The Sad State of Street Photography 

What does street photography mean to you ?

I think it’s tough to compare street photographers of today, that we’re seeing work in real time, sharing their work in real time, to the curated work of photographers of decades ago. We weren’t seeing new photos made by Erwitt, Meyerowitz, Mary Ellen Mark, etc. every week. I think a lot of this is more about the current times of social media, sharing work, making a living and building a career that way. It certainly has a negative effect on both the work and the photographers making the work, but to consider so much of it as a waste or hopeless or lacking soul is a pretty big generalization. The legendary photographers had their career, the photographers of today are still very much working on theirs. Just my thoughts!

I hear what you say but just to play devil’s advocate … We live in a very different world than the 20th century greats - certainly in the ‘Western world’. Due to technology and social changes which have accelerated since COVID lockdowns, life is moving off the street and back into homes. You don’t see kids playing in the street any longer, no stray dogs etc Young men are in the gym not hanging around on street corners trying to impress a passing girl who herself is indoors at a Yoga class. (Or vice versa) Life is so sanitised. It’s a reverse of the very origins of street life and street photography in mid 19th century. Life on the street is now quieter and less soulful - until there is a carnival, protest march, marathon race etc But if we photograph ‘emotion’ at these events, is it the same as the everyday interaction of a busy street in a small town or big city of the 1950s and 1960s? Also, we’ve now had over a century of modern, visual life - ie trams, the motor car, big trucks, trains and train stations, practical fashions, smoking etc Nothing visual is very new and exciting to us (except an addiction to smart phones!). The technological advances of today are IT based and unseen. We can hardly go out and photograph new software! Also, there is the impact of social anxiety. With the guns in the USA and growing knife attacks in Europe plus the fear of social or legal consequences. In the UK ‘upskirting’ is now a criminal offence’ and it can be applied to photos of children. You could literally get a criminal record and lose your job by taking a candid photo. I’m obviously not defending creeps harassing women and children for a photo but just how much risk does anyone want to take to get a photograph? Meanwhile, if we’re having fun taking our cliched photos, so what? That’s my rant but keep on doing your rants, Justin. They make us think!

Absolutely true, so many channels are copying each other - even the music sounds the same! So many Leicas and wobbly jazz-lite soundtracks with really dull photos - I think the YT pressure to keep churning out regular content is partly responsible. With the exception of real pros like yourself, most people don't get more than one or two good shots in a week, so we see a lot of stuff that should have been edited out.

AMEN. Thank you. Not saying my own work isn't guilty of the same at times, but I recognized some years ago that 'black and white person walking in front of a wall' is boring, overdone. There are great versions of this theme but 99% of the time it is amateurish and the result of being afraid to push the shot further, get closer, find meaning and purpose. Thank you for calling it all out.

Glad to hear you say this. Often I see youtube photographers going on about their amazing photos, showing them out in the field, and then the end result, overlaid with some cinematic music, and it is very easy to get sucked into thinking those are good photos. But I have started looking at those photos a bit more critically and have come to realize if they were my photos, I wouldn't share them with even my wife. I was thinking I was being overly self critical, but after listening to you, perhaps I am just not getting sucked into the hype. I am thinking I might need one of your 1-on-1 consultations 😊. I need some real, critical, and hopefully constructive feedback on my work from someone whose reputation and knowledge is based on more than 5 million subscribers. Thanks.

Hi Justin, I've came across your channel, perhaps two years ago. Have watched your videos over the years. Oddly enough, you living in Hanoi never registered to me, I mostly watched your opinion and experience sharing videos. I've found myself in Hanoi for an assignment and will be here two years, at least. I moved in June and am enjoying exploring the old quarter, will be spending time near Westlake as well. Absorbing the different vibe there. I'd love to sit and have coffee and a discussion some day. About what you're talking about is having an unique voice, to have a reason behind the picture. It's easier to get there when trends are ignored and the photographer explores what he or she wants to convey through the frame, subject, etc... It takes time and a lot of failure to accomplish that. For that to happen, failure has to be accepted and learned from. To not just bank on the greatest hits of someone else and produce poor imitations of them. Pictures created in a particular time, situation, thought process and technique will always be hollow when reproduced. Something like the one camera, one lens and one picture exercise would help pull the photographers own voice; out from under all the influences and social media noise.

I shoot what I think is interesting to me. Don’t really care if it’s been done or who sees it. Not trying to be a professional or go viral. Just having fun and have images to look back on when I get old. Glad I don’t have this crazy complex about it all. Get out and shoot. Practice and grow.😬

Once I see a beanie, a Leica (or Fuji), and some lofi music... I know what's coming.

maybe it's good I have no idea what I'm doing but I do know I want to take pictures I like. this video gives me hope

This is brilliant, exactly how I was thinking and trying to capture emotion. I have some ideas for some projects. Going to check out your site. I like your approach.

I don't disagree with your point...I disagree with your method (or the lack thereof): Looking at the past and comparing it to the present can be flawed, in as much as there is MORE past and infinitely less 'present'...Simply: You may be 'compressing' years of photography and comparing it to the small slice of time we think of as the present. Of course, I can be wrong...Peace.

Yes well said!!! Unfortunately our culture elevates mediocrity and today's glut of street photographers give importance to work that is undeserved. Multitudes of YT and Instagram identikit photographers churn out soulless images and massage each other's egos and end up believing they are creating special work. Someone needs to tell them that shooting with film and a Leica M6 doesn't make crap special. It may be fun, but boring street doesn't give me any emotion. Photography is important when it takes the form of projects - the photo essay that is attached to personal human experiences is the stuff that has real depth, not random shots of stuff we have seen a million times before! Rant over lol.

