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Urban snapshots or Street photography?


melissa_eiselein

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"The reason we have categories isn't to pigeonhole things, but to make it easier to either find and describe something."

 

This is true, Jeff. My point is that genre is for the audience (and for critics) rather than for photographers. Nobody out there working should be thinking about what street photography is; they should be thinking about what interests them. I think that answers (for me, anyway) Melissa's questions.

 

To put it another way, I doubt HCB or Winogrand ever worried much about what makes a good "street photo." I think they were more concerned about making the kinds of photos that interested them.

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Street Photography is something you do - not intellectualize about. I've shot with around

6 people from pn. Have yet to have any discussions on what SP is, the patriot act,

photographers' rights, what HCB or GW thought or did, whether a photo is SP or not,

pending laws, and on and on.

 

You go to an urban area with camera and walk around for a few hours.

www.citysnaps.net
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Ellis raised a good point with his "urban snapshot" swipe. What he's nailed is the lack of context that defines the "snapshot." Street photography at its best unifies "text"(the image) with its "context"(the photo's social/historical setting). This "artifact/milieu" dynamic is what makes street photography interesting and fun when it works. It's also a balance that's seldom the product of chance.
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Urban Photography,Urban Snapshots. Same thing the otherone just sounds more "Arty and formal" Also too many "SP" continually try to emulate the past VS just taking the pictures when the gutfeeling tells you this is the time to do it. Also I think there is an overload of mediocre Urban Photography and way too much cropping going on, The general public loses interest.

 

<P>"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken."

(Fight Club)

 

 

 

<P><B>"The King" has left the room</b>

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