How I Tuned-Into Street Photography

Thoughts after my thesis presentation last week

Street photography is honoured for its ability to record unposed portraits that are the most real.

With a growing age of digital advancements, I believe there is a growing desire for truth in photographs, in both the general media and news. People want to feel a sense of realness. There is freedom in trusting the representation of an image that has been created as an exact copy. This is along the initial purpose photography was created initially, to help painters record the most exact copy of the sight they were painting.

Street photography is phenomenal, the documenting things and people around me has been a great exercise.

When I first discovered street photography

In high school, my photo teacher Mrs. Zanini gave us our first assignment for the class, which was to look through the library's photo books and photocopy the photographs that inspire us.

I flipped and marvelled at what looked like street photos - or rather the realest life moments that look unposed and easily related to.

Henri-Cartier Bresson, Photo Link: Photography.ca

My love for black and white film has only growing since. Leading up to my thesis, I was studying the images of Robert Frank, Vivian Meyer, Walker Evans, and Henri-Cartier Bresson, and doing everything in my power to muster the same drive they had. It’s difficult in our time, or rather there are different challenges with the photograph and what it means in our day.

No images are meant to be intrusive, but rather to be a report of the time.

Pentax, December 2016

Why I love black and white film street photography

The content that street photography brings is magical. The subject exists, the photographer exists, the camera records.

The real life that street photographs bring out in our time is an overall sadness or isolation.

The opening is Thursday, 3 May 2018. Hope to see you guys there! :)

x.

Natasha