Interesting analysis of the situation with a lot of food for thought. Thanks

Spot on critique. Study and be inspired by the greats. The reality is that to stand out with an interesting and fresh take on things take a lot of time and effort. Unfortunately so much easier to stick with cliched aesthetics. Many started around the time of covid, maybe a little before, so hopefully give it a number more years and some of them will develop a more singular vision and produce compelling bodies of work. Who knows, maybe to the point whereby top fine art galleries and curators will champion it again. In terms of making it relevant and finding emotion and soul, I feel that we live in interesting times, kinda edgy, especially here in the US, whereby arguably the most consequential election year has befallen. It shouldn't be too difficult to capture some of that!

I disagree. The problem with all of the examples that you pointed out is that those bodies of work were pulled from hundreds (if not thousands) of photos to only showcase the best of the best photos that were taken over years and in some cases decades. The problem today is the demand for fast and continuous turnaround that forces people to post the best of the week or day OR forces people to show the process that it takes to develop their skills (which you’re suggesting people should try to develop). Should everyone spend years getting good at photography before posting anything online? There is plenty of “boring” or derivative work out there, but it should be seen as the process when these photos are posted which takes a ton of time. Also, there are still plenty of street photographers who are awesome as a result of years of practice that are able to keep up with social media demands, but they’ve already developed the skills. Joe Greer, Tetsuo Suzuki, Billy Dee, and Alan Schaller come to mind. Those few greats are probably comparable to the ratio of great to mediocre photographers that have always been. The difference is that you see everyone’s work now without the need for a MoMA exhibition.

I’m so glad you pointed out the pretentious nonsense of people making up a commentary for the body of work AFTER the shots have been taken 😂

Sorry Justin, there are millions of people with cameras, so I doubt you have.seen all the pictures people take so a bit of a generalisation. Photography is subjective just like other forms of art so this talk was more a Segway into selling your courses rather than a serious attempt to address from your perspective with examples what is wrong with street photography today. No one is right & no one is wrong 🍻

The most boring street photography I'm seeing nowadays is shots of people from behind doing nothing but walking away. It's mostly done by street shooter too scared to shoot people face on. And it's ubiquitous all over social media. Another issue is street shooters thinking most of their shots are home runs. Personally, if I come home from a day of shooting with two or maybe three out of 150 shots that I'm excited about processing, then it's been a successful outing. Most amatuer street shooters aren't very critical curators of their own work, in my opinion.

I really do agree and also slightly disagree a little with you on this. I agree that it seems like everyone is just taking the same cookie cutter images just to get likes, there is no arguing that. But, I think we do have to consider the world we live in, in 2024, compared to the legends of old. I think a lot of this comes down to pure over saturation of content and images. When the average person can easily take 300+ photos in one day and post most of them online in that same day, we are just inundated with images that are bound to copy other folks. This might be sacrilegious to say, but I imagine that if the classic photographers lived in our time, they would would be doing exactly the same thing. They stood out and are regarded as legends because of three main reasons, sheer skill (obviously), time (because their images are like time-capsules), and the sheer lack of competitors or rather, just others photographers which made it easier for them to stand out and be original. It's the catch 22 of living in a hyper connected and digital world. We have seemingly endless tools to be amazingly creative and show off our work, but so does everyone else. It can be harder to stand out and be original in an overly saturated creative world when three or four main styles are hot at that moment.

I have to agree. When I see what‘s posted in streetphotography groups nowadays it’s just sad. It’s just photos of people in the streets. No story, no soul, no artistic expression. Worst of it all: the more compromising you make people look in your photos, the more likes you get.

Just by sheer numbers it’s impossible not be repetitive in the age of social media. Around 60.000 pictures are being taken every second, some good, some bad, maybe some future classics who knows. Hard to draw a comparison to the days of classic street photography. I believe we have a great photographer somewhere out there, they are just harder to find today in a world of junk and after all it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Nothing better to argue what is art or not.

It’s funny when I hear all this fuss around ‘Street’ photography.. When I first got a camera and wandered around East Londin & Paris as a student, it was just photography, I was just out taking pictures. It had no name...Then later as a news photographer, much of what we shot was in the street.. Even on quiet news days the boss would kick us out of the office to go and find a feature picture, weather feature, illustration etc.. So today I just go out and take pictures. Yes I have my idols, McCullin, Eugene Smith, Willy Ronis, or Elliot Erwitt. But shooting to one or any catagorised type of image doens’ t interest me.. I just shoot like I did as a photojournalist and most importantly for myself..

of course you are not getting street photography like you didn't through the 20 century eg 1900-2000 . especially the first half , or up to the 60s because every country still had its unique identity before globalisation and the market economy took a grip , today , most countries are identical in their identities, people are behaving in the same way apart from the very poor and undeveloped countries were you are not going because you will not survive . eg Haiti , Sierra loane, Yemen , central America, Venezuela , etc etc ..You are not getting anything new or unique because all people are doing now is looking at their phones .. People are just hypnotised zombies , their is very little variance in behaviour , but also people taking photographs , street photographers , are using the same boring equipment that all yeld the same results , they are using the same refined processes .. following the same formula .. copying one another .. its all Been done before ... these 2 facts/statement explain the state of street photography ...

I don't see this as a rant I see it as a call to action. I completely agree with you. If I see another silhouetted person mid-stride in an angular pocket of light I'm gonna lose it. There is a severe lack of soul in modern street photography, or maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I also feel there is no real danger or lack of order in anything I'm seeing. Almost like every picture is being taken to feed the algorithm and unless it's perfectly exposed, perfectly focused and minutely composed, it isn't worth anyone's time. There's a great Gary Winogrand quote that goes "You no why your pictures are no fucking good? Because they don't describe the chaos of life." Thanks for this video man and for getting this same thought I've been having lately out of my head and into the world.

The great, late John Free used to teach that he wanted 3 elements/focal points in the frame before he tripped the shutter. At least three. It was a way of imposing a discipline to photography, and avoiding just snapping away. Much of what we see today is just snapping away...

