Breaking the "Rules of Street Photography" - Part Two: Street Photography requires People as the Primary Subject

This is the second part of my "de-bunking Street Photography Myths" series of rants.  The first one is the one I run into the most and that is about using a Prime Lens for street photography; however I am covering two more subjects I hear a lot that "Street Photography Is/Must Be" which I am going to de-bunk. So let's get on to Myth Number Two:

Street Photography Myth #2: It's not Street Photography unless People are the main focus of your photos you post.

Just like the first topic this one is pretty bogus as well.  Some people will make it their entire focus to perceive street photography as just including either candids of people on the street or street portraits, IE a posed shot on the street where you identify yourself or someone comes up to you and asks for a photo.  

Before I begin on my rant, People are a very important subject of Street Photography and this post is not intended to make this seem otherwise. 

I fully understand why people will make people the main focus their photography on the street as I do it myself from time to time.  It is very easy to make an emotional storytelling photo of some street musicians playing for a small audience for example, and if I saw that happening oh yes would I very much get that shot.

Photos with the focus on people, whether crowds, candids or street portraits makes up for 25-40% of my street photography.  Which means they are a significant subject and I will not ignore them when given the opportunity to take a shot that incorporates them.  But that other 60-75%, what does that entail?

When I am on the street my photography is focused on whatever catches my eye.  It could be people yes, but it could also be cool old architecture, signs, urban wildlife or domestic animals (IE a cat in a window), window displays, old cars, graffiti and street art, stickers, colorful fabrics, neon lights, etc. 

The list of different interesting things you will see in an urban area; whether in a small town, regional city or downtown metropolis will be vast and include more things then just people.  Street Photography is about capturing "the influence of man" but that does not mean that humans have to be in it.   

This ranges from taking architectural shots of bridges, buildings, to how nature adapts in an urban environment to traces humanity leave behind which are often symbolic; this ranges from Street Art, graffiti and stickers to objects that have been left behind in a purposeful way such as a pair of gloves, or a small collection of items arranged in a pattern on a table or sidewalk by someone.

There's another type of photography that can very easily tie into street photography and that is Liminal Space photography.  People have published entire books on this subject alone.  

Typically Liminal Space photographers will target abandoned places such as a dead boarded up mall, a dilapidated gas station that has been abandoned for years, or sneaking inside an abandoned Chuck E Cheese where the animatronics are still intact.  This falls under the umbrella of Urbex Photography, a subject I am fascinated by but rarely have done due to the legal gray area partaking in this subject of photography requires.

However you can also get Liminal Space photos from street photography and not dangle in that legal gray area and its easier then you think.  Go to a small town that may be less active in an "off" season during a slow time of day such as a Sunday Morning during "Church Time".  You'll often find vacant streets during this time that are a Liminal Space photographer's dream and can legally take photos that show a very prominent "hand of man" influence without anyone being present. 

I can recommend doing this as exercise for anyone who wants to get better at Street Photography; not only does it build up your confidence going out on a day when there is very little chance of being confronted by someone but it also trains your eyes of what to look for in a city and what is going on in the background that you might otherwise miss if you are just going around taking candid photos of people all day.

So let's move on to some examples of the "other subjects" that combined make up a higher percentage of photos for me then just taking photos of "people on the street".  If there are any people in these photos they are well in the background and blurred out, so the focus of the photo is clearly not about them (and you need to pixel peep to even see that there is people in the frame).

Street Photography Subject #1: Architecture and Liminal Space

In an urban area the first most noticeable objects are not the people but the buildings and architecture mankind has created to permanently alter the environment to suit their own needs; whether residential, office businesses and industrial facilities, entertainment or commerce or even the infrastructure for transportation itself IE roads and bridges.

This subject is very easy to adapt to street photography, and generally when people ask me "what I am taking photos of" my canned response is "I enjoy taking photos of old buildings".  

Stating that you are taking photos of old buildings is generally an acceptable answer to the intrusive question and can even be an icebreaker that will either get them to move on or start a small side conversation about the town and its history and some interesting places to go visit. 

Architecture and empty street scene photography is one of the easiest forms of street photography to capture.  You can take as long as you need to compose your shot, just make sure you pack a wide enough lens on a quiet mostly peopleless day and this type of street photography is really easy.  

