Table of Contents
What is the Street Photography?
We all know that street photography is a popular genre that is easily appreciated by the general public. Here are some characteristics of street photography:
- Candid Moments – photographers capture unposed and spontaneous moments of everyday life.
- Capturing subjects who are unaware that they are being photographed
- To capture subjects and things in street photography that often go unnoticed or have a mysterious
Here is a compilation of seven other street photographers, in addition to Henri Cartier-Bresson, who can inspire you and help improve your photography skills
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt, born in 1913 and died in 2009, was an American photographer and cinematographer. David Levi Strauss regarded her as”the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time. With a photography career spanning over half a century, Levitt primarily focused on capturing black-and-white photographs from the 1930s to the 1940s. Her work gained recognition when first published in Fortune magazine’s July 1939 issue. In the 1950s, Levitt began capturing images in filmmaking. During the 1960s, she expanded her photography to include colour photography. Upon viewing many arts from Helen Levitt, viewers may find her photos simple and a singular theme – New York children’s street culture of the time.
At a young age, Helen Levitt was not interested in getting a high school education. Instead, she decided to drop out in 1931 and embarked on her photography journey. Levitt began her photography by working in the darkroom of J. Florian Mitchell, where she developed photographs. In 1936, she got a Leica camera (a 35 mm range-finder) with a 50mm lens for taking black-and-white street photography. Helen Levitt found inspiration in the works of renowned photographers Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. These three photographers were influential figures in photography, known for their documentary-style approach and capturing candid moments of everyday life separately.
In 1935, Helen Levitt met Henri Cartier-Bresson when she attended one of his talks. This meeting led to a unique opportunity for Levitt to spend a day photographing alongside Cartier-Bresson at the Bronx wharves. During this time, Levitt had the chance to observe and learn from Cartier-Bresson about the importance of luck, planning, and a sense of composition.
she said, “I decided I should take pictures of working-class people and contribute to the movements… And then I saw pictures of Cartier-Bresson, and realized that photography could be an art – and that made me ambitious.”
In her career, Walker Evans also helped her a lot. Walker Evans taught Helen Levitt how to use a winkelsucher and asked her to assist in making prints for his American Photographs exhibition.
If you want more details about her artwork and books, please check theartstory.org and moma.org.
Recommended Books by Helen Levitt
William Klein
If you are a street photographer, you often have the opportunity to capture candid moments when your subjects are unaware that they are being photographed or when there is no direct eye contact. These photographs look great, appearing great and mysterious. However, if you read the book “Life Is Good & Good for You in New York: Trance Witness Revels” by William Klein, an interesting aspect of his work is that the majority of their photographs feature interactions with the subjects being photographed, and it is quite common for people to be looking directly at the camera. This creates a distinct connection between the subject, the photographer and the viewers. We often think that clear, high-quality photographs are considered great images. But most of his art in this book appears intentionally blurred.
Throughout his artwork book, we may know that William Klein’s images feature Wide-Angel Lens, Subjective Perspective, Blurred, Out of Focus.
Here are some of his Artworks from atlasgallery
William Klein, born in 1926 and died in 2022, was an American-born French photographer and filmmaker regarded as one of the 100 most influential photographers. William Klein studied painting in France under the renowned artist Fernand Léger and experienced success with exhibitions of his painting work. It is highly likely that his background in painting had a significant impact on his photography and contributed to his unconventional techniques. After moving his photography and taking some excellent images, Vogue hired him as a fashion photographer.
Here is an interview video about William Klein that you can watch to learn more about him.
Recommendations for Three Books of William Klein
Vivian Maier
Vivian Maier is a legendary photographer whose exceptional images went unrecognized during her lifetime. Her remarkable artworks and expert photographic techniques became known only after her death. Today, many people have come to appreciate Vivian Maier as a truly great photographer. Vivian Maier, an American street photographer, was born on February 1, 1926, and died in April 21, 2009. In 2007, Vivian Maier’s negatives were discovered by three collectors: John Maloof, Ron Slattery and Randy Prow. One of the collectors, Ron Slattery, compiled a selection of Vivian Maier’s photographs and published them on his blog, which he then linked to Flickr. This viral exposure generated widespread interest in Maier’s images. Finally, her pictures began to be exhibited in various locations worldwide, drawing the attention of art enthusiasts and the general public alike.
