Of course, to catch those images à la sauvette, those images on the run, feet have to meet concrete, and not everyone is lucky enough to spend their days in the open air hunting for those moments. How might we make the most of our time? We can choose the most fruitful times to be out there with the camera in our hands.

The Rush Hour

Street photography captures life or the remnants of that life. Towns, cities, even villages have their rhythms, their sinusoidal peaks and troughs. Unless lucky enough to be in the very centre of a tourist hot-spot – or near the universities, hives of activity at any time, 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, for instance, tends not to offer an abundance of life, at least comparatively so.

Instead, setting out for a morning, lunch-hour, or late afternoon’s photography as people are leaving, or leaving for, work places the camera in the centre of a kinetic, dynamic environment. Subway, bus, and train stations are bustling at these times, and during weekdays, even a city’s high-rise corporate neighbourhood can prove decent hunting ground. As the work day ends, head to the high street. Those on the 9-to-5 will want to spend some of their hard-won gains.

In spring and autumn, as the nights draw in, rush hour meets the magic hour. When the sun sinks to 6 degrees from the horizon, shadows become long and dramatic, and the light scattered by the atmosphere is bathes everything in a golden hue.

The Weekend

From mid-evening Friday to the early hours of Monday, the weekend provides an entirely different atmosphere. For the weekend, when and where are inextricably linked.

Friday evening is a blessing for street photographers in the entertainment areas of town. Pubs, clubs, cinemas, and the high street all provide fertile ground—particularly at chucking-out time, when youth, drunkenness, and bravado often spark drama, black comedy, or romance.

In the early hours of a Saturday morning find a farmers or flea market, then by lunchtime, the weekend is in full-swing with cities, particularly the tourist areas, pulsing with activity. When Saturday evening arrives, it will not be dissimilar to the night before.

In Warsaw, Poland, where I live, shops are closed on Sundays, so high streets are quiet, however, bars, cafes, museums, and other attractions become hubs of activity, and that’s not even to mention the array of churches attended by throngs of congregants. In good weather, parks are a good option for a lazy Sunday when the churches come out.

Sun Rays and Rainy Days

In most cities of the world, when spring turns to summer and the sun appears, so too do the beer gardens, restaurant patios, and outdoor cafe seating. Cities fortunate enough to sit on the banks of a river find the boulevards blossom with much summertime activity. This is a bountiful time for the enterprising street photographer with tourists and locals existing side-by-side and, for the most part, everyone is having fun.

Though not everyone enjoys the rain, the street photographer should embrace it. Umbrellas extended, jackets pulled up over cowering heads, people fleeing towards shelter, children hopping into puddles, the rain offers a treasure-chest of possibility – not least for the misty, moody atmosphere it may bring, or reflections now apparent on the wet ground.

Santa, a rainbow flag or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?

Walking through Glasgow one summer afternoon, camera in hand, there ran past two children dressed in costumes from Alice in Wonderland. Cursing myself for missing it by a shot, I carried on, turning the corner to discover two Alices and a Mad Hatter heading into a Costa Coffee (presumably for a cup of tea). What on earth is going on? I, not unfairly, asked myself. There was, in fact, a geocaching game taking place in the town. Enthusiasts had come from all over the country in fancy dress. They spent their day searching for clues; my plans for the day discarded, I spent it hunting them.

It is good advice to keep a watchful eye on event-listings magazines or websites for advanced notice of festivals, street parties, and parades. These are perfect times to be out on the street with a camera. At Winter Festivals, there may be all manner of elves, reindeer, and Santa. Attending Halloween parades, children costumed as a plethora of cartoon characters, and adults likely dressed as a sexy version of some mundane noun. A particular favourite festival of mine is Warsaw’s annual Pride parade – a joyous celebration of life and love and a great place to catch emotion and expression.