I totally get this, but I think I’ve got a slightly different take, based on my (very non-photography-based) professional career (I teach creative writing): any time something that’s been a bit “out of fashion” for a while, e.g. poetry, photography (especially photography with an actual camera and not just a phone, or even film photography), when the resurgence starts there are a lot of people who get into it with an emphasis on the product rather than the process. It gets them likes and followers and maybe what passes for a little bit of fame these days, and that’s what they’re chasing, not the development of their craft and their art. So, tried and true “formulas” rule and much of the work ends up seeming very derivative to anyone who has an awareness of the history of the craft. And here, at long last, is my take: it’s always been this way. People have always been people, and we’ve always produced a great deal of mediocre (or, I suppose, as the kids would say, “mid”) “art.” But that’s the great thing about time - the good stands the test and the rest is forgotten. But it can be frustrating in the moment; we can feel inundated, or even like we’re drowning, in mediocre work, especially when that work is receiving praise. I think the current social media landscape has had an interesting, and amplifying, effect on this process, which can, for many of us, make it even more disheartening, but it also seems to have sped up the process as well. In my own professional world, there were “popular” poets producing (what I would consider) very mediocre, very derivative work just a few years ago that my students just couldn’t get enough of. Now, just 5-7 years later, most of my students not only never mention them, almost none of them have even heard of those “poets.” They’ve moved on to the next thing, not even realizing it is the next thing. For them, it’s just *the* thing. Side note: I’d argue the same could be said for music, all the other visual arts, and basically any creative endeavor. The pattern keeps repeating. Seeing that pattern repeat again and again is one of the advantages of being “an old guy.” Realizing that good work will always get made and, usually, recognized (while the mediocre gets forgotten) is what keeps me from (hopefully) being “an angry old guy.”

Hmm... my take is that sometimes we overcomplicate photography by assuming it's not just a photograph. Because at the end of the day that's what it is is a photograph. There's no need for all the standards and philosophies and dissenting opinions. It's just photography. It doesn't matter. If someone has their camera and they like what they're doing THAT is the purpose, that's the only aspect of it it that actually matters.

You hit the nail on the head, and I'm definitely guilty of the sins you've described as well. I think it's like exercise or diet, in terms of knowing what I should be doing but not always having the patience or commitment to do it. I also think that social media is a large part of the problem: the fact that we post images we know aren't especially good because it feels good to have people tell us they're good. I watched a RU-vid video about a professional landscape photographer who spends most of his time traveling the world and ends up with only about six images in a whole year that he feels are worthy of offering for sale. Thank you for the wake up call, and for the time you put into your channel.

Nowadays it's hard to capture emotions or interesting situations on the streets, because people's lives no longer happen on the streets.

I don't know... I partially agree. I think there are some tropes that are over done... but I do see alot of good photos. I think alot of this "soulessness" is just that, we tend to be very nostalgic... seeing the past as better days... there's not necessarily more soul in older photos, just that we see naturally see even mundane photos from the 40s, 50s, 60s etc as more interesting, older clothing, cars, signs, store fronts... we see it as a more distant, lost era that we are connecting to in the photo... maybe in the 2060s, they will look at our shots from the 2000s to 2020s as being more soulful

I suspect a lot of “street photographers”are just camera enthusiasts that need something easy to point their camera at. So in turn the work is lacklustre, soulless and copy and paste. There is so much obsession about needing a small camera for street photography. Oh you can’t shoot street unless you have a very specific camera.

Enjoyed the rant Justin! I think the wider debate behind “street photography” is the difficulty of finding a unique voice as a photographer today. So much has been done and said during the golden age of the medium. It’s as tough as trying to reinvent Rockn’roll today as a musician. Shooting the streets of NYC for the past decade as a side project (my biz is wedding photography), finding a unique approach has been the toughest. I feel we have all seen all the NYC street images, very very hard to say anything new. I can’t blame people replicating successful recipes…trying to be unique is definitely the way more demanding path. Cheers!

This is a conversation we need to be having as a community. Whenever there’s a big jump in popularity of anything there’s an influx of people at the ground level. For a lot of people Covid was the catalyst for picking up and camera and starting their street photography journey (at least it was for me). The problem is people joining in recent years see a very watered down version of the art form. Tik Tok, Instagram, and even RU-vid have popularized a very simple version of street. I’m guilty of this as well, starting out I watched a ton of Pierre T Lambert and thought his was the world’s greatest photographer. It wasn’t until I went back to the more grass roots of the genre that I started to learn what a good/great image even is. Not to diss all the modern day social media photographers (hell I started a channel to be one of them) but there’s something to be said about praising people for high follower counts verses amazing results. I think we need to do better as a community at shining light on the people that have truly mastered the craft.

So I think you hit a home run with the "know your why" but you strike out here: perhaps 98% of people's why they do photography just isn't transcendental and they are happy with that ... hence all the "boring" photography. Some people just like taking pictures, and the act of photography, and the gear, and all that -- and I think that's ok cause who cares. But yeah, I agree, most of the stuff out there feels like fast food -- satisfies (maybe) for a few moments, and then is digested and forgotten quickly.

[0:05] 😠 The speaker is critical of current trends in street photography, finding them repetitive and lacking journalistic depth. [0:29] 📸 Street photography often focuses on aesthetic formulas like high contrast black and white or ironic juxtapositions, which the speaker finds cliché. [2:08] 🎞 Legendary street photographers like Elliot Erwitt are praised for injecting emotion and soul into their work, a quality the speaker believes is missing in contemporary street photography. [3:07] 🔄 The speaker urges photographers to break away from formulaic approaches and instead find their own unique style and purpose in their photography. [5:32] 🌟 Photography should aim to show viewers something new or familiar in a fresh way, a principle the speaker believes is often overlooked in current street photography trends.

