous Fashion photographers have made a career out from teh streets. Look at Martin Parr... is he anything otehr than a Street Photographer!!?
Complain about this comment
Very interesting articles. I have never been challenged by the police but have oft been tutted at by members of the public. (Don't stand and stare at someone taking photos then!) I have followed the links and printed out the Met's own advice to put in my camera bag just in case.
I now understand the law regarding the act of taking a photo in a public place but can anyone tell me about the laws regarding what you do with that photo. I've heard of model release forms but when they are necessary? Do these relate only to selling photos or would it include competitions for example?
Complain about this comment
I would dearly like to partake in some street photography, but the reason I don't is I'm fearful of a number of things...
Police reaction - see recent stories
Public reaction - including false accusations of taking shots of children for nefarious use
Danger - wandering around with £3K of kit in a public place makes me nervy!
Until there is a change in attitude, I'm sticking to nature and landscape like this one of mine!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/treetops_photos/4178709044/
Complain about this comment
Great article and some very useful links. I love street photography but have been tutted at by parents and asked to move away from their children. At the time I had my back to the playground the children were in photographing a river and the debris floating down it. I have also been told to move or loose my camera by a security guard who was quickly advised of my legal rights and the action I would take if he even attempted to touch my camera. In the main though I manage to get my shots from far enough away that people are totally unaware they have been photographed which means the look on their face is perfectly natural. Its a great form of photography and some of the results can be fantastic.
Complain about this comment
Canid Street photography is the most expressive form and is certainly something that is the ultimate ephemeral occasion to capture.
I've just ordered my copy of Publication because of this article.
One of the major issues I have with police (or whoever) stopping or questioning photographers is that it never seems to be the foreign tourists that get stopped or questionned. You could on next to a whole crowd of foreign tourists taking a picture of the Houses of Parliament or on the Tube and you know that someone who is from the UK is going to be the one checked on. Same in many museums and stately homes. If you pull out your camera (after not seeing any signs saying you can't take photos) you'll get asked to put it away but they don't even bother when the group of Italian tourists bundle through the room.
I have no problem if there is a legitimate issue but it's not applied evenly or fairly. We are just easier targets, especially when even the officials have no idea what the law on photography is and have the generally held misconceptions.
In my bag I have a copy of Sirimo's UK Photographers Rights with me in case I am ever stopped.
Complain about this comment
Generally I would not have a problem with the likes of Nick taking my photo in a random street scene, however having had my photo taken by a neighbour, as I would come and go from my house, and how uncomfortable it made me feel that he was doing this, I would like to know how one can differentiate between someone like Nick and someone like my ex neighbour. My neighbour was fully entitled to take my photo as I was on public property i.e. the pavement outside my house (according to the police when I phoned up about this) and there was nothing I could do to stop it - apart from move!
Complain about this comment
Optometrist, that is creepy! As is being photographed by unknowns in the street. Once on a train, a guy speedily took a photo of me and then ran off!
Complain about this comment
Waffler: I think regular photographing like that would probably constitute harassment/stalking, regardless of whether you are on public property or not.
My understanding (and I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong) is that model release is only necessary if that person's image is to be exploited commercially, regardless of whether it's "not for profit" or "for profit" commercial use. Street photography would seem to nudge at the boundaries of that, but personally (being a woolly liberal) I'd hope that nobody would have great exception, provided that they're not being presented in a bad light. (That's another legal question: can a photograph constitute libel? Hmmm ...)
Whether displaying a photograph in a camera club competition/exhibition constitutes commercial use - who knows?!
Complain about this comment
Many thanks again for a good article, closely connected with previous blog entry 'In the eyes of the law'...
One wonders... what would have happened if we had the current culture of fear (as expressed by some above, which is showing the sad side-effects of 'anti-terror measures') when let's say Cartier-Bresson or Atget was at work in Paris and elsewhere... The history of photography would have been quite different...
The potential for truly expressive, deeply human photography is huge in street photography. Some say (well, that's Cartier-Bresson again) that there is no such thing as a lucky moment... one has to see it and act on it with great skill.
So we are in danger of suppressing this amazing area of photography, simply because even the people on the street may react very badly seeing one taking photos... in the current climate.
Complain about this comment
On model release forms, whilst I am no lawyer, my understanding is that in addition to the bits about commercial use, there is also no obligation to obtain such a release if the person is not identifiable; so crowd scenes or even shots like this of mine - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mixatal/190804717/ - that won a museum prize, but which featured three (small) faces, was deemed to not to need such a release
Furthermore photos for news purposes do not need such a release. Think about a celebrity having a photo taken, in the street, doing something they don’t want the world to see. They wouldn’t be able to prevent publication by refusing to sign a release (although, in exceptional circumstances appear to sometimes able to prevent publication through other methods.)
Complain about this comment
Very Interesting article.
Complain about this comment
I live in the western U.S. and had taken a photo class from a local photographer around 1995. We spent most of our time outdoors both in the countryside and in the cities and towns around our area. We were a group of about ten photo nuts. We had assignments and many included taking photos of the local color. Most individuals had little or no problem of being photographed. We had release forms for parents to sign if we took photos of their children. Some asked for prints and we sent them. I built a portfolio using some of these photos.
From that time on I would always have a camera with me and roamed the strets where ever I would travel. Including photos of people. I do sense a change of mood in larger cities and when events of terror occur in areas of the world where I am visiting. In the U.S. it was 9/11, in Spain it was the Madrid train bombings, it also can effect police and security eyeing me more so if a breach of security had occured somewhere in their like realm of patrol such as train stations.
It's their job to be vigilant and I will take photos until they ask me to leave. These areas also have potional for real interesting events. I was in Dresden recently when a large group of police converged onto the Palace area and made sure some shady individuals got in their vehicles and where asked to "move on."
All in all the local color and mood of the people make for the best and the most interesting photos. It's a recording of history, no matter how you look at it.
Complain about this comment
Street photography... A little common sense has to prevail. I don't like sneaky shots - I don't like to shoot from the waist, take the shot openly, if questioned show the image and explain what you found or interest. Most people don't have a problem if you choose this method. If they do, delete the image.
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=361702
Complain about this comment
Thanks for sharing a nice blog.I really like your post. The picture you have posted here is really very nice. Great post!
Kodak Gallery
coupons
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS