Street Photography Dissertation

Street Photography

Post-Modernism to Contemporary

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Street photography has been canonical by historical photographers such as Henri-Cartier Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, and Jacques-Henri Lartigue. These historic names gave precedence to a cultural trend, opening a new genre of photography: street photography. Emerging later into the mid-late 19th century during post-modernism, photographers, Richard Sandler and Robert Herman make names for themselves as 19th century renowned street photographers. Sandler, using black and white images with strong composition and candid posing, creates alluring perspectives for the viewer to be seen as a bystander of the action, while Herman takes a color approach in his work, “The New Yorkers,” to display lifestyles lived throughout the city, encompassing a wide array of age, gender, subject, and most importantly, presentation.

In the contemporary world of street photography, we find a similar photographer, Joe Greer, approaching the subject as a newcomer to New York, born from the South, that gives his photographs an atmosphere that each viewer can live within for a unique, fleeting experience in the city. Phil Penman, a UK born photographer, has resided in New York City for the past 25 years, capturing the events that has changed New York City over time. His black and white contrasty signature look is reminiscent of Henri-Cartier Bresson and Sebastião Salgado in terms of composition and very distinct captured moments that would not be found anywhere else but in New York.

Considering every aspect that accumulates to the overall decision for what constitutes a great street photograph, given that it is left open to subjectiveness and interpretation, what is it that made these photographers photographs stand out during their specific time periods, and how are they still staying relevant today, even with the world changing so rapidly to be able to pinpoint an exact desire for what the audience will prefer to see as a viable “street photograph” in their time? Do the contemporary artists thrive off of older techniques from studying the great photographers of history, and by mimicking their perspective on what worked and what didn’t, or did they arise to their fruition through trial and error of a newfound desire to be seen, as photography innovates upon itself with the correlation of the innovation of technology?

Starting with the legendary figure of street photography, Henri-Cartier Bresson states, “For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.” This gives value to what defines street photography as a medium, since many photographers of the genre use candid motion to capture events without any presumption of arrival. Due to his photographic involvement with the French and German war, and having an experience as a prisoner of war, led to him being able to capture historic events that would gain much attention from the public. From framing his perspective on how to take images he states in an interview with Sheila Turner-Seed,  “So you’re shooting. You say, ‘Yes. Yes,. Maybe. Yes.’But you shouldn’t overshoot. It’s like overeating, over drinking. You have to eat, you have to drink. But over is too much.” This notion of over shooting images seems more easily capable while shooting film photography, but has it changed over the century as digital photography has gained traction? Later in the interview he discounts color photography as being “disgusting,” and that he never used it unless he had to due to the complications with another country, but in an age that was slowly innovating, why stick to the basics? Lastly, he states, “Poetry is the essence of everything, and it’s through deep contact with reality and living fully that you reach poetry. Very often I see photographers cultivating the strangeness or awkwardness of a scene, thinking it is poetry. No. Poetry is two elements which are suddenly conflict — a spark between two elements. But it’s given very seldom, and you can’t look for it. It’s like if you look for inspiration. No, it just comes by enriching yourself and living. You have to forget yourself. You have to be yourself and you have to forget yourself so that the image comes much stronger — what you want by getting involved completely in what you are doing and not thinking. ” I believe this to be the key to what, in his perspective, makes a great street photograph. The “decisive moment” where you can locate poetry within a scene, without having to search for it, and rather having it appear instinctively. Cartier-Bresson was established through his war experiences, and coming home to form Magnum Photography with a group of artists, claiming to start a movement of documenting major events, while also capturing fleeting moments that may otherwise have been missed. Cartier-Bresson uses patience and dissociation from self to identify himself with the present moment. Maybe this is what it takes to be a street photographer?

Coming also from a painterly background, Jacques Henri-Lartigue became renowned for his charismatic approach to the candid style of photography, with “detachment from the traumas of world war.” Considering this approach, Lartigue may have considered the present moment to be irrelevant to the existing surroundings that may embody a coherent context for the time period. Unlike his counterpart of the same century, Lartigue gained fame through a MoMa exhibition curated by John Szarkowski, and it didn’t happen until later in his life. A correlation between painting and photography has been presented as being very similar in artistic regard, with black and white imagery being the difference between the two (with the exclusion of processing methods). It is mentioned in the article written by The Guardian, that the movement captured in still motion by a camera is what makes the medium unique. In this regard, would it be plausible to say that street photography is so desirable, because it focuses directly on the medium’s strengths as a means of capturing that “decisive moment” which makes it so alluring to its viewers?

Elliot Erwitt, being born of both French and American descent, also gained notoriety through his military experience, later receiving education from both French and American Institutes. He also photographed political events in relation to Bresson and Lartigue. After some entry-level work, he became apart of Magnum Photos, and rose from Photographer to President the organization. Although his background served a more reportage genre, he received acclaim for his humorous, ironic images captured in New York City. It seems he took advice from Bresson about waiting for the decisive moment, and was able to capture unique events that most definitely would have been missed if he did not patiently wait for the right composition to appear itself. Stating in an interview with Lens, interviewed by his daughter Misha Erwitt, Elliot Erwitt states, “I would say that assignments were never a terribly important part of my photographic work.” In the contemporary world, it has become normal for people to only regard assignments as work to use for money, while their main focus stays on their personal work. It has also been mentioned by current photographers that to be more successful on your own terms is to go shoot what may seem to be a successful assignment, and then pitch the work to a company that publishes those types of stories. It results in a higher success rate, and both parties benefit by immediacy. Later in the interview he also states, “I see it as a day job and as a hobby. My advice is to be an heir and do it on the side.” Many living and dead photographers all agree upon the idea that it is better to serve as an amateur to the medium, allowing creative fluidity and curiosity to fuel the photographs versus a structured lifestyle leaned towards a specific viewpoint that must be captured, riding you of expendable energy that could be used more efficiently on your own time.

From the historical presences of Bresson, Lartigue, and Erwitt, followed a generation of photographers who would follow in their footsteps to create a name for themselves in the late-19th century. Richard Sandler, a black and white enthusiast, and Robert Herman, a colorist, collide in the same realm of street photography with different interpretations of New York City. Sandler’s style is very derivative of Bresson, where each photograph tells a story within the “decisive moment.” His composition serves to create similarities between two people, and gives perspective from his point of view as an onlooker to the present scene. Viewing his 116 photograph portfolio, shows a cohesion of precise composition that frames the subject in a way that makes the viewer look deeper into the narrative. A lurking underlay of his photographs are the thematic nature of “cultural injustice,” which depicts classes in different juxtapositions to one another within the same frame. It is almost as if to say they are equal, and yet look at each other differently. This cultural aspect that is easily recognizable from a historical racist upbringing, causes public viewers to immediately align themselves with one of the subjects depicted within the frame, creating a relevancy that should make both parties uncomfortable from viewing the opposite side of their class. Having a subconscious political aspect to the work may serve to the historical research given by the establishing photographers of the early-19th century.

Herman’s take on street photography, was a more “saturated, lively city state of New York City.” Shooting on Kodachrome film, he was able to capture colorful stills from his time on independent movie sets in New York. In an interview with Lenscratch, he states, “Every time I go out to make photographs, I ask myself this question: Can I see the world with vulnerability and clarity?” I think the sense of openness that is required to be available to any possible scene without restriction or assumption, is how you are able to capture more freely within your environment, which is reminiscent in Herman’s perspective. Robert Frank and Henry Callahan were his inspirations for the mundane subject for his imagery, trying to imitate his predecessors by forming the boring into something more interesting. I believe his study of film through watching the same films repetitively, gave him an advantage to seeing scenes as frames, and gaining cinematographic framing for his subjects. Recommended by other photographers and demonstrated by Herman (in his way), “The New Yorkers is the record of my self-discovery as a photographer, inside and out, manifested on the streets of New York City.” This embodies the foundation for which to set yourself up for success as a street photographer. Always be scavenging for possible scenes that may secure itself to be a great foreground or background for a subject to pass through for a photograph. Mentioned in LensCulture, “Herman used street photography as a means of personal therapy as he struggled with what was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder. ‘I felt like a very vulnerable person. Photography was my intermediary between me and the world. I was trying to find peace wandering the city. After a while you get in a Zen space and the world slows down. And when you’re an outsider, you notice things that other people just walk by.’” The advantage of being an outcast is the isolation that accompanies the loneliness, which in turn feeds into a solo hobby, and in Herman’s case, that was photography. Although bipolar disorder is very intrusive into the mind of being able to act on your own, it allows for greater evocation in the photographer’s imagery, allowing each emotion to harness enough energy to shine through each photograph.

Herman’s photos in contrast to Sandler’s photographs is the liveliness that comes through his portrayal of New York, whereas Sandler’s serves a bleaker scene that displays the urban harshness that correlates with metropolitan areas. Herman seems to capture more illustrative aspects of a scene, using color and shadow to highlight direction within a scene, and Sandler relies on the technical achievement with occasions of coincidences that create more of a narrative cohesion with his body of work. They both share a location on the subway that creates a passage of time between the subjects, Sandler depicting an older gentleman reading the newspaper, and Herman displaying a smaller boy facing the adjacent wall. With the juxtaposition of these two images, it is curious to know which event came first. This exhibits what all previously discussed photographers have mentioned, which is that a street photograph is fleeting, and that each moment only occurs once in a lifetime, and never again.