Salty! Hope your dog is feeling better. I will never be a professional or have a big following, and honestly that isn't what I'm looking for in photography. I look for things that I think are interesting and try and shoot them in a way that is pleasing for me. If it is a hit on Vero, then cool. If not no worries either. I'm at the end of a 30 year career as a busy firefighter, so my ego is fairly secure. What makes me happy is when I can shoot something, print it, and put it up on my wall. If I can do that, and look at the hanging picture and say "Damn! I like that" then I have hit my mark. I like watching you, because your work has a flavor all it's own, and while I have no desire to copy you, I use it to learn and add tools to the toolbox to use when the mood or the need strikes. Keep up the videos.

I've realized it long time ago that GOOD street photography is HARD. Pedestrians stepping from a shadow area into the ray of light, reflections, abstractions, juxtapositions... or wait - my "favourite" - shots through window glass of people sitting in the café or on the bus (I've done it myself :) I believe that good street photography should be PROJECT or THEME based. Then it has a chance to be interesting and potential successful in some way.

I might try something different like walking around a big city and surprising people with a camera lens in their face.

I don't always agree with you Justin, but this time I do 100% too many signage shots, balloon 🎈 head shots, no real decisive moments... Which was the very thing Street photography was based on. Unfortunately in my opinion people like Matt Day are the problem here, RU-vidrs that promote a very boring set of work... Who in the real world would not be recognised as a great photographer.... So go figure, I do like Matt and his videos just not the photography. P.s I'm young..ish.

One hundred percent. Needed to be said. In fact its the repetitive nature thar gets me wound up. There are some modern copycats selling books and courses, but its just fine art silhouette photography marketed as "street photography". There's no soul in it.

The most important part of my photography journey was learning no longer to care about other people's opinions. All I create is just what I is pleasing to my eyes. There is no story, no deeper meaning just simply estheticly pleasing to me. I worked a few years as a photographer doing all kinds of assignments. But creating something for someone else just made me unhappy. And I ditched shooting raw I like photography not editing. Fujis Jpegs are fine for me. Plus I like the fact that the shutter press is the final image. No tricks no gimmicks just in body photography.

I think what you are describing is the "Zeitgeist" of today. We are llving in a copy&paste time in all areas, whether it is photography, music , trends or even behaviour. We loose our personal creativiy because we are constantly surrounded and influenced by everyone elses creativity or copy&pastery. I think to overcome that we have to spend more time with ourselves, offline than time online. It's hard but something one can train i believe. streetphotography for me is captering a moment in time that is worth capturing.

I have mixed thoughts about studying the masters from the last century, then trying to find a style I might pursue or relate to. I am happy to see the resurgence of film shooters, can’t decide to laugh or smile, having started my photo journey in 1967. You can’t be like someone else, worse reaction, he/she is just copying, a watered down version. Just shoot. Also it is very tough to reinvent the wheel, is anyone in landscape photography the next Ansel Adams? or Ernst Hass, Saul Leiter or Henri Cartier-Bresson. I love their work and look to create, but I’m not them. So I guess just studying their images and techniques then trying to apply them to what I see and create is the best I can do. Just shoot.

Problem is that as soon as you criticize someone you're instantly a "hater". Shitty pics need to be criticized.

Part of me wants to be like “oh, here comes Justin bashing all the other RU-vidrs again,” but I think you have a point to some degree. As a hobbyist who would at least like to think I’m halfway decent and can capture some good photos, I’m at the point with my photography where being able to figure out how folks implement certain shots is helpful for my technical skills and it’s fun to do if I’m being honest. But I’m also approaching it knowing I want to essentially be able to have those skills in my arsenal so I can use them down the road or at least understand the mechanics of the process if it eventually helps me do my own thing.

Love your thoughts man. So many influencers tryna be relevant. The worst are the 'film photographers', thinking that that their choice of media makes them creative. Argh. You brushed upon the most important concept of all. Have an idea or direction for your images. That's the true creativity. Not Nikon vs. Canon or Film vs. Digital.

Securing a New York Times assignment does not mean you shoot with your soul, it's about money. Your rant itself is copy and paste... show me that you're unique.

Brave! You gonna get some shit for this 😮. Personally I totally agree

imitation can often be an important part of a creative journey - ask any really young and honest writer and they'll tell you they've written plenty in a style approximating someone they idolise. The problem is when the journey ends at imitation, and seeks to go no further. And that is, to me at least, where street photography is right now. Great vid mate

Just like you need catchy subjects for your videos to get views, street photographers need catchy pictures to get the mainstream public to get views and followers on IG. The good and creative street photographs are often not understood by the general audience. So really it's up to you, to either feature what you consider your very best work, or seek popularity. I try to mix it up, but always within my creative vision.

I am guilty of all the sins you named (except smartphone photography, which is deadly). Sadly, as the EU banned portraying persons in the streets, I had to transform myself into a museum photographer. Works of art took the place of people, and museum directors followed the "community aesthetic": if you want to eat, you have to. Do I like it? No, I'm studying to become a philosophy researcher at 53 because that "stereotype" you describe is not photography, and it disgusts me. So, I changed my life since I can't change photography's new "standards." I admit I really miss the old good street photography. Legislations and bills to pay aside, it seems to me that nowadays, street photography has become a competition, and it is no longer a dedication: making "impactful" standardized images to get as many "likes" as possible instead of building a body of work, a portfolio, a project and evolve as a photographer. If photography is your job, then "likes" will not pay your bills; hard work will do. Thank you for the hints and reflections.

You have a good point. A lot of street photography is quite pointless in away that it does not have a real story or soul, as you say.

We also live in a different world. People are a lot more aware of their own privacy. The rules and laws are more strict than they used to be. That is one reason why we see less faces in street photographs. 

Then there is of course the vast amount images we see all the time. There are so many photographs published that the good ones just gets buried to the flow of photos. 

The masters also used decades to make their photographs, their bodies of work. Nowadays many think that we can make it in a week. Part of the charm of the masters is the fact that the images are from an era that is not here anymore. Of course some of the work was popular at the time when it was made. Partly because people saw things and places that have not been or have no way of going. In todays world we travel and see stuff on tv. 