People, if present become background elements and the subject become the street scene itself' the focus shifting to towering skyscrapers or an outdoor patio outside a small restaurant.  This is a solid subject to use to as an icebreaker to get into street photography with.

Street Photography Subject #2: Urban Wildlife and Urban Nature

One of the most overlooked aspects of Street and Urban photography is how Nature adapts around mankind's influence.  This ranges from trees planted in a park, crawling vines on the side of buildings, weeds and of course wildlife itself that has adapted to fully urban settings such as birds, squirrels, insects, rabbits, raccoons etc.  

Urban nature is not a subject I am able to capture on every street photography outing (as Urban Wildlife is still often wary of humans) but is one I prepare myself to be able to capture when it presents itself as it can often result in some very unique and contrasting photos.

Street Photography Subject #3: Street Art and Graffiti

Another obvious hand of man subject is Street Art.  This ranges anywhere from sculptures the city has created, to murals painted on the side of building down to grafiti that some teenagers put up to post a message.

This is a subject I want to do more of, unfortunately much of the more interesting street art and graffiti in my area is put up in higher crime areas of the major urban center that I do not feel comfortable visiting alone.  That said, I have still found plenty of it in my travels and always make a point to capture it when I see it.

Street Photography Subject #4: Signs and Stickers

Similar to street art and graffiti, signs provide a human element and a message one which has been tailored to a specific purpose such as advertising a business or event to spreading awareness of a specific subject or even just leaving a message.  Unlike Murals however signs and stickers are often more transient and easier to remove if a business goes under, an event ends or the city decides to clean up stickers placed in various places.

Signs have always had a special place for me in street photography as they were the first subject that really drew me into doing it. Yes, the first subjects I took photos of on the street were "funny looking and weird signs" and not people, as it took time to gather the courage and learn some tactics of taking candid photos of people without having a lot of confrontation to go with it. Sign photography was my gateway into street photography.

Signs do not get offended if you took a photo of them, so just like Architecture I found this as a safe anchor to fall back on when out in the street with a camera and people ask me what I am taking photos of.

Street Photography Subject #5: Vehicles

By definition "streets" are designed to move vehicles that carry drivers and passengers from bikes and cars up to busses and light rail trains. Classic and unique vehicles found on city streets can make a fun subject to work with, but even more mundane transportation such as bikes and mass transit vehicles can still make fun subjects on their own without any drivers or riders when taken at the right angles.

Street Photography Subject #6: Window and Street Displays

One of my favorite subjects for Street Photography are store displays.  These are most common in small towns and rural regional centers whether the product is behind glass or on the street for passers by to look at.  Many of these displays will often be arranged in a way where it is a work of art in of itself which is why I always stop by glass fronted businesses as I am out to take photos as I pass by.

Street Photography: Other Non-Human subjects

I could make this into a book if I were to list every possible subject to street photography that doesn't involve a person, so after giving the major subjects I will look for to anchor myself on the street that aren't people here are a few other subjects that you may encounter while doing street photography that are worth stopping for and snapping a photo of:

• Domestic Animals without a owner on a leash (such as cats in a shop window)
• Objects arranged in a pattern
• Trash and "Lost" items like gloves, glasses, etc
• Construction Zones
• Utility features (street lamps, fire hydrants etc)
• Sport/Recreational Equipment
• Flower Planters
• Wall and Door decorations

 

To sum up this entire post, I feel that people miss out on a lot if they only view Street Photography as photos that include a person as a main subject element.  By restricting yourself to just taking photos of the people who were there you are missing the opportunity to document your surroundings as they change.  

Not only will this limit you to how many photos you will take when you are out, but you will also miss a lot of different things, some quite obvious like vehicles and buildings, and some more subtle like window displays or lost items that are just waiting to have their image taken as you journal your daily life in photography.

For me, that is one of the big draws to street photography as just like travel photography you are documenting what you see from your perspective, the only difference being that with travel photography you are doing so at a new place you will likely never or rarely return to; whereas street photography can be done at a place you frequent.  

You may take a photo of a restaurant, and a few months later it is demolished and nothing but a hole in the ground.  Or you may take a photo of a window display with a Christmas theme and 6 months later its showcasing mannequins in bikinis.

For me, this constant change is what keeps me drawn to street photography.  Every time I go out even if its to a spot I've done street photography at dozens of times there is always something new and different to capture.  If I stuck to just one subject I likely would not see many of these differences, and would have less drive to return to an area I had already been to.