The Best Street Photo of 2018

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

The OP picture reminds me of another, much more controversial, coincidentally shot by a Magnum photographer:

[Martin Kristiansen]

We have a saying about "the pot calling the kettle black."

Pot calling the kettle black? Never heard that before. Must be new.

I am not the one that started telling everyone what is and what isn’t street photography. I have never advocated for closing the street subforum because people will never grasp it. I also never started this stupid argument telling Russhe will never grasp what street is. I did however get irritated with it all this time and with the superior patronizing tone taken when anyone disagrees with him.

[RSL]

The OP picture reminds me of another, much more controversial, coincidentally shot by a Magnum photographer:

Good point, Slobodan, but I think your first post was much better than this one. Here we have people watching a disaster from a distance. We don't have a clue what they're thinking. In the first picture we have a clear idea of what the girl's thinking while in the midst of a catastrophe. She's thinking about what's on her cell phone, and oblivious to the action outside the restaurant. The point's made even clearer by the large windows that give us the whole scene. It's a really top-notch street shot. It definitely lifts and drops a question on your plate. That what good street shots do.

I know it's difficult for some to grasp anything this subtle, but that's just the way the world works.

[Ivophoto]

The OP picture reminds me of another, much more controversial, coincidentally shot by a Magnum photographer:

One of Hoepkers most famous shots!! Incredible photo.

[Ivophoto]

We have a saying about "the pot calling the kettle black."

I know the saying, but it is not applicable in this case.

[Martin Kristiansen]

The OP picture reminds me of another, much more controversial, coincidentally shot by a Magnum photographer:

One of my favorite images of all time. Well posted. Thanks for that.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Here we have people watching a disaster from a distance. We don't have a clue what they're thinking...

We do see, clearly, their body language, that speaks volume.

Coincidentally, I was a part of a similar event in the 90s Moscow. The parliament was occupied by the communists, Yeltsin was firing at it from the tanks surrounding the building, and there were street skirmishes between protesters and the police, next to the parliament. I had a visitor that I promised to take to one of Moscow's famous pedestrian streets, Arbat. The main street leading to Arbat was blocked because of the fights, so I had to take a detour and park in one of the neighboring streets. As we left the car and entered the pedestrian area from a side street, I looked to the left, toward the parliament. The scene was pretty much like Paris today. Cars buring, smoke, police in riot gear, fighting, bloodied faces. I looked to the right and saw a surreal scene: Sunday morning, sun shining brightly, street ice-cream vendors, clowns with balloons, mothers with babies in strollers, people just enjoying the leisurely stroll.

[Ivophoto]

We do see, clearly, their body language, that speaks volume.

Coincidentally, I was a part of a similar event in the 90s Moscow. The parliament was occupied by the communists, Yeltsin was firing at it from the tanks surrounding the building, and there were street skirmishes between protesters and the police, next to the parliament. I had a visitor that I promised to take to one of Moscow's famous pedestrian streets, Arbat. The main street leading to Arbat was blocked because of the fights, so I had to take a detour and park in one of the neighboring streets. As we left the car and entered the pedestrian area from a side street, I looked to the left, toward the parliament. The scene was pretty much like Paris today. Cars buring, smoke, police in riot gear, fighting, bloodied faces. I looked to the right and saw a surreal scene: Sunday morning, sun shining brightly, street ice-cream vendors, clowns with balloons, mothers with babies in strollers, people just enjoying the leisurely stroll.

Thanks for sharing this little story. It tells something about how subjective a camera’s tale is. Depends in which direction you point it.


More, it tells how subjective live is, it depends where you point your noise and how big your blinkers are.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... how subjective a camera’s tale is. Depends in which direction you point it...

Indeed.

After our stroll through Arbat, we returned home. Turned on TV. CNN was showing, close-up, burning cars, blooded faces, police using batons vigorously, babushkas and dedushkas (grandpas) - the staple of communist nostalgia - falling down, crying and yelling, etc. If the only news you had that day was CNN, you'd think the whole Moscow, a city of eight million, is on the streets, fighting. In reality, it was an area of several hundred square meters.

Though it seems that the current events in France are much more wide-spread, serious, and destructive than what I witnessed in Moscow.