But I do agree with you that most street photographs are a bit boring and cliches. We all are guilty of that, me included.

100% on the money, as only an experienced photographer can point out. Don't forget the "groundbreaking" images of a gas station at night. Originality is hard; good ideas are even more difficult. I remember the year (1980) I attended the Missouri Workshop. Nearly everyone's first story idea got rejected, some their second, third, and even fourth. The attendees weren't a group of weekend shooters; these were all seasoned professional photojournalists from around the world, with one exception: me. I was there on a student scholarship. But that didn't win me any favor or special treatment. I was there to learn, and man, did I! Sadly, today, so many think all they need to do is point and press the button, and art will spit out on the other side. Which brings us to this point: copy and paste imagery with no insight, little craft, and void of emotion. As long as it garners vast numbers of likes, it's art. Sigh.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” I don’t agree. I feel it does have to be this way because it is the reality of life that people who are truly great at something are rare by definition which is always in comparison to the field. In anything, but especially art, you have the ones who are at the top and the rest are people who try to copy what they can. I would say most musicians that have existed, even with great technique throughout history are copying and can’t imbue emotions like the greatest, but they’re good enough for the public. All the average people will always look up to the ones with some skill and they’ll make a living off it. In short you’ll always have this majority group of “copiers” and the public that will praise their work

Not sure I can get too upset at the photographs of people whose primary medium is not photography, but instead "content" _about_ photography. It's frustrating to have that stuff put in your face non-stop because of the nature of the largest social media platforms that I'll agree with, but that's just a more effective version of what has always existed. The reality is there is and has always been considerably more chaff than wheat. If you let social media choose what you see, it's going show you chaff because these systems are effectively median voter machines. And you're gonna get shown the stuff that appeals to the median photography "content" enjoyer.

Hmmm… Some good points here, however, the mass of street photography has probably always been in a sad state. The difference is, that today we get to see all those "negs", that never ever came to light prior to social media and instagram in particular. Digital has freed up street photography to the masses who just want to have a go, and social media and Alogrithms has socialised those wanting to have a go, into shooting shadows and thinking that that is what street photography is all about. Digital editing tools, enables images with little to no soul, to be photoshopped to your hearts content, and even over-processed images are considered a style choice today. I think that all these things probably used to happen back in the day also, but in most instances, to a lesser extent. Deffo the publication aspect. Some old film shooters, still have rolls and rolls of film that they haven't even processed due to lack of funds, and I'm guessing that a large proportion of those shots probably have no soul, and are not "bangers", and when you are paying to have them processed, that's as far as some of those images will go. It becomes a part of the selection process, determining the worthy from the non worthy shots. In digital today, we don't have that, so some of those "no soul" shots make it through much easier. When we look back to the masters, the great shots that we see from them, tend to be the same few repeatedly shown all the time. Probably not more than ten memorable shots from the masters, over forty or fifty YEARS of active shooting!… Why would anyone think little old "me" could match anything like that, uploading every day to instagram? We need to stop comparing what we do, to what the masters did, and just get on with our own growth and development, and learn to gauge that in the time and space that we are in today. If we are lucky enough to get our images into print, we may be blessed to produce one or two really memorable shots in our lifetime, for the future generation to pour over with whatever capture devices and social media implants humans will have in the 2100s. That's if AI hasn't killed us all off by then.

I like the idea that it's important to "have a 'why.'" My camera is always with me, so it's easy to capture a photo when I see something interesting. But, not every shot has a purpose (a 'why'). I've come to believe that finding the meaning/purpose in a photo involves finding the emotional message of the image. Conveying the emotion of a picture is really hard to do. But, for me, it starts with genuine empathetic observation. Which, in itself, is a difficult skill to develop.

Why don't we have nowadays superb photographies like those made by Cartier-Bresson and other ones? We have now very fast focusing cameras, digital cameras, Photoshop, etc. But I never see story telling photographies, with no composition, but only street images with people walking. Old style photographers had rudimentary cameras but their works are superb.

Love what you do, and do what you love and dont hate on others, I say. For every amatuer using a formula there are 10 RU-vidrs pretending to be pros, o ex-pros....

Just let people do as they wish -

We're at a very different place now than 1965, "Street" wasn't even a thing it was just a new vision set against what there always is, mundane pretty pictures technically executed. Most people won't be very good, but digital has must made it possible for most people to be averagely better than people used to be in film. Technically the bar is raised, but aesthetically it's the same as ever. In their day, Evans, Frank, Winogrand, Arbus, Friedlander were outsiders, Winogrand said famously "we know too much about what a good picture looks like" or to that effect, he was trying to "break" photography and find something new. Friedlander has evolved steadily while keeping his essential look. The reason street is boring now is because it's like Club Jazz, you sit-down to the two drinks minimum, and hear a recreation of Giant Steps. It's trying to make the "good" picture. It's not having a conversation about pushing the art into a new direction. Art seems to have little power against social media. Instead of arguing through ideas in art, we are just arguing the comments. I'm happy for RU-vid, more creation is good even if the things being made are middling. There will always be a very few doing it better, and they will be doing it so much better you cannot fathom, just like in sport. When it's better, it's not even close. Think Arnold, Mermelstein, Sarah Vanrij, there are others.

Totally agree with this statement.....Xerox photographers....just like modern music (personal rant).... great that someone had aired the state of affairs!...

We mainly see the best curated work of famous photographers, but never their outtakes. With social media, that's different. We see everyone's work both good and bad, myself included. Most photos I take, I probably shouldn't share, but it's part of figuring it out. Of course we all emulate work, it's hard not to. With so many pictures being taken, it feels mathematically difficult not to have a photo that is reminiscinate of someone else's prior work. Some of the greats didn't have that worry because they were laying the foundations that we would go on to study.