The Revolution Will Be Photographed

Whether in the turbulence of the civil rights movement of the 60s, the anti-Vietnam war protests of the 70s, the miner’s strikes through the 80s, the anti-hate demonstrations in the 90s, the stop the (Iraq) war protests in the 2000s, or, well, pretty much everything in more recent times, from antifascist to anti-Brexit to abortion rights and more, protests and demonstrations are brim-full of possibility for excellent street photography touching on a documentary style.

In much the same way as street parades and festivals, it is good practice to join online groups, bookmark websites, or scan the local news for notice of upcoming demonstrations. When photographing, even with a partisan eye, it is best to portray a character of neutrality to avoid any negative attention from the protestors or counter-protestors. Of course, the opposite can also be true if you want to attract that attention for more dramatic photography. Some of those protesting, while expecting cameras to be around them, may still take exception to being photographed particularly if, while not breaking any laws, they may be bending them.

So, When To Make Street Photography?

The best advice given to me has been don’t leave home without your camera, and as should be as clear as Leica glass by now, the best time to make street photography could be answered by a simple, any time, however, that would not have made for the most informative article. Hopefully the suggestions above will help those that, due to other commitments, don’t have time to spend so much time on the street. Get out there. When you can.

This is the 5th part of the 5 Ws of Street Photography where I write about the What, the Why, the Where, the Who, and the When of street photography. You can read the others here.

The post When To Make Street Photography? appeared first on Neil Milton Photography.

In answering the question of who makes street photography, let’s consider the characters and personalities of those who are drawn to street photography. Who pick up their cameras curious about what life will offer up for the lens out on the street? While reflecting on this, I discovered Escaping Into Life – a psycho study of the contemporary street photographer, a book by Australian writer Andrew Stark. While over-long and needlessly florid, the text reinforced many of my thoughts on the street photographer’s psyche.

A Spectrum

We all sit on a spectrum stretching between introverted personalities and extroverts. Some of us fall closer to either extreme, while others are a patchwork of the two. Who, then, has the right character for street photography? Well, as it turns out, both introverts and extroverts make for strong, creative street photographers, though each character may adopt a different approach.

Introvert Street Photographers

Introverts are observant by nature with sharp awareness of body language and expression. In groups, they are most often found on the periphery surveying rather than participating. In public, introverts are inveterate people-watchers; perceptive and empathetic.

Street photography is often a solitary creative pursuit, surrounded by people yet alone. Preferring to avoid open confrontation, acting as an unseen, inconspicuous hunter suits an introvert well. The introverted street photographer prefers not to affect a scene, instead soaking in the street and with anticipation, capturing it as it appears without active participation.

Extrovert Street Photographers

In contrast, extroverts are socially confident and enlivened by people around them, so as street photographers they have less need to feel hidden. With fewer reservations for injecting themselves into a scene they are more inclined to strike up a conversation with their subjects, whether before or after making the photograph.

Extrovert street photographers are often kinetic, constantly on the move, active, and with endless energy. Using their assertive nature as an advantage they may be more naturally courageous, and some may even employ a confrontational style to elicit a reaction from their subject.

Street photography personality types

In the aforementioned book, Escaping Into Life, Andrew Stark polled a number of street photographers from around the world and used the pseudoscientific Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator test. This is a framework, often used in the corporate world, designed to identify preferences and strengths, thus indicating a personality type. Based on answers given to several questions, respondents are identified as 1 of 16 broad personality types. Answers may change over time, and no personality is better than another. The test allows one to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.

While the sample size was small, the results were nevertheless striking. By a vast margin, most street photographers polled shared the Introvert and iNtuition preferences, with the result INFJ, indicating preferences for introversion, intuition, feeling, and judging, sharing the top spot. By what now feels like no coincidence at all, this was the result I received when I waded into the test before writing this article.

