Street?

[KLaban]

OK, this is further to the discussion here and elsewhere on what constitutes Street. I'll post this here where footfall although sparse does exist. As I've said elsewhere I've long understood the concept and appreciate the work of those who shaped the genre, although I do despise the term. I would also add that not all work by those accepted as founders of the genre actually fits that genre. Over the years I've heard many definitions from the uninformed to the utterly bizarre. Ambiguity and human interaction are undoubtedly key, but I am open to flexibility and more inclusivity. No genre stands still in time. I'll post a few images which could possibly stretch boundaries.

The image below has ambiguity in spades. Is the child interacting with me, the photographer, in a positive or negative way? Can interaction between the subjects within the image and the photographer ever be acceptable in Street or is this going against a principle of stealth and anonymity?



The next image has little human interaction, but there is a sense of ambiguity and mystery: a puzzle.



The next has no human interaction, but plenty of ambiguity.



The next has plenty of ambiguity and human interaction, again between the subjects and the photographer.



And please note, not a street in sight!

There may well be those here who would baulk at placing these image into the genre Street, hell, I'm not even sure I would, but I do feel none of these images fit comfortably with other genres such as documentary, portraiture, environment and travelogue. Sadly,what I do see all too often is poor photography masquerading as Street.
 

[RSL]

Hi Keith,

We often seem to disagree, but it sometimes takes me by surprise to find how much we agree.

The only picture here I’d reject as street is the beautifully-done woman in front of the window. I don’t see ambiguity in that one, and though it’s certainly art it doesn’t come off to me as poetry. The baby certainly is street, but I’d question the others. Here’s why:

You ask: “Can interaction between the subjects within the image and the photographer ever be acceptable in Street or is this going against a principle of stealth and anonymity?” I think the answer depends on the kind of interaction.

If the interaction is the subject looking into the camera lens as the barber is doing in your fourth picture then I think what I’m seeing is what Slobodan calls environmental portraiture. But in the picture I’ve attached there’s interaction between the guy at the counter and me, but I think the result is street. The difference is that the interaction is peripheral to the meaning of the picture. In both poetry and photography I come back to the point Archibald MacLeish made in his book, Poetry and Experience: that the “meaning” in a poem doesn’t come from the images themselves, but from the interstices between the images. For a fabulous example of that, read Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” The images are gibberish, but the impact is heartrending.

In the end, I have to confess that what does and what doesn’t fall within the definition of “street” always is subjective. The same thing’s true of genres such as “landscape.” I have a fine picture of an ibis flying by. Is that landscape? I guess if the place you’re displaying it doesn’t offer categories such as “wildlife” or “birds,” it is.

And, like you, I pull a long face at poor photography masquerading as street. It’s become far too common.

[KLaban]

We often seem to disagree, but it sometimes takes me by surprise to find how much we agree.

Agreed.

I think the difference is that you are a stickler for the doctrine whereas I encourage dissent.

  

[francois]

It's an outstanding set of images - street or not - I love them!

[KLaban]

It's an outstanding set of images - street or not - I love them!

Thank you, Francois, much appreciated.

[Rajan Parrikar]

It's an outstanding set of images - street or not - I love them!

+1

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's an outstanding set of images - street or not - I love them!

+2.

[KLaban]

Eric, Rajan, thanks.

[Arlen]

It's an outstanding set of images - street or not - I love them!

Not sure where I stand now in the "plus" line, but my sentiments exactly.

[KLaban]

Not sure where I stand now in the "plus" line, but my sentiments exactly.

Thank you, Arlen.