What is street photography – street photography is a genre in which captures candid everyday moments in public urban environments this genre is used ti highlight the everyday interactions, beauty in the ordinary and human activity.
I have been tasked to:
– Be inspired by decisive moment/indecisive moment, shooting from the gut and abstraction
– Search for the right convergence of light, action, and expression.
– Be ready for chance and serendipity
This photograph captured a crowded train full of passengers tightly packed together. I like Bruce David’s use of cool tones and saturated colours as this creates a natural-looking contrast with the inside of the train almost looking sterile due to the bright blue lights juxtaposing the grimy train exterior. Bruce has also used the train windows as natural frames, dividing the image into three sections. This draws the viewers attention to each induvidual passenger. Bruce Davidson has opted for a gritty colour scheme that I feel reflects the worn-down state of the train which enhances and highlights the raw and sombre emotions illustrated throughout his book “Subway”.
This image captures a pedestrian on the subway with a window showing a snowy park, The interior of the train is dark and shadowed, while the scene outside the window is bright with snow creating a strong contrast between the two spaces. The trains window divides the frame separating the viewers perspective from the scene outside, this draws the viewers eye to the outside of the train. Ive also spotted Bruce Davidson’s clever use of shadows inside the train to create negative space to further create contrast with the scene outside of the train. The overall composition with its contrasting juxtaposing light creates a somber mood which is emphasised through the cool and dark tones and negative space. Serendipity
timing and serindipidy all take effect in these photos as the photographer has found a compisition that they like and have waited for their decicive moment to capture what has happened this is prevelant as all of these photos have a temporary subject that was in the frame for a small amount of time, many other people may have walked through the frame that the photographer could have decided wasnt what they were looking for.
I think chance is essential in Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work, allowing him to capture fleeting genuine moments that bring his photos to life. In his concept of the “decisive moment,” I think Cartier-Bresson relied heavily on timing waiting for everything in a scene to come together in a way that felt both spontaneous and meaningful. For example I think his photo of a man jumping over a puddle wouldn’t have the same energy if he had missed that split second when the man was mid-air perfectly reflected in the water. I think Cartier-Bresson’s skill was in noticing these moments and being ready to capture them, embracing the unpredictability of the streets. His use of natural light, quick reflexes, and framing all show how chance and readiness combine in his work to create images that feel alive and timeless.
Photography is, for me, a spontaneous impulse coming from an ever attentive eye which captures the moment and its eternity.
– Henri Carteir-Bresson
This photo captures a man in business attire running across the middle of a road for shelter from the rain, Carteir-Bresson likes to use reflections in his work which is seen as a commen theme throughout, this photo has reflections such as the buildings being reflected onto the road however the rain didnt reflect the mans shilouette with area around him being more illuminated by the sunlight causing his shilouette to almost float in the image, this also seperates the man from the rest of the image generating depth and background seperation.
Letizia Battaglia
Letizia Battaglia is an Italian photographer who was born in Palermo, Sicily who was born in 1970. Her photography focuses on the environment around her which was full of mafia activity, poverty, crime and lower class citizens.
My response to Letzia Battaglia
Letizia Battaglia was motivated to document Mafia violence to expose the harsh realities of life in Palermo and challenge the corruption she grew up around. Her personal experiences, including witnessing violence and living under Mafia control shaped her raw unembellished style which aimed to capture truth without glorifying the brutality. Battaglia’s composition heightens the emotional impact of her photos. She often juxtaposed innocence with violence, as seen in her image of a dead racing horse, using stark framing to reflect the societal decay around her. Her choices convey deeper stories, making her work both evocative and thought-provoking. Battaglia’s photography blends planning with responsiveness. Her ability to capture raw, fleeting moments points to her instinct as a photojournalist. She focused on emotion and tension, using these elements to confront viewers with the human cost of violence and corruption. As a photojournalist, Battaglia used her work to raise awareness and challenge silence around Mafia violence. Her images exposed systemic issues, inspiring public outrage and pushing for social and political change.