A brief interlude

For much of my adult life, I have considered myself an extrovert. I enjoy telling stories. I would perform onstage, and I would DJ at parties. And yet, when not onstage, I often felt discomfort, crippling shyness, and fear of embarrassment. In my 20s, I yearned to be part of a team and creative collaboration was key. In my 30s, I found myself less tolerant of compromise and more controlling of my creativity – something that, at the very least, contributed to the collapse of two bands. Several years of therapy have helped me understand why, now in my early 40s, I have become more insular, enjoying my own company, and through plans, schemes, and ideas, live life more frequently in my own head. It turns out I’m an introvert with behaviours of high-functioning anxiety. Well, now.

Understanding myself as an introvert has changed my life. I appreciate why I often prefer my own company to that of others. I no longer chastise myself for wanting to work on my own. And I don’t feel I have failed myself and others if an opportunity to collaborate falls through. What a difference this has made.

So Who Makes Street Photography

As shown above, both introverts and extroverts can make excellent street photographers but may have different approaches to their work. It is said that Michael Stipe of R.E.M. – a famous introvert, and talented photographer himself – formed the band partially to overcome his innate shyness. Many introverted street photographers take up the camera to use their personality to their advantage, but it is not such a leap to imagine some may do so to push themselves out of their shell.

Extroverts on the other hand are quite happy to be out on the street peacocking with the camera in their hand and capitalising on all that inherent self-confidence. Though again, it isn’t too difficult to imagine the extrovert who takes up street photography to kick against their tendencies and instead disappear among the crowds.

This is the 4th part of the 5 Ws of Street Photography where I write about the What, the Why, the Where, the Who, and the When of street photography. You can read the others here.

The post Who Makes Street Photography? appeared first on Neil Milton Photography.

Where else would you make street photography but in the street, one might ask. Well, indeed. Almost anywhere, should be the response. For it isn’t street photography at all. That is to say that while we may be in the street while we make it, and that certainly isn’t required, we are photographing life as it happens, or the remnants of that life. Life, or the remnants of that life photography isn’t quite as snappy, is it?

Street photography’s given name comes into contention when considering where exactly can we make these photographs. Almost anywhere.

Under The Sky

Street photography is certainly not only for the street, though that is where you may spend a lot of your time. When imagining the work of great street photographers, we imagine them, camera in hand, stalking the streets of a city. On the one hand we see them open and confrontational, and on the other, quiet and unseen. We imagine them in alleys, on avenues, on boulevards, and pedestrian crossings. We imagine them at sports events, in fairgrounds, or at protests and demonstrations. Equally, they are at home in the small town, or the village as they are in the park, or at times, even in the wilderness.

Arguably, Cartier-Bresson’s most famous image is of a leap over a puddle outside the Gare St. Lazare. Conversely, Martin Parr is known for photographs of seaside life and county fair shows, though I do love his series of rural Scottish postboxes. Robert Frank‘s book, The Americans, explored both urban and rural America and is a seminal work to this day.

Under A Roof

Here’s where we remove ourselves from the street but continue making street photography. The photo may be taken in a coffee shop, restaurant or bar. It may be in a gallery, museum, or cinema. Or, it might be in an office, a mall, or a stairwell. It might even be in a public toilet – though that one’s going to take some courage. The photographs remain of life as it’s happening, or remnants of that life, only they are not now in the street.

Elliott Erwitt‘s witty 1995 photo in the Museo del Prado, Madrid is a great example of heading indoors to see what one may see. And of course, in a similar vein, the aforementioned Martin Parr, and his photo of countless phone-cameras (and fewer eyes) pointing towards the Mona Lisa is an example that springs to mind. A Bruce Gilden favourite is his photograph of a Yakuza having his cigarette lit in a coffee shop in Tokyo. Lisette Model has a wonderful photo of a lady standing gloomily in front of a row of 50c fruit machines.

On the Go

In the liminal space between outdoors and indoors, there lie the photographs taken in transit, or at the very least, where that travel begins or ends. There’s a long tradition of street photography in metro stations, bus depots, harbours, and airports. Not content with the travel hubs, many photographers get on board and take their photos on the trains, planes, and myriad automobiles.

