You Want It Brighter

L

et’s talk about street photography. These days most new photographers claim the genre of street photography. Most of them don’t know what they are doing. They don’t work close enough. They work from behind. They work from across the street. They often shoot from the hip so that their subjects don’t see them.

I contend that they are mostly shy or are afraid of people.

I don’t know what to say. I’ve been lucky. I have no fear of people. And, I’ve practiced walking up to a person and asking simply, “can I take your picture?” Rarely do they say no. Sometimes they ask why and I tell them something like, “I love your hat, you have an interesting face.” Something like that.

I agree if you say it’s not a peak moment. It’s not catching someone in their decisive moment, but what does that really mean? Maybe it’s about location, light, graphic consideration that just happen to have a person in it. Or, maybe it is catching a person in their peak moment. That doesn’t happen from across the street, or from behind — unless the picture calls for it. It happens when you are working close to the scene that you want in your photograph.

T

his picture.

Now this is street photography. It’s a picture of the street.

Kidding.

It’s a picture that I made on Mardi Gras Day as I was leaving The French Quarter. I was tired. I was mostly looking down once I was sure the street ahead was clear and safe.

I saw the remains of the day and just had to make this picture. Oddly, this little, almost throw away picture, has been licensed for an advertising campaign and as a hero cross over picture in a book. Often, it’s pictures like this one that do the best in what amounts to stock sales.

I wish I could remember to look for little detail scenes like this. But, being somewhat human I forget.