Vivian Maier’s photography journey is quite different from other renowned photographers. Maier, who worked as a nanny, had no opportunity to get formal training or learn from established photographers. Throughout her lifetime, she never had the chance to exhibit her work or gain widespread recognition. Maier’s passion for photography remained primarily hidden, known only to those close to her. She quietly immersed herself in capturing moments and observing everything around her.
If you read Vivian Maier’s artwork – Vivian Maier: Street Photographer or Vivian Maier: The Color Work, there are several common characteristics found in published Vivian Maier artworks:
Many Self-portraits – Her self-portraits are exceptional, incorporating various photography techniques such as mirrors and reflections. These techniques add a beautiful and intriguing element to her images, making them visually captivating and engaging. There is another art book featuring self-portraits by Lee Friedlander, which are both interesting and worth exploring.
Close-up photographs – Maybe women photographers are often perceived as approachable and less aggressive than their male counterparts. So, they have many chances to capture close-up images, providing viewers with extraordinary visual impact and surprises;
Square Photo Format – She used the the rolleicord 3.5 twin reflex camera. The resulting images from the Rolleicord 3.5 twin reflex camera are square in format. This square format provides viewers a sense of stability and directs their attention towards the centre of the images.; you can read this article to learn more about this camera.
Ironically, despite the widespread publication and financial success of Vivian Maier’s photographs by collectors or some people, she never personally benefited. It appears that the commercialization of her work belongs more to the realm of profit-seeking rather than reflecting Vivian Maier’s original intentions. It is possible that Maier viewed photography as a private pursuit, deliberately avoiding public attention. Therefore, she kept tons of her photographs locked away in a suitcase, withholding them from exposure during her lifetime.
Her Artworks
Two documents are worth watching if you are interested in Vivian Maier’s story and her artwork.
Recommendations for Three Books of Vivian Maier
Alex Webb
Alex Webb, born in 1952, is an outstanding photographer known for his captivating use of color and vibrant imagery. His passion for photography started during high school and has since significantly impacted the field.
In 1979, Webb achieved a significant milestone in his career by becoming a member of Magnum Photos, a prestigious cooperative agency renowned for its talented photographers on artsy.
Here are some of his photographs, and if you want to find and explore Alex Webb’s work on Instagram, search for his official account: webb_norriswebb
Here are some standard features often found in Alex Webb’s photographs:
Vibrant Colors -there are many vibrant color within his images, such as red, green, blue and so on. These colors may offer striking effects to viewers:
Multiple Layers-Horizontally, images can be divided into different sections, particularly colour. Vertically, images often contain various layers, including the foreground, middle ground, and background. These layers add depth and dimension to the composition. Here are some samples:
Image elements – If you view a large number of Alex Webb’s images, many different elements are incorporated into images, such as mirrors, walls, glasses, doors, walls and so on;
Recommendations for Three Books of Alex Webb
Raghubir Singh
Raghubir Singh (1942–1999) was a well-known Indian photographer renowned for his landscape and documentary-style photographs capturing the essence of India and its people. Singh was a self-taught photographer who travelled extensively and lived in cities like Paris, London, and New York. He worked for many prestigious publications, such as National Geographic Magazine and The New York Times. His of artwork book – Modernism on the Ganges, has gained widespread recognition and appreciation among photographers and the general public—this book documents rural and urban India and the country’s diverse landscapes and cultures. Many renowned photographers, including Steve McCurry and Harry Gruyaert, have captured images of India, often presenting scenes from a foreigner’s perspective or highlighting specific aspects for viewers worldwide. Raghubir Singh, on the other hand, as an Indian photographer deeply rooted in Indian culture and society, provided a unique and intimate glimpse into India from an insider’s perspective.
