Video summary

Street Photography Lecture

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas and lessons about street photography

Definition of street photography

Street photography is made for art or inquiry and emphasizes unmediated chance—random encounters and random incidents occurring on the street.

Why street photography matters

  • The street records real life in a way that can look “strange” to future viewers, because everyday details change over time.
  • It helps you look for what’s happening in the present moment, rather than staged reality.

Why it can be hard / scary

Street photographers often feel fear of confrontation and embarrassment because they worry about privacy.

  • Typical street scenarios mentioned include:
    • People hiding
    • Angry/defiant gestures
    • Homelessness
    • Awkward or odd public situations
  • A tension is raised:
    • People object to being photographed by individuals,
    • but may accept image collection by corporations (e.g., Instagram/Facebook/TikTok).

Core mindset / method

Street photography isn’t just “walk around and hope.” It requires decisions:

  • What you want to photograph
  • How you want to photograph it
  • A theme or plan of attack (an approach before you shoot)

Street photography categories and what to look for (detailed)

1) Candid (the “fly-on-the-wall” feeling)

  • Aim for moments that feel natural and unposed.
  • Example topics described:
    • A person doing something mundane (e.g., scratching an itch/neck)
    • Scenes with strong atmosphere (e.g., street objects at night)

2) “No people” street photography (people not included, but street elements are)

You can still do street photography without photographing faces or bodies.

Street architectural photography

  • Photograph buildings and urban geometry.
  • Can frame architecture in full or abstractly depending on composition.
  • Examples referenced:
    • The Flatiron building
    • “Artistic buildings” designed by contemporary architects

Themed “found street textures”

  • Trash on the ground
  • Ripped-up posters (notably near subway areas)
  • Other urban “detritus” textures

Color-focused street photography

  • Look for bold color pairings/juxtapositions in the environment.
  • Search buildings and signs for strong palettes (e.g., blue/yellow, red/blue/yellow).

Objects

  • Photograph street objects such as fire hydrants, old plugs, street signs, etc.

Light and shadow

  • Track how sunlight interacts with surfaces.
  • Example concept:
    • Reflections from glass buildings projecting light onto other walls across the street.
  • Recommendation:
    • Especially visible near sunset in cities like New York.

People implied (no visible people, but their presence is suggested)

  • Discarded items like a bike near a bodega implying someone went in quickly.
  • Graffiti as an example of human presence/story.

Animals

  • Dogs/cats where people may not mind being photographed indirectly.
  • Focus on:
    • Framing
    • Color
    • Light/shadow
    • Surrounding context (architecture/streets around the animal)

Neighborhood photography

  • Define “neighborhood” visually through:
    • Street character
    • Architecture and overall setting
  • People may exist in the frame, but the subject is the place (street/neighborhood identity).
  • Also includes photographing city decay:
    • Abandoned buildings
    • Old structures
    • General deterioration and neglected spaces

3) Street photography with people (several subtypes)

A) Photojournalism / documentary feel

  • Often expected for street-with-people imagery.
  • Includes:
    • Rainy/romantic everyday moments
    • Celebrity-related street events (editorial documentary vibe)
    • Political or conflict scenes communicating “what’s happening”
  • Example mentioned:
    • A powerful image tied to the Hong Kong riots, emphasizing tension and reality in the street.

B) Photographing people while emphasizing light/shadow

  • Examples described:
    • Silhouettes (e.g., a woman on an escalator with face hidden)
    • People partially obscured by framing or shadows
    • Subjects included but not identifiable (faces not shown)

C) Portraiture (posed or semi-posed)

  • Posed portraiture

    • Example series: Humans of New York (and later “Humans of Different Cities”)
    • Method described:
      • Approach people, ask for their story, request permission.
      • Many refusals may happen, but enough “yes” responses build a book.
    • Emphasis:
      • People’s individuality and their relationship to the street environment.

  • Environmental portraits

    • People working/interacting in their setting:
      • A violin performer for money
      • A likely shopkeeper scenario
    • Ethics note:
      • If someone performs, show respect by tipping (“a buck or two”).

