Personal Project #2: Street Photography
“Everybody Street illuminates the lives and work of New York’s iconic street photographers and the incomparable city that has inspired them for decades. The documentary pays tribute to the spirit of street photography through a cinematic exploration of New York City, and captures the visceral rush, singular perseverance and at times immediate danger customary to these artists. Covering nine decades of street photography, “Everybody Street” explores the careers and influences of many notable photographers––a number of whom have never been documented, featuring: Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Jill Freedman, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, Rebecca Lepkoff, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeff Mermelstein, Clayton Patterson, Ricky Powell, Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, and Boogie, with historians Max Kozloff and Luc Sante."
everybodystreet.com
everybodystreet.com
Jill Freedman
Jill Freedman is a highly respected New York City documentary photographer whose award-winning work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, She is best known for her street and documentary photography. She has published seven books: Old News, Circus Days, Firehouse, Street Cops, A Time That Was, Jill’s Dogs, and Ireland Ever. All of the picture she takes are black and white.
"Those early years were fired with an intensity and passion I had never felt before. I was obsessed and driven. I thought about photography all of the time, I dreamed about it. I was totally in love". - Jill Freedman
"Those early years were fired with an intensity and passion I had never felt before. I was obsessed and driven. I thought about photography all of the time, I dreamed about it. I was totally in love". - Jill Freedman
This is my favourite street photograph by Jill Freedman. In this picture there is an elephant pushing a lion in a cage. It is very interesting because you don't know why it is happening. The picture is called evolution, by Jill Freedman. It was taken in 1976.
This picture is black and white. All of her pictures are black and white because it looks better.
The angle of this image is looking straight on standing. The photographer was moving because the the elephant is walking across.
This picture is black and white. All of her pictures are black and white because it looks better.
The angle of this image is looking straight on standing. The photographer was moving because the the elephant is walking across.
- Describe the subject - what is going on in the image?
- Is the image in black and white or colour - what difference does this make?
- Describe the composition of the image - is it calm, still and clearly organised or is it full of action/violence/movement and a little bit chaotic?
- Try to imagine where the photographer was standing/crouching - how close is s/he to the subject and what effect does this have?
- Think about the angle of the viewpoint - looking straight on, tilted, up, down, across …? Was the photographer standing still or moving when the picture was made, do you think?
- How much information is captured in the image? - has the photographer used a wide angle lens to suck in lots of information, or has s/he used a lens to draw us closer to the subject and isolate it from the background?
- If you had to give the photograph a title (other than the one it might already have) what would you call it and why?
- If you could ask the photographer 2 questions to help you understand the image better, what would they be?
Photo Challenge #1 - Ways of Seeing
Take a look at these examples of street photography. Your challenge is to respond to these examples by creating images of your own that borrow these viewpoints, subjects and compositions.
I took these pictures using and cannon camera. I tried to take it from different angles to make the picture look more interesting like street photographers. I tried to get a reflection from the water outside and from windows and doors.
Photo Challenge #2 - Diagonals
The idea for this challenge comes from Eric Kim's great street photography site. Street photographs are often about dramatic situations or view points. Drama is created in pictures in lots of ways but using strong diagonal lines is one technique often used by street photographers.
- Copy the slideshow of images opposite. The picture is by the great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.
- Now, download a few examples of your favourite street photographs where you can see that diagonal lines are important (try using this Pinterest board to help you). You could experiment with drawing on the diagonal lines using the Pages application or creating a Google Drawing.
- Next, go out on location and create a series of pictures with strong diagonal lines. Upload these as a slideshow to your website and write a brief WWW/EBI evaluation.
My Street Photography
Photo Challenge #3 - Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds (which is actually more of a guideline than a rule) is an imaginary grid that can help you make better photographs. As you can see in this diagram, your image is divided up into 9 segments by lines placed one third and two thirds across the surface. Some cameras have the option to turn these grid lines on in the viewfinder.
The idea is to compose your shot using the grid lines, the segments and the places where the lines cross to help you.
Look at the slideshow below for some examples of how I have used the Rule of Thirds in taking my images.
The idea is to compose your shot using the grid lines, the segments and the places where the lines cross to help you.
Look at the slideshow below for some examples of how I have used the Rule of Thirds in taking my images.