Here are some samples from different images, and you can see their differences:
Raghubir Singh
Steve McCurry
Harry Gruyaert
Recommendations for Books of Raghubir Singh
Martin Parr
Martin Parr, born on 23 May 1952, is a highly regarded British documentary photographer, photojournalist, and photobook collector. His photographic projects are characterized by an intimate, satirical, and anthropological approach that examines various aspects of modern life. Parr is notably recognized for his documentation of social classes in England and the exploration of wealth within the Western world. In 2014, he became the president of Magnum Photos until 2017. You feel that his images seem exaggerated or even grotesque when you view his images at the first time. Many photographs from Martin Parr are produced around Leisure, consumption and communication. Additionally, if you have a chance to read his book –The Last Resort and Small World, you will find that he enjoy presenting viewers about how our human live, how our human presents to others and what we value.
His photographs below:
Recommendations for Books of Martin Parr
Daidō Moriyama
Daidō Moriyama is one of the famous Japanese photographers in the world. He is well-know for his confrontational, black-and-white images presenting different and reality between the value and society in postwar in Japan. He intentionally incorporates grainy textures and high-contrast elements in his images, which are often captured using compact cameras.
He has remarked:
The city has everything: comedy, tragedy, eulogy, eroticism,” “It is the ideal setting, the place where people’s desires are interwoven. It has remained and will always remain my natural element.”
It is said he has published over 150 photobooks after 1968, the majority of got recognized in the 1950s and 60s.
Daido Moriyama, born in Ikeda, Osaka in 1938. He was influenced by the photobook-New York by William Klei and He began his photography career in 1968, working as an assistant photographer to Eikoh Hosoe, who was a co-founder of the avant-garde photo cooperative Vivo. Hosoe taught him a lot of photography fundamental information including photography practice and techniques. In 1967, he received new artist award from the Japan Photo Critics Association. In 1968, Daido Moriyama published his first photobook titled “Nippon gekijō shashinchō” (日本劇場写真帖). This photobook garnered significant attention and played a crucial role in establishing Moriyama as a prominent figure in the world of Japanese photography.
His images below:
Here some advice from his book- Daido Moriyama: How I Take Photographs . This book may inspire you in your street photography:
The first thing I always tell anyone who asks me for advice is: Get outside. It’s all about getting out and walking. That’s the first thing. The second thing is, forget everything you’ve learned on the subject of photography for the moment, and just shoot. Take photographs—of anything and everything, whatever catches your eye. Don’t pause to think. That’s the advice I give people…
To take a photograph that is at all interesting or meaningful, you must become one with that desire when you press the shutter button…
One thing I would recommend your readers do is take shots, lots of shots, of any regular journeys they make in their everyday lives. For example, students could photograph their journey to school. Office workers could take shots on their daily commute, or of the shopping streets they walk down every day to get to the railway station. Just their normal, everyday route. Apart from being great training for taking snapshots, it’s a way for them to understand how their own powers of observation affect what they see, even with the most ordinary things. Taking shots over and over again of the same shopping street will do more than teach them how to make snapshots—it will help them become better photographers all round.
Recommendations for Books of Daidō Moriyama
Street photography is an excellent art form that allows us to observe and capture the diverse subjects and scenes around us. Whether you are an experienced street photographer or someone who enjoys documenting everyday life through photography, it is essential to have an open mind and a willingness to learn new concepts and techniques. One of the ways to enhance your photography skills is by immersing yourself in the work of other talented street photographers. We hope that these excellent photographers may inspire you and take your photography skills to the next level. Additionally, we should learn from Vivian Maier, an excellent example of taking pictures with passion and without the sole purpose of seeking benefits.
Taking pictures purely and passionately can be immensely valuable in today’s chaotic world.
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