Photographers are usually trying to get closer to their subjects, be that in the wild or on the street. The photographers of MUMUȘ Photo Hub in Bucharest, Romania, however, decided to take a step back … actually quite a few steps back. Read more…

San Francisco-based street photographer Travis Jensen has made a name for himself capturing candid shots, many of them in the rough Tenderloin neighborhood in downtown San Francisco. In this video from KAYO TV, he explains his love of street photography and the city that has become his adopted home. Read more…

Street photography is a genre that every photographer will try at least once in his or her career. Its broad appeal stems from the fact that you can do it anywhere; there’s a human element to the images that captivate the viewer, and if done well, can make for some extremely arresting images.

However, it also requires balls. You have to get close enough to your subjects; and with people, invading personal space is uncomfortable (and possibly hazardous to health) for both photographer and subject.
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American photographer Ray K. Metzker has had a long and distinguished career in photography, and is well known for his cityscape and landscape images. Many of his street photographs exhibit what Henri Cartier-Bresson refers to as the “Decisive Moment” — that moment in which all the subjects and details in a scene come together just perfectly in your viewfinder.
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Sean O’Hagan over at The Observer has published an interesting profile of famed NYC street photographer Joel Meyerowitz, who had some pretty harsh things to say about his fellow NYC street shooter, Bruce Gilden:

I ask Meyerowitz about the combative, confrontational style of street photography espoused by the likes of fellow New Yorker Bruce Gilden, and he grows visibly angry for the only time in our conversation. “He’s a f**king bully. I despise the work, I despise the attitude, he’s an aggressive bully and all the pictures look alike because he only has one idea – ‘I’m gonna embarrass you, I’m going to humiliate you.’ I’m sorry, but no.”

Meyerowitz says that his street photography style is based on his boxer father’s advice to “pay attention” and anticipate the actions of the people he photographed. So here’s the difference between these two famous street photographers: one anticipates, and the other instigates.

Joel Meyerowitz: ‘brilliant mistakes … amazing accidents’ [The Observer]

P.S. Last month we wrote on how Gilden’s street photography attitude carries over into his teaching persona as well.

Thanks for sending in the tip, Phil!

Image credit: Joel Meyerowitz portrait 11/03/2012 reception by Jill Gewirtz

What is street photography? The question is controversial, that’s for sure. The first problem arises when trying to define it. According to Wikipedia:

Street photography is a type of photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings.

This seems to be something everyone can agree on… but it’s incomplete; it’s ambiguous. What, then, makes street photography different from simple candid photography or voyeurism?
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English historian Thomas Fuller once said that “Bad excuses are worse than none.” To help street photographers who are having trouble responding to subjects after candid portraits, Swiss street photographer Thomas Leuthard has come up with a list of “the best excuses” to use on the street.
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Auckland, New Zealand-based street photographer Sim Ahmed of Aucklandia recently decided to spread the love of photography by displaying and offering his work for free on the streets of his city. After printing out 500 digital prints for 9 cents each three weeks ago, he began framing them, revisiting the locations where they were shot, and sticking them on buildings there.
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Scott Schuman, or The Sartorialist, made it big in the blogging, photography, and fashion worlds by having his fashion street photography blog become an Internet sensation. If you think he’s unique in his subject matter, however, boy are you mistaken: he’s simply one of the most famous.

New York Magazine created this fascinating look at how the world of street fashion photography is now teeming with photographers.
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ASMP Releases is a free model and property release app for iOS by the American Society of Media Photographers. Quite useful for if you’d like to use your street photographs commercially.

Photographer can customize a Model or Property release using the ASMP standard releases. The app allows you to create templates, take a photograph of the subject, specify the uses for the images, including any sensitive or digital manipulation issues, and images of minors, the models can then sign the release and a PDF is emailed to the photographer, agent, model and client as needed. [#]

The app also includes generic stock photography releases by Getty Images. Photography release apps are nothing new, but you certainly can’t beat the price of free.

ASMP Releases (via SLR Lounge)