I document my day to day life which involves now and then some street shots, but not too many. I take pics every day, sometimes only 1 and sometimes more. But it is a daily matter of observing ,having love for light and composition

It is a snapshot of a moment in time - if it connects emotionally that is all that matters to me irrespective of what anyone else thinks of it - that is the purist pleasure of photography and it does not necessarily have to apply only to street photography ( though that may involve a different conversation !)

I think this is nonsense really, more reverence for the 'masters' as though everyone doing it today is a pretender. Photography is no different from other art, all you're doing is stimulating yourself, following your curiosity, trying to surprise yourself, satisfy yourself, that's everyone's personal relationship with art. So someone using a camera today to make images that they respond to has nothing to do with anyone in the 20th century. We think they do based on the rules they still need to adhere to to make aesthetically pleasing images. We endlessly compare, sometimes with others whose work is not similar at all really as though people just take this broad basic view, like not all black and white is the same, there can be major differences in subject and composition. Just because you do high contrast bnw doesn't mean you're copying Daido Moriyama, it is actually possible to be carving your own path communicating how you feel but there to be a crossover in terms of aesthetic. I love the grain of film, i consider anyone who uses film a proper photographer in terms of their mentality, patience, things i don't have. But i can say my connection with art is as deep as it can be, and however much i admire the patience of the 'masters' i'm not having it that their connection is deeper than mine, based on the privilege of being put on a pedestal by the photography establishment. Elliott Erwitt really? Because the little dog by some legs has soul? Is that soul not just...film grain? All the 'masters' are just like anyone else doing it today, they took some great shots, they took a lot of average ones, they got lucky a few times, and then the establishment re shows the great lucky off ones for all eternity as though that's their standard. And everyone looks at them and goes 'ah i've never got anything like that, i must be rubbish'. Yeah, they couldn't get that shot again either. If you don't think there's anyone doing quality work today, then you're either not looking or choosing to not see. You will see some of the best candid street you will ever see on instagram. To give an example of the 'establishment', wandering around New York i came across a photo stall by Jon Conn, a photographer who did candid flash street in the 80s in the subways of New York. At least two shots (man climbing out of train holding knife and nun holding paper with 'Pope shot dead' on it') i thought were some of the best street photos i've ever seen, and i thought back to how we're always presented with what is said to be the 'best' or most purist form of street and yet i'd never seen these. Am i supposed to think Elliot Erwitt's dog is all i need to see of good candid street? Because i preferred the grime of the Conn shots, i don't care for 50s Hollywood, i like grit, they expressed far more culture because the New York subways expressed culture. Another shot that is more modern that i'd say is the highest tier of candid street is Reuben Radding's woman tugs arm of a boy, it's perfect in every way, the framing, the L shape of the arm, the pattern on her trousers, her being black, kid being white, the clarity and contrast of the expressions, that it feels of a different time and then the kid is wearing dungarees, it's so beyond perfect it is a gift you get maybe only once or twice in a lifetime. Someone else is Jun Abe, a Japanese Osaka based bnw film photographer from the 80s whose work is as good as candid street can be, who i've only just discovered as he appeared on an instagram account that only posts old Japanese artbooks. Not since 2010 when i would browse instagram and buy books and go to exhibitions and being invested in Japanese 20th century photography had i ever come across him, which is crazy to me. I think the photography establishment can do better giving exposure to others because for 90% of people 20th century bnw Japanese photography is Daido Moriyama, who i love but i think he's got his due by now. I can look at Jun Abe's work and think...i've never got something like that, but then it's like the Messi Maradona Pele comparisons, that basically because they came first Messi gets compared to them in a 'well has he done this?' kind of way as opposed to 'well, have Pele and Maradona done these things Messi has?' All these workshops and tutorials and How Tos and obsession with masters don't make the point all photography is just an attempt, you get what you can get, it's not always you're not seeing it but the situation just not arising. We can appreciate the 'masters' but this distinction between them and people today is nonsense and only continues this invented tier of a standard that means quality work today goes ignored. If anything is 'sad', maybe it's that there's loads of quality work that goes overlooked and there's plenty of people with platforms and a huge number of followers who could try digging deep and looking and giving exposure to unknown photographers but choose instead to do these kind of declarative videos with dramamtic titles because that's how you get the views.

The persona of ranting critical photographer (or photography critic) feels very necessary to me. Nothing against the democratization of the process of picture-taking, but the equation of RU-vid+iPhone (or Fujifilm X100000) does not likely equal Cartier Bresson. I’m pretty sure your diatribe could also be adapted to “landscape photography,” where nowadays everyone has to go to Iceland (including myself) or maybe Slovenia (again, including myself), or, if they have the scratch, the newest places to destroy, Greenland and Antarctica. ND-induced slow shutter speeds to make moving water (shot, perhaps, from inside the water) look like glass, moody tonal shifts and fake skies dropped in with presets, heavy reliance on rule of thirds and leading lines, etc. Not everyone can be a genius, and I think the feedback loop of RU-vid has replaced educated awareness of other lesser-known but imaginative photographers, always showing us the same guys, the same gear. I appreciate your impatience, we need more of that TBH. At least I do.

Your take was far better than the often gatekeeping that I see from many RU-vidrs. Of course biggest example is in order to do street photography the "legit way", you must be like 24mm-35mm, up in the scene. They will automatically try and put down someone for using a zoom to "snipe", but these people will also use their own stealth, shooting from the hip or using zone focusing like, what is the difference at that point? You are right, that you will then see these often cookie-cutter images with no personality from them.

Most important question in journalism is "Who cares?" or "Who gives a f---?" The same is true for photography and any other form of art. If the photos you're putting out there look like thousands of others, almost nobody will care about your photo. It might still be an awesome photo, and you and your family might love it, and that's cool too. Just don't copy someone's technique and submit it and complain when you go unnoticed and unpaid because your work looks exactly like 10,000 other shooters' at that time. End rant.

TOTALLY agree. I don't shoot street photography. There is SO much of it and most of it is just "snapshots" of people walking around. I shouldn't throw stones since I don't work in that area myself, but I love the work of Alex Webb and others, so you're right - it CAN be done. Hope to see more creative stuff as well.