London trip
Trafalga Square
for this photography trip i have used a canon EOS1300D with a 85 mm lens with a apature of f 1.8 i have done this to create alot of background seperation with the subject as the backround is very busy and there is alot of stuff going on creating an intresting backdrop. with the photos above you can see the effect i was going for as all of them have a blurred background due to my high apature, this is less obvious in the photo on the far left.
In these photos i have tried to focus the camera on Big Ben however this didnt work as it was to far away as well as there being lamposts in the way causing my camera to focus on them instead, this ended up creating an interesting effect with a full foreground, middleground and background, I have colour graded these images by warming the shadows and the whole image overall as well as saturating the blues to contast the rest of the image.
I have stayed in the same place and switched my format into landsacpe to include more foreground, i have copied the setting from the previous photo onto this one however i have used an inverted radial masking tool to darken the corners of the photo drawing the veiwers eye to the middle of the image.
I have stood at an area with a high vantage point and have positioned the camera so that i will be able to capture people walking up and down the stairs, this person in paticular walked down the stairs when nobody else was which was lucky for me as i was able to capture a very moody image of him walking down the stairs, to enhance this photo i have vignetted the image to excentuate the subject.
In this photo i have made sure to use juxtaposition in order to make the mascot look taller, I have tried to include both of the subjects full body and time the photo just right in so that they would both be centerd within the frame. I have used the mascots warm tones in both of the subject then reducing the tempreture of the background to make them stand out more.
I have used the grey stone pavement to empasise the space between the parent and the child drawing the viewers attention towards their interaction the pavemnt also acts as negative space adding a sense of isolation to the image, I have used colour in the photo when i have juxtaposed the childs bright colourful clothing to contrast the monochrome/muted tone of their surrounding enviroment, the adults darker attire matches the background more conforming with the surrounding tones with her pink shoes adding colour to her charecter, to enhance the colours i have saturated the pinks and yellows to make the child further juxtapose the rest of the image which conveys her innocence to a certain extent, to compose this image i have loosly used the rule of thirds, this can be seen as the child and mother are place off center and are both located on the far left and right lines.
Chinatown
The apature f 1.8 worked well with this image as the seated men in the front are sharp and in focus whilst the background fades into a soft blur of colour, the shallow Dof directs the viewers eye towards the mens interaction whilst showing the busyness of the enviroment that is surrounding them, I have created colour contrast as the vibrant red tones of the building and decorations create a very striking contrast with the cooler colours of the cool grey pavement which adds energy to the scene, My subjects are slighty off center in the image with them being framed within the pedestrian and the building that they are next leaning against.
In the left photo i have used leading lines such as the signpost itself which draws the viewers eye up the image, i have also used the side of the building to draw the viewers eye down the street adding a sense of depth. In the photo on the right i have made use of symmetry and balance when i have use the lanterns to draw and frame the gateway, the lamps are in a symmetrical pattern so i positioned myself to the point where the gap in the lanterns would show the gateway with little obstruction. In both of the photos i have made use of colour as i have saturated the reds in the image to contrast the street below’s cool tones.
i have captured 3 distinct portraits, on the far left pohoto i have used a shallow depth of field which blurs the background isolating the subject while subtle architectural lines act as leading lines, guiding the viewer’s eyes toward her. The muted tones of her outfit contrast with the vibrant purple shopping bag adding of colour which is contained within the colorful bokeh of the blurred background.
I positioned the subject within a vehicle deliberately framing them partially obscured by the reflective windshield to add layers and create a sense of depth in the image. I focused on using the diagonal lines of the vehicle’s frame and windshield to create dynamic tension and guide the viewer’s eyes across the image. The subject’s bright yellow and red jacket was a key element I emphasized, contrasting sharply with the darker, muted tones of the background to draw immediate attention. I used the reflective surface of the windshield to create depth.
In this image I captured a dynamic street scene by centering the man on a ladder working on the restaurants exterior lighting using the ladder and lamps to guide the viewer’s eye upward. The shops details provide a textured backdrop while the inclusion of the man on the phone and the motorcyclist adds depth and liveliness emphasising the busy street atmosphere. Natural light highlights textures like the brickwork and restaurant signs