Bruce Davidson‘s groundbreaking photo essay, Subway, gave birth to countless copycats riding the underground train cars at night making photos of the vast spectrum of life trying to get home after a big night. Garry Winogrand was so afraid of flying that he would arrive hours ahead of his departure to distract himself with photography, the results of which eventually became his Arrivals and Departures project.

So, Anywhere, then?

Almost anywhere a photographer finds themself, they can make street photography. Street photography is an interaction. It is interplay between photographer and subject whether they’re aware of it or not. Location, while important, plays second fiddle to the more crucial element of the aforementioned life or the remnants thereof.

This is the 3rd part of the 5 Ws of Street Photography where I write about the What, the Why, the Where, the Who, and the When of street photography. You can read the others here.

The post Where do we make street photography? appeared first on Neil Milton Photography.

Why we make street photography is, of course, a subjective and often deeply personal thing, so I’ll continue to answer with my own thoughts and motivations, some of which, universal as they are, will cross over.

Learning to see

All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice. – Elliott Erwitt

Of all of the skills I’ve learned, to think of myself as a street photographer, the one that continues to push me on is to look for things that others may miss or ignore. A shadow, a look, a gesture, or a juxtaposition that – to me, at least – whispers, says, shouts, look at me! To be able to turn a corner in some unknown place and see something that demands to be photographed is a gift, particularly when others may otherwise dismiss what you see as mundane. Studio photography, sports photography, landscape photography, even live music photography has never quite offered me the same joy of noticing and recording moments that street photography does. One might call it the thrill of the hunt.

The Two-Way Street of Interaction

Street photography encompasses a wide range of possibilities. It may be photographs of animals, of inanimate objects, or of the street itself, but most often it will be of life as it happens. A street photograph will most likely contain some interaction, some small fleeting moment between people. It is often a study of life – of our relationships and human behaviours in public. Sometimes, to paraphrase Martin Parr, you might create fiction from reality, and at others, you will show the reality itself, raw and unvarnished. It is in the search for these small moments that street photography can be enticing and so satisfying. To be both entirely removed from the interaction and, at the same time, in the recording of it, be an integral part is a fascinating and compelling reason to photograph.

The challenge of confrontation

Given my enthusiastic, talkative nature, you may be forgiven for mistaking me for someone with self-confidence and self-assuredness. Instead, I am often shy and anxious, and this doesn’t stop when I pick up my camera and walk out the door. Street photography is exciting but can be a challenge. It requires courage and perseverance in the likelihood that eventually someone will confront you for taking their photograph. Much like a stand-up comedian learning to effectively manage a heckler, finding ways, through experience, to calm a confrontation is a skill all of itself. Nevertheless, accepting the risk to get the shot regardless is a thrill in and of itself. For me, at least then, street photography is part rollercoaster, part therapy.

A Sense of Humour

A common thread that runs through much of the street photography that I love from favourites such as Erwitt, Cartier-Bresson, and Kalvar is their underlying sense of playfulness and, often wry, humour in the work. Finding irony or wit in an expression, a gesture, or a juxtaposition brings with it a tremendous sense of achievement and joy. Though a sense of humour may vary from one photographer to the next, the practice of street photography is full of endless possibility so long as that wit exists within you. Again, it all comes back to Erwitt’s implied ability “to notice” and to react.

Rock ‘n’ roll

My most personal answer to why street photography? though is likely one that will resonate with some and not with others. Street photography is just cool. I come from a background of the DIY indie music scene, and though when I began in photography I tried most things, street photography had the enigmatic, mysterious appeal of rock and roll. It seemed a gritty, life-as-it-is analogue of my experiences of the DIY aesthetic in music. We mention street photographers like Cartier-Bresson, Winogrand, Erwitt, and Gilden in reverential tones, similar to the way musicians might talk of Lennon, Hendrix, Cobain, and Page. As incredible as some landscape or studio portrait photography is, and it is, it has not yet sparked the same excitement and fascination in me as does being out on the streets.