[faberryman]

there would be no dynamic, tension, interaction without the girl.
As it appears, one could interpret as corporate America laughing at the situation Macron finds his government in.
Without her, maybe it reverses the commentary.

Why corporate America laughing? Seems an odd takaway to me.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Why corporate America laughing? Seems an odd takaway to me.

Burger King?

[RSL]

We do see, clearly, their body language, that speaks volume.

Really? What, exactly, about their "body language" tells us what they're thinking? We can infer that they're unhappy about what they're seeing, but it's pure inference. Top notch photographs can't rely on that kind of inference. This is straight reportage -- good photojournalism, but that's all it is.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Really? What, exactly, about their "body language" tells us what they're thinking? We can infer that they're unhappy about what they're seeing, but it's pure inference. Top notch photographs can't rely on that kind of inference. This is straight reportage -- good photojournalism, but that's all it is.

My body language dictionary tells me one thing for sure: that they are not "unhappy about what they're seeing."

Blasé.

That's the word.

Which makes it a great Street. It is metaphorical. It transcends the people involved. It speaks of the world desensitized to tragedies.

[RSL]

My body language dictionary tells me one thing for sure: that they are not "unhappy about what they're seeing."

Blasé.

That's the word.

Which makes it a great Street. It is metaphorical. It transcends the people involved. It speaks of the world desensitized to tragedies.

No kidding! You have a "body language dictionary" written by Martians? I'd suggest you can't really know what they're thinking by looking at this picture. What you can do in this picture is see disengaged people watching a distant tragedy. How do you know they're "desensitized?" Is that what your "body language dictionary" tells you? They obviously see that there's nothing they can do about what they're watching. It's pure, and quite good, photojournalism.

[Martin Kristiansen]

Hahaha. Russ you need to chill and remember that you are the guy that didn’t realize the woman in a headscarf was a Muslim. One of Ivo’s photos I recall.

I think Slobodans reading of this image is spot on. I also think it is the generally accepted reading of the image.

[Ivophoto]

Indeed.

After our stroll through Arbat, we returned home. Turned on TV. CNN was showing, close-up, burning cars, blooded faces, police using batons vigorously, babushkas and dedushkas (grandpas) - the staple of communist nostalgia - falling down, crying and yelling, etc. If the only news you had that day was CNN, you'd think the whole Moscow, a city of eight million, is on the streets, fighting. In reality, it was an area of several hundred square meters.

Though it seems that the current events in France are much more wide-spread, serious, and destructive than what I witnessed in Moscow.

 In the IS terror period our gouvernement decided to get the army on the street, a very controversial decision since protecting the civilians is considered a police task and not army.

The left side journalists used wide angle close up of soldiers, the gun closest to the camera, etc. One photographer, Jimmy Kets, took more distance and his pictures made the soldiers disappear in the normal agenda of the day.....
He made a short video about the topic

https://youtu.be/wmbsXussxUc

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

No kidding! You have a "body language dictionary" written by Martians? I'd suggest you can't really know what they're thinking by looking at this picture. What you can do in this picture is see disengaged people watching a distant tragedy. How do you know they're "desensitized?" Is that what your "body language dictionary" tells you? They obviously see that there's nothing they can do about what they're watching. It's pure, and quite good, photojournalism.

I wasn't there. I was in Barcelona at the time. I stood in front of a TV in my room, quite close to it, with my hand over my mouth, mesmerized by the scenes of the twin towers coming down.

I could have watched that sitting comfy in my armchair, sipping a cocktail, and solving a crossword simultaneously. But i didn't. And I couldn't. I HAD to stand up, come close to the TV and put my hand over my mouth. The next thing I did was get on the phone, call all my American friends in Barcelona at the time, to offer my sympathy, support, and anything I could do.

That is a normal human reaction. Being "disengaged" is not. Unless it is a new normal.

[Ivophoto]

About the initial picture.

What if she’s taking a selfie?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

No kidding! You have a "body language dictionary" written by Martians?...

Not by Martians, just part of my KGB training

[faberryman]

About the initial picture.

What if she’s taking a selfie?

And the guy is not wearing a yellow vest. How do we know it is not just steam coming up from vents in the streets?