Now entering the contemporary world of photography present in New York City, we encounter Joe Greer and Phil Penman, one a newcomer, and the other an established resident for decades. Looking at the archive of Greer’s photography on his first trips to New York, before moving there, it celebrates the diversity of characters that is found throughout the city. Not necessarily outcasts, but just different types of normal people living normal lives on their daily routine. Some shots feel like snapshots while others feel precisely planned. I think it is an attempt to capture the “poetic” scene without forcing its presence. Although the photos can be interpreted to telling a central story, it seems to be more centered on the individuals themselves as a general depiction, and nothing further; At least in the beginning. Greer combines all the tools from the masters and former successful street photographers, by using both film and digital photography, and mixing both color and black and white imagery. What sets Greer apart in the contemporary world is his use of color scheme that he establishes across all genres he photographs, always stating that he does not want to be tied down to one specific genre, because it feels so limiting to one’s creativity. “I consider myself a Life photographer.” “I am trying to fill all four corners of the frame.” I think this is as pure of a perspective you can attain as a photographer, because it makes you free of any constraints for what you feel you should capture, and instead let your intuition guide you. As a technical aspect, I felt that filling the frame was a great suggestion, because not only does it create a frame within a frame, but it allows for more story to be entered within the scene. He also mentions the use recognizing body language and small details that can really make a photograph interesting. A reoccurring subject in his work, is his own reflection as he is shooting street photography. Herman had a similar style when concerning his silhouette in shadows, but it seems Greer takes it a step further by using mirror reflections to include self-portraiture in a street setting. In Greer’s art, the conversation of conceptual negotiation comes into play, since he rose to fame from his Instagram account, gaining a massive following (currently at 510k), and is at risk of losing his archive if the company chooses to shut down. In this current state, he is adapting to change the social trend of using social media to demonstrate photographic ability, and is now hosting his own blog subscription to release bulks of photos concerning the same subject to give fans a more in-depth look to his photo process.

Phil Penman, a British born artist living in New York City, has garnered a name across the city as one of the best street photographers of this decade. His work correlates the irony of Erwitt’s style of photography, and instead of aiming for unique juxtapositions with living things in frame, he chooses to focus on outcasts of the city, and plays with composition to give a humorous feeling to some of his photographs. His newest photo book release, Street, is a collection of photographs around New York City, serving as a type of portfolio for these types of images. “With clients ranging from People Magazine to the Daily Telegraph, I’ve photographed living legends including Jennifer Lopez, Bill Gates, and captured historical moments such as the September 11th Terrorist attacks, for which my work received world-wide recognition and has been included in the archives of the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York.” “I was also listed as one of the 52 Most Influential Street Photographers alongside Sebastiao Salgado and Henri Cartier Bresson.” What is interesting is the backstory that followed him to these great accolades. He started in the UK as a press photographer, and then moved to New York to become paparazzi for magazine. Soon after he picked up his second job doing portraits for a bicycle company, he decided to pursue street photography. I think what makes Penman’s work stand out from everyone is that I can see his work being on the same level of expertise as some of the greats, including Henri-Cartier Bresson and Jacques Henri-Lartigue. His black and white tonality is well presented throughout his imagery that really makes each of his subjects stand out with perfect clarity. He has great technical control over his shadows and highlights within the images. There is a specific photo displayed in the NYBooks article depicting a woman walking through the snow on a cold winter day in New York City. It is absolutely visually astounding. Capturing all of his images in black and white, he has experimented with many programs before finally settling on CaptureOne to edit the finer details of his photographs, stating,  “I compared the two software by taking one of my old images created in Lightroom and Silver EFX and reproducing it in Capture One Pro – I was amazed to see that I could not only recreate the same look, but even go further.” Contrary to purist beliefs, he finds software enhancement to be necessary and essential to making the best digital photographs.

From the location of France to the streets of New York, street photography has emerged to be a special niche for photographers who love the spontaneous moments that occur in everyday life. From the focus of being in the present moment, to filling each corner of the frame, a street photograph can present itself to be an exquisite, unforgettable moment. From historic legends such as Bresson to the newcomer heirs like Penman, it is suggestive that street photography will not disappear anytime soon. So what makes a good street photograph? The key is to follow your intuition while always being on the move, looking for that decisive moment.