Interviewed by a German student

I received the inquiry below via my website:  

"I am Tamara, a 16 – year – old student from Germany. I am about to write my skilled work for my major field of study in English.  Our task is to cover a self-chosen topic which has to deal with New York. As I chose the topic ' Photography in New York ', in which I am personally really interested, I wondered if it might be possible to interview you.   I'd be very thankful if that would be possible."

More than happy to help, and thoughtful about the questions, here is what I provided back to Tamara:

Interview questions about street photography

• It seems to me that street photography displays different faces of New York, is that true? Does street photography capture the real New York and how are the outcomings of the pictures influenced by the city?  

Street Photography that is done well, can reveal a truth (or non-truth) about the moment in time that has been captured in a specific scene.  This happens, not only in NY, but anywhere that candid shots are taken.  To an outsider, New York may seem like big buildings, but down on the streets, there is another world in the crowds, where thousands of interactions may be happening at exactly that same one time.  What may be different about NY is the scale.  The size of the buildings, and their look adds a dimension to the photography that can make things seem more dramatic.  This is one reason I like to shoot from a low angle, because when the camera is below, you see more of the surrounding structures.  The buildings can also create interesting angles of light, as the sun peeks between buildings in slivers.  Reflections of lights off the buildings can add a different look to a scene.  In the end though, it is the faces of the people that reveal life, the activity and passion of the people can be sliced through in any given instance as a unique experience. 

• I've heard that New York is the most important city for street photography – would you state that it is true? Does the art of street photography in New York set worldwide trends? Does it dominate the street photography scene? 

I just happen to live in the New York area, and always have, so I can't really compare the street photography scene to other places in an objective way.  There are many fantastic street photographers in New York, but it could be that they are not more talented than others.  What they have is a most magnificent subject to shoot.  In the end, you can only take pictures of places that are local to you, and some people are lucky to live in a photographically interesting place like New York. But, I have seen street photographs that were taken in other big cities such as Rome, and Paris that are just fantastic.  Street photography can take place wherever there are people and there are more of them in cities.     

With that being said, I will say that New York is very supportive of the art world, and the galleries are available to many who are interested in seeing photography.  There are also communities of photographers who meet in person, but social media has created online communities that can teach and influence in much the same way. 

• What is your prognosis for street photography in New York? How will it develop and will it still be as popular as it is at the moment?

I think the interest in observing life will always be present, but if you look back, street photography styles have evolved based on the state of the art at the time. For instance, some of the best street photography today is done on camera phones and in some cases these shots intentionally take advantage of a more primitive look (for instance as seen on Instagram).   Sometimes reverting to a vintage look by apply different software techniques can make a new shot look stylistically old.  These techniques make a photo represent more of an idealistic representation based on the artistic stylings of the photographer.  

In New York, evolving techniques and styles will also be impacted by new buildings, and innovations in the infrastructure of New York.  While much of the city looks similar to how it looked 100 years ago, modern updates, such as the new tallest building in the city being built at the World Trade Center site, will create new points of interest that can provide focal points that can change some types of pictures.  In the last few years, the Highline Park, created on top of an abandoned elevated railway track, has provided inspiration to photographers, who now have a new perspective of the city to shoot.  (Here is a shot taken from the Highline)

Fourteenth Street

• A lot of street photographers use blogs and homepages to display their work. So will there be less exhibitions in the future? And how does modern technology influence the presentation of art? 

While I think there may be less gallery exhibits in public places than there used to be, the blogs and internet sites easily reach thousands of people instead of a few hundred who may show up at a gallery show.  That kind of exposure expands the number of people who can see your work greatly.  Of course, the best photography will still always be available in a gallery or museum, but people who would never be able to exhibit their work in person can easily be seen over the internet and at no cost.  

In the last few years, there has been an evolution in street photography due to improved quality of camera phones.  Being able to always have a camera with you means that you can capture things you would never have had the opportunity to do (no camera = no picture).  This also means there are an enormous amount of additional pictures out in the world.  Especially since camera phones can immediately upload pictures, there is an immediacy to this photography.  Additionally, improvements in camera technology, such as the Lytro light camera that allows changes after a picture is taken, and new trends that allow you to video a scene and have a high quality photo created from a single frame, means that capture the "decisive moment" will be much easier.  There will still need to be the editor though, to select that moment and represent his own vision. That is the street photographer.

• I've read a couple of blogs about street photography, they all represent different opinions of what is essential for street photography. So what do you think is essential for street photography? What makes a picture a good picture and are there courses in New York where you can train your street photography skills?

It seems to me, to be a good street photographer you need to be observant and curious as to what is happening around you.  Some people enjoy "people watching".  That is one element, but I also am not completely satisfied unless there is an artistic element.  That may be within the composition... converging lines in the background, an unusual pose, or also a mixture of color.  If you have a raw human element plus the art, that is the perfect picture.  

A good street shot, may also have no people.  Buildings in a certain light, a wall with graffiti, redundant patterns can all be good subjects.  My very favorite shots are people with umbrellas in the rain.  The colors of the umbrellas, shiny streets, and popping lights make beautiful shots.  People are concentrating on staying dry which brings out natural qualities - running, newspapers over heads, being wet are interesting characteristics.  

Shuffleboard

As for courses, they are available.  These generally involve walking the streets.  But, in many ways a free photo walk with other photographers is much the same.  I think though that much of street photography cannot be taught, it needs to be felt and captured by an observant eye. 

• Within the access to all the blogs on the web and the affordable camera prices the amount of unprofessional photographers has increased a lot over the last decades. Would you say that there is a remarkable lack of profession in street photography today? Or is the non-professionalism desirable for street photography? And how will it develop in the future? Are the professionals going to “die out” ?

Even if there are more photographers and more pictures taken, the best shots are always the best shots.  Yes, there are more outlets for others to see photography, but if the pictures are not good, the viewer will not spend much time with them.  

There is a trend though that may endanger those who want to make a living from photography.  Since there are more outlets to post pictures online, organizations that buy photographs for advertisements, promotional catalogues and to accompany websites can compare shots online.  They may hunt around for a picture that a “non-professional” photographer may give away for free, or can be licensed for a minimal amount.  This ends up cheapening the market overall, and the prices of pictures go down.  This hurts the professional photographers and the economics of photography.  Street photography, which falls more into the fine art category, requires purchases of prints or books.  It is not as profitable as something like wedding or stock photography.  So, it is possible that there will be less professional photographers.  However, while it may not pay the bills, street photography will always be an outlet for art and inspiration.