And in your own comments, Rob and Russ, for every treatise on "Street Photography," there are six more that don't just contradict a long held study of what constitutes Street, but indeed completely reinvent the wheel. I spent the better part of this week looking at the all time greats starting with HCB and while I think I understand the mindset into what they shot and why, I then go to some of the more modern streeters and they don't seem to see the HCB style an d have developed a "new" street style.
It seems to me there is more a direction toward trending the human condition rather than observing the same. There seems to be a need to exploit the poor, homeless, addicted, etc instead of recording the interaction of humans to one another or humans toward the environment. I don't know but the more I read, the more I become confused.
I'm a member of several Facebook groups dedicated to street photography. One of the groups defines the genre as-
"Street photography deals with representing the human life in its many nuances and the context in which it consumes its drama, the city with its innumerable roads. The subjects are men, women, children and elderly people interacting with the environment, or frozen in significant moments and situations that express happiness, humor, discomfort, social drama. The image with its emotional content becomes the witness of a fragment of reality that took place in an area of the world and allows everyone to learn about them. The street photographers have this ability to observe everyday life in unusual situations and to capture the decisive moment when he/she is unaware of being the protagonist in sometimes dramatic events." Street photography could be summarized: "photos taken in the street, in an urban context. Trying to steal moments of life. Not staged..."
This is one of the definitions I am trying to follow. The operative word being "trying." It's a lot harder than I thought.
My attempt at "impressionism" isn't acceptable by one of these groups because their rules state: "Image manipulation is not acceptable. Creating mirror images in post processing to imply reflections and multiple exposures are not allowed."
Another definition I like is:
"Street photography captures a fleeting moment of comedy, drama, light, geometry, shades, and textures making an everlasting record of our world. It's a bit like photojournalism, but there really doesn't have to be anything newsworthy. It can be more about ordinary life. The images might include interesting architecture, automobile design, and/or clothing styles, but these details aren't as important as the overall artistic elements. There are many ways to express your artistic vision. Images can be literal representations of a time and place or more impressionistic using combinations of shading, colors, lighting or by blurring an otherwise sharp scene or photographing during a rainstorm or foggy evening."
