Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Street Photography
-- James Gleeson, August 20, 2001
An interesting discussion. Its all subjective - either you like the work or you don't. I've photographed
both candid and interactive shots of people from Brazil to India to China. Sometimes candid is
appropriate, sometimes its not. But if you don't shoot, you won't have a photo. It looks like what
everyone is discussing is the definition of street photography - my question is, is there one and does it
matter?
The links that other comments recommended are great!
-- Eric Riutort, December 2, 2001
A comment on Trevor Hare's November 29, 2000 entry: He says: "Sorry but I do not feel this page
demonstrates street photography. The images mostly look as if taken with telephoto lenses. (Shyness or
cowardice?)..." He prefers to use "a Normal lenses so the photographer had to interact with his fellow
humans..."
On the contrary, interacting with the subject can often disrupt the candidness of the shot. Real life
changes abruptly when the subject is acutely aware that he is being photographed.
Trevor adds: "Also when photographing poverty try and preserve the subjects dignity...". I agree totally,
and to do just that, a distant shot often seems more appropriate to me. How can a down and out person's
dignity be preserved when a photographer is in his face saying, in effect, "let me take your picture
because you are so deprived."? Cowardice to take a shot from a distance? I think it can be a sign of true
respect. ---B
-- Brian Sharkey, January 11, 2002
Some of the best street/candid photography shots can be seen from "Life" magazine.. Here, I like the
shot "Canal Street Manhattan 1995".
-- Belinda Tan, January 16, 2002
I find it very interesting that more hasn't been said about people and their right not to be photographed. I
consider myself a very serious amateur. I enjoy photographing just about everything and have had a
considerable amount of formal art training at the University of South Florida as well as technical
photography training at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. The moral and legal issues of
photographing people against their wishes intrigues me.
It is my personal opinion that everyone (excluding people who knowing place themselves in the public
eye) has the right to determine how and when their image is used. The justification that an image is art
or that the image could not have been captured in any other way should not be the justification for a
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