Street or No?

[john_elder1]

<p>"Everyday life in the street" doesn't exclude all extraordinary events happening on the street nor does it condemn street photography to the boring and mundane. Having said that I believe police activity does fit into the category of "everyday life in the street". That kind of search is performed all the time, daily in fact, in every state in this country. What is extraordinary is the photograph capturing this commonplace event. Usually these warrants are executed so early in the morning that no photographer is around. Further, as Peter Wang points out , photographs can fit into more than one caregory. These photographs are photojournalism, documentary, street, and spot news.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>more doc than street. also there's more detachment than engagement as far as what the camera is showing.</p>

<p>my favorite is snu-tac three, wherere you've almost got iwo jima-esque poses, but as a whole, this style of photography isnt super-artistic. kinda looks like stills from an episode of "cops." but, hey, if it keeps food on your table, more power to you.</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Eric:</p>

<p>You hit it right on the head. I've never claimed to be an artist by any sort. I started out as a photographer way back in the day when I was covering the war in Beirut as a journalist. I wanted to go a certain valley where several organizations held "training camps". For the life of me I couldn't find a photographer to go with me, so with some help from some friends in AFP I got a camera and snapped the pics for the article myself. After that the photography part has overtaken the writing and right now I'm at 95% photography and 5% writing.</p>

<p>This is indeed my full-time job. Often 12 hours plus a day. That is one of the things few people that decide to turn their hobby into their main way of creating income is that you have to work long and hard hours.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for all the comments, I really appreciate them and I've learned a lot.</p>

<p>Oh, and John, sadly these warrants take place pretty much from 10 a.m to 10 p.m in KC these days. The two Squads work very, very hard just to keep up with the number of search warrants they have to serve every day. I've been riding with them for roughly 9 years and today is different than back then. Much more dangerous with people taking potshots at the cops. Loaded weapons, most often pistols with one round already in the chamber, are found on a routine basis.</p>

[valjalbertphotography]

<p>That is some nice PJ work. Talk about catching the decisive moment.</p>

[john_elder1]

<p>Mikael, as I said earliar I realy like your photos. You are lucky to have the access to and the trust of the police. I suggest you look at Leornard Freed's work who also photographed the police and had a book devoted exclusively to law enforcement entitled " Police Work" Also Freed has alot of cop shots in his retrospective " Leonard Freed". Take a look, it might help to get a different look from another photog.</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Thanks John, will absolutely do that!</p>

[marta_cajiao]

<p>Note: Ifr you were standing on the street when you took it then yes it is a street photo and consider yourself lucky that they didn't ask you what you were doing there--great shots by the way.</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Marta:</p>

<p>Thanks. I work <em>with</em> the cops. I ride with them in their van. I'm literally three feet behind them all the way up to the door. Then I wait until the premises are secured before I go inside. In other words, they know exactly what I'm doing and approve of it. Largely I think because I've been riding with these units for right about 9 years now ( 2 to 25 ride alongs per year) but I also do everything in my power to get them a copy of whatever any of the photos of them is published in.</p>

[mike dixon]

<p><em>Note: Ifr you were standing on the street when you took it then yes it is a street photo</em></p>

<p>No, standing on the street (or sidewalk) when you take a shot does <strong>not</strong> make it a street photo. <a href="http://mikedixonphotography.net/jillcol02.jpg">This</a> is not a street photo; neither is <a href="http://mikedixonphotography.net/reneebw04.jpg">this</a> .</p>

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>No...its News/Doco. Street is unnoticed or at least discreet.</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Thanks everyone for their comments. I think I finally get it now. Street is documenting the everyday occasions on the streets of our/your nation. Would that be correct?</p>

<p>I've always figured I'm more of a documentary/PJ kind of photographers since I shoot Law Enforcement and Prisons as well as forensics. Hopefully people that have suffered a violent death isn't all that common on the streets where you're at and I understand that's not really street either.</p>

<p>Yet, I really want to thank everyone for participating and adding their two cents. I really appreciate it!<br>

Thanks!</p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>It's a bit difficult to really give a definition to street stuff. Some of the points here I think are wrong. This is what I think:</p>

<p>In no way does a street shot <em>need </em>to be unnoticed or discreet. That's just a popular technique.</p>

<p>Because it shows something of news value doesn't suddenly mean it's not street photography.</p>

<p>Street does not have to be a mundane, everyday moment. It can be a very unusual moment.</p>

<p>A shot being taken in the street is not necessarily a 'street' photo. It may well be a landscape or similar. Also, 'street' photos don't have to be taken literally on the street, just in some sort of public place or a place accessible to the public (like a cafe).<br />----------------------------------</p>

<p>Street photography and photojournalism are very closely linked and both forms of documentary photography in their own way. I don't think categorising into one thing only is that useful. To me, it's both a street shot and a photojournalism shot. Nice one too!</p>

<p> </p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>(Note: I assumed you got this when you were wandering about taking photos, not a attached to the police or sent from a newspaper etc?)</p>

[myattphotoandfotoart39]

<p>not street.</p>