Well said, just shooting out on the “street” doesn’t make you a “street photographer “ , study where that term originated from, Gary Winogrand is one I always am inspired by.

It’s “Vapid” Crosswalk/Stripes Balloon head Reflections Alex Webb replica scenes

Michael Ernest Sweet predicted much of this a decade ago in his essay on HuffPost titled "Street Photography Has No Clothes". He has banged on this drum in numerous articles since then. You two would be good buddies!

Nailed it. Soul and storytelling is what separates Garry Winogrand, Elliot Erwitt, and Vivian Maier, from the rash of snapshot peddlers out there. If it was easy, everyone would do it, but instead everyone is trying it but most are failing. It's hard; I've been working at it only for a couple of years and am just starting to be able to create the feeling in others that made me take the picture in the first place. As a career musician and critic, I can tell you it is the same there, carbon copies of carbon copies. If you are just rehashing Fan Ho, Joel Meyerowitz, or Sebastiao Salgado, god bless but we don't really need a RU-vid channel by you purporting to teach us street photography. As AC/DC's Angus Young said, "There is a place to practice your scales; it is just not in front of me." Keep preaching brother.

Personally I think we are totally over saturated with photos these days with instant results posted instantly to feed algorithms and photographers who get massive followings for some pretty average work but who is to say if the old masters were around today they wouldn’t be doing exactly the same thing. I post some of my street doco stuff on my channel I have some of my work published in newspapers I work for I try to avoid the many cliches you mentioned I try to photograph emotion rather than lone mysterious figures wearing a Fedora standing ominously is a shaft of great light but hey that stuffs popular going by the likes n hearts each to their own

The Chiaroscuru street shot, I feel like that’s 94% of street photography at the moment AND I HATE IT 😂. It’s the epitome of being abstract for the sake of being abstract, and is a prime example of the soullessness pervading so much of photography at the moment. The problem is in a social media driven world people are just so afraid to develop their own style and copy paste whatever else they see as popular at a given moment just to stay relevant. This Chiaroscuro style shot is popular in the doom scroll and has a relatively high chance of receiving engagement vs a much better documentary style shot. Until the dynamic with socials changes the quality of work will continue to come second to whatever has the highest chance of receiving the click imo. As an aside, I also think some of the problem is due to shooting digital vs film. Or maybe less deep, film and slow digital vs modern unlimited shooting digital. With the pressure to make every shot count removed people’s worst add impulses take over which causes us to loose sight of the little details that made photos of the past so dynamic and interesting. O well I’ve droned on for long enough, in the end I agree something is off in photography in general and has been for quite awhile. Great discussion piece 👏

Oh hell yes. Too true. It seems to me that social media is driving/enabling this tendency. The nexus of this phenomenon seems to currently be Tokyo, where the street photography scene is so popular there are roving posses of (mostly) young dudes with either a vintage film camera or a Ricoh GR, producing thousands of images of Japanese people living their normal life. Alternatively you have legions of US photographers taking pastel film shots of old cars and gas stations. Literally soulless. The positive side of this self-perpetuating cycle is that interest in photography remains strong.

Part of the probelm is that cameras are so good nowadays anyone can take a photo. Its easy. What isn't easy and therefore neglected is learning the craft. Its easy to make yourself sound intelligent by parroting off BS about Bayer filters and megapixels and sensor size (and copying everyone else) but it takes years to learn how to tell a story. Having said that, there are a number of examples of photographers form the last decade who were just taking snapshots, in effect, so its not entirely new.

Thanks for this video. In the past maybe a magazine a month & the weekly photo class was all the photos people saw. So many talented people were gatekept. Today, there is no filter & an abundance of images. There is freedom. If you, dear creator, are consuming socials like a junkie, then with all due respect you are projecting your soulessness. Also, hot takes like this age poorly. If you look at videos decrying art & pot from the 1960s to the 1980s they are all cringe.

Interesting idea but you left it unstructured and further diluted against the end of the video. Plus, you haven’t hinted at the essence of the matter, which lies on several grounds, the shift to technological obsession and copy-paste culture, the soulless society at large, and others. That said, I don’t want to undermine your effort, just to say that we are dealing here with a serious matter and you have opened up the door.

Social media sucks the soul out of everything it touches. Including photography. Mimics with nothing of their own to say rule that world. Sadly.

I think over-consumption of media is to blame for the substantial output of unoriginal photographs. When a photographer browses Instagram several hours a day they will likely be unconsciously directed to re-create what they have seen. So when they take a photograph, they might think of it as original, but it’s actually more or less a recreation of something they have already viewed. Later they’ll come home and post those photos to social media where more people will be exposed. It’s a vicious cycle.

Soul is an ambiguous term for the essence, the making, the composition that is within the context of the person's natural peripheral perception. This invokes morality, Aesthetics, transparencies through vulnerability and or the dynamics of the mix or lack of all of em. Which then entails that the "soul", heart, will, intention, essence of the individual's vision is determined by their own individual perception of their experiences. What we see as just beautiful light photographed on a wall which derives as simple and interesting, but not thought, or soul, essence provoking while to the artist perhaps being present, completely invoking the indulgence of the surrounding, a beautiful light illuminating the textiles of wall, from an arched window next to the ticket window at the train stop where so many passes, but to no avail of recognizing with the intention of heading to somewhere, anywhere or coming back home. The depiction of soul, essence... is in everything and everywhere... both the art of photography, and our perception of what is essence are young as a civilization and we're still on a journey embarking towards its understandings and expressions.

I agree with you. Cameras are so advanced it's difficult to not get a good exposure but just getting a good exposure isn't necessarily a good photograph. I see too many people just shooting on the street, people walking around, etc. but there's no moment (or the soul you're talking about). Modern cameras, such as they are, make getting a good photograph even more difficult. I'm also a firm believer in studying the masters of the past; know your craft so you can self-critique objectively.

in my time, i believe its just called 'candid' photography. now its been elevated to 'arty farty street' photography --- how did it happen? i believe it has a lot to do by clever marketing by fancy camera brands which wants their privileged customers to experience photography the way some past photo journalist masters every time they press the shutter.