This is the 2nd part of the 5 Ws of Street Photography where I write about the What, the Why, the Where, the Who, and the When of street photography. You can read the others here.

The post Why do we make street photography? appeared first on Neil Milton Photography.

In Magnum’s excellent online on-demand course, The Art of Street Photography, Carolyn Drake acknowledges the difficulty in defining street photography. I think every photographer should define what the street means to them in their own way. There’s no one way of defining street photography, she notes. Here lies the problem in answering this question: What is street photography, anyway? And with any attempt to be succinct.

In the same course, Richard Kalvar answers Drake’s proposition when he explains, my street photography is grounded in real people doing real things, and my observing them, reacting to them and trying to squeeze them into a rectangle.

People-Watching as an Art-Form

Street photography is recognised by most as candid photography of humans out in the world living their human lives. Chance encounters, from intimate, poignant moments to wry, humorous interplay. It is people-watching as an art form. Though one may already dispute this. Elliott Erwitt is well known for his photographs of dogs, Eugène Atget for his buildings of a disappearing Paris, and William Eggleston for his myriad inanimate objects (a particular favourite, the red ceiling that graces the cover of Big Star’s Radio City). All three are masters of the craft.

When one thinks of a street photographer, one might conjure images of Garry Winogrand, Jill Freedman, or Bruce Gilden stalking the streets of New York. Street photographers do not always practice in the street. Any public place, indoors or in the fresh air, can invite the practice.

Small, inobtrusive cameras such as the Leica M rangefinder (used by too many photographers to mention), or the Ricoh GR compact (used by, among others, Daido Moriyama) are popular as they avoid attracting attention toward the photographer in the street. And yet Martin Parr, for instance, uses an SLR and Mark Power a Large Format camera, so here there is also no real common thread.

Matt Stuart, Alex Webb, the aforementioned Parr – all known for their vibrant colour photography. Elliott Erwitt, Cartier-Bresson, William Klein for their work in black and white. Nope, no consensus here either.

One area where I feel all photographers mentioned above, and those not, may agree is that timing is all-important. Being in the right place, at the right time and anticipating the scene before it occurs is the great skill that makes for truly great street photographers.

What Is Street Photography, Anyway, To Me?

As street photography can be just about anything, instead of defining what it is, I will try, myself, to answer Drake’s proposition from the opening paragraph and define what street photography is to me.

For readers who have had the opportunity to look at my photographs, I think it will be no shock at all to discover my definition would somewhat mirror that of Richard Kalvar, above. I came to street photography, as many do, through the photos of Cartier-Bresson (through him, I developed a great love for surrealism) and then later discovered Kalvar, Winogrand, and Frank, who, among others, have had a profound effect on me.

I once read a definition of street photography that described it as urban anthropology. That has always stuck with me. It is an at-times fruitless effort to make sense of and record the chaos of life as it happens, and more. Unseen – in intention, if not always in practice – I look for unspoken connections, for unconcealed emotion, for tempestuous gesture, for unexpected juxtaposition, for irony, sometimes for humour, sometimes for pathos.

For me, street photography is about reacting, improvising, and discovering. It is often about the unconscious, the imagination, and acting on instinct. It is an opportunity to be among people and witness and capture the energies and relationships on display. And yet, sometimes it is something else. Sometimes it is a scene absent any people, yet life exists within nevertheless.

Being There

Whether populated by people, animals or objects, street photography is about being there; it is about taking chances. Both figuratively and literally, it is walking down a grey, dull city street only to turn left and discover something utterly remarkable. And then – not always successfully – having the presence of mind to take the photograph.

This is the 1st part of the 5 Ws of Street Photography where I write about the What, the Why, the Where, the Who, and the When of street photography. You can read the others here.

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