  • Respect and permission

    • If someone says no, the photographer should move on.

D) Candid again: “Fly on the wall” moments

  • More “secret”/timed photographs when people aren’t paying close attention.
  • Connection made to:
    • Henri Cartier-Bresson and the “Decisive Moment.”
  • Example themes:
    • A person in rain doing something like a scratch-off
    • People in old street features (e.g., phone booths)
    • Timing-focused mundane behaviors:
      • Looking at a phone
      • Waiting at a bus stop (face not shown)
      • Kissing couples (with shallow depth of field)
    • Interaction between people:
      • A woman walking briskly amid catcalling in Rome

E) Storytelling through people

Street images can build narrative:

  • A woman with a “samurai sword” described in relation to police presence (story framed as a narrative)
  • A person in a red dress framed by a sinister-leaning shadow (story implied by lighting)
  • Humor through careful timing/perspective (arrangements made to look “funny”)

F) Clever techniques / composition ideas

  • Reflections through glass

    • Photograph subjects through reflective surfaces.
    • Upside-down or distorted effects can come from water reflections.

  • Avoid cliché / avoid relying on someone else’s spectacle

    • Critique of a recurring spectacle (“Naked Cowgirl”):
      • The argument is to create your own composition and spectacle rather than depend on someone else’s setup.

  • Juxtaposition

    • Place contrasting subjects together:
      • Wealthy vs homeless
      • Different social conditions sharing the same frame

  • The “Decisive Moment”

    • The right timing and composition captured in one instant.
    • Influences referenced:
      • Henri Cartier-Bresson
      • Garry Winogrand (praised for bold shapes/triangles and “street connectivity” via reflections)

G) Night and stylistic variation

Street photography can be done at night, and style changes dramatically:

  • Black-and-white can shift mood and drama
  • Color changes how viewers interpret the scene

Three named street photographers (and what the speaker says each is known for)

  • Fan Ho

    • Known for:
      • Interaction of shadow and light with people
      • A city context reflecting cultural transition (Western/Eastern meeting, described for Hong Kong)
    • Example themes mentioned:
      • People not fully central (sometimes faces not shown), with lighting/composition dominating.

  • Weegee (Arthur Fellig)

    • Known for:
      • Near-immediate coverage of accidents/tragedies
      • Using a police scanner and arriving quickly—sometimes before police
    • Example images referenced:
      • “I Cried When I Took This Picture”
        • Fire-related tragedy implied by seeing firetruck elements behind crying people
      • “In the Paddy Wagon”
        • Arrest scene; faces hiding (people don’t want to be shown being arrested)
      • “Joy of Living”
        • After a shooting; police cover a body; the title contrasts grim reality

  • Alex Webb

    • Known for:
      • Mastery of color and composition
      • Waiting for and executing a planned moment
    • Example settings referenced:
      • Havana, Brooklyn, Istanbul
    • Emphasis:
      • A “plan of attack” for color/pattern and timing

Practical “plan of attack” guidance (explicitly stated/inferred)

  • Decide your theme before shooting (examples: color, light/shadow, architecture, decay, objects, implied people).
  • Consider whether your plan involves:
    • People (candid vs posed portraiture), or
    • No people but street elements instead (architecture, signs, objects, light, reflections).
  • Choose an ethical/interaction approach:
    • If asking people for portraits: request consent; accept “no.”
    • If candid: avoid confrontation and think about privacy concerns.
  • Prepare for stylistic choices:
    • Shoot night vs day
    • Use black-and-white vs color intentionally

Speakers / sources featured

  • Speaker (unnamed): the instructor/lecturer delivering the street photography lecture
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson (via the “Decisive Moment” concept)
  • Garry Winogrand (via composition/street connectivity example)
  • Fan Ho
  • Alex Webb
  • Weegee / Arthur Fellig
  • Marcus Hartel (mentioned as a favorite contemporary street photographer)
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • New York subway (noted as a place where ripped posters are found)

Original video