Just take photos you like, not what others may like.

Why do people such as me posts lots of pictures? Because many shoot them as memories, for themselves and friends and family. Indeed, when people want to earn money from their pictures, they need to be selective and show only their best. But for most people, it is about showing their memories to others who are close to them. But it is correct that sometimes it is laziness when people post all their pictures, including bursts of 20 pictures of non moving objects. In those cases, people, even those who know them, stop following them.

The state of street photography nowadays fueled by social media and editing softwares facilitated the process. However, that does not mean those who leverage on these tools have mastered the process. Many imitates, but fell short in coming up with originality. There is nothing wrong with imitation in order to master the technicques. That is how people learn (playing instruments, painting, sculpting, writing, etc.). HOwever, those who takes on the path of creativity and discovery of self will eventually set him/herself apart. That achievement does not mean fame or fortune, rather an attainment of personal style (I believe luck plays a major role in becoming famous and rich). Some of the most successful artists (including photographers) that I know in person do not have social media with large followers and vise versa. What we see on social media is but a fraction of what is out there. I still have faith and believe that Street photography is a constantly evolving method that will go towards a positive path. Just my two cent. Great video by the way.

I think some of the comments in this video are valid, but I think a lot of them aren’t as well. Unfortunately photography is a highly subjective form of art. What one person thinks is good another person might think is trash. No two ways about it Instagram has devalued photography hugely and that’s something we’re all going to have to manage

When I shoot pictures that thrill me, get me excited, happy and content,…that’s enough for me. And yes, clichés photography is boring, life and soulless. I have pictures on my wall at home, images that I took when I was traveling in Asia. A friend of mine walked into my place and noticed a picture in my hallway and he liked it , he stood there for a while and I observed his face, as he was taking in the image. I enjoy photography especially for the memories of a special moment I snatched out of the hands of time.

Great take. I totally agree with everything you pointed out about Street Photography.

Sorry my 2nd post about this subject. A long time ago what you call street photography was actually called documentary photography. The famous photogahers of those years, whom were majority Jewish BTW but not all were making a social statement due to the conditions of life that they had expeienced. They were highlighting the ills of the society in a visual way. Hell even Ansel Adams who was a conservationist at heart produced those unsurpassed masterpieces foe a reason, to make people aware of the beauty that was about to be lost. What do these boys and girls with their $15000 Leica set up have to say for themselves? Have they been out of work and no income and food to eat for a year yet? What is their experoence of lifr and humanity? Have they seen blown apart bodies of women and children? Do they understand what oppression and institutional racism and injustice is? Photography is not about shouting' yo u tubers, hows it going' and then put a few poor scantily dressed young girls in front of their lens and call this photographic art. Photographs have to say something valid to he worth the equipment they were taken with. Sorry, I have said too much already.

I never really got the whole standing on a street corner just shot shot shot or walking in the opposite way of people traffic and just firing away. Putting a camera in someone face and shooting. What is that anyway? To me it’s being lazy. Maybe it’s an adrenaline rush and that makes you think your a great photographer. I tried it and it is just boring and needs no skill. Anyway, good video and every “street photographer” needs to hear this.

I do “street” photography as a hobby and not really as a profession. I’m happy with my gear and some of my work. I think its all about what you really get from doing it personally. For me, its for my satisfaction with taking pictures of what I find interesting and posting it on social media, I don’t really care as much if I get that recognition as long as I am satisfied with my shots and edits that’s what feeds my soul. But I do get what you are saying. Maybe its more for people that are looking to be “influencers” on social media

Well said! I see that a lot in other people work, sometimes in mine as well. Review my work :) Cheers!

Interesting, although I generally prefer positivity rather than negativity. There's a lot to unpack here in terms of the current state of street photography and some of it overlaps with the state of photography in 2024 more generally. There are of course more street photographers than ever before thanks to the popularity of the genre, fanned by the flames from social media. This inevitably means quality will be more variable I think, but in my view there is still stunning work to be found if you know where to look. I agree that there are a lot of images where you think "that's just a person walking past, standing around staring at their phone, etc" and I hold my hands up and admit I have taken that kind of image too. A lot of folks are attracted to street because it looks like a hipster thing to do, but the reality is it is actually very hard to do really well in an original way. I'm pretty poor at it so far, but I enjoy trying to get better and I do feel that trying street is generally good for improving my overall photography skills. I think it can even be therapeutic and good for those who want to work on social skills or who benefit from just getting out. It's not surprising that folks these days often chase social media attention, likes, shares and there are indeed formulaic ways of shooting street that guarantee likes from the hipsters - solitary figures in moody light shot in contrasty mono, etc., etc. It is what it is - like the world of music, there is a smorgasbord of mediocrity now, but still some gems to be found if you look for them. I don't like attempts to define and constrain what is "true", "good" or "bad" street photography generally, but then maybe that's just my dislike for rules when it comes to art.

Very interesting take. As a relatively new photographer I am already finding I can spot these sort of cliched photos, but I suppose like all the other composition 'rules', you need to know what the conventions are in order to know how and when to break them. Also it is worth saying that sometimes a conventional 'cliched' photo just somehow works ...

You must have been reading my mind. There is very little originality with street photography now a days. Same old same old. Sadly I don't know what the answer is.

Sooo maybe all this is a bit too pretentious? Photography as an art form, like pretty much any other art form, is a process. Maybe we are seeing a lot new photographs starting out, learning and practising all this techniques and looks. Eventually we all develop a taste for exploration and find our personal touch. Maybe I felt pointed out as I am myself a starter too. Or maybe you all enjoyed your controversial viral video and your taps on your own backs thinking you are so much better than all...