Street photography is
almost as old as photography itself. As urbanization and globalization of the
world started, art saw a new chapter opening with the invention of photography
in the early 19th century. The first photographs were taken in the streets.
Nicéphore
Niépce’s earliest surviving camera photograph, circa 1826: View from the Window
at Le Gras (Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France). Could be easily interpreted as a
“street photograph”
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The advent of digital
cameras in the world of photography, allowed us to shoot in near darkness at high
ISO. Just think how difficult it must have been for earlier photographers who
used to shoot with films that had ISO of 25 only. Now we could take thousands
of photographs without worrying about film rolls and developing/printing costs
going through the sky.
More than the digital
camera, the advent of internet, softwares for processing the photos and online
social networking completely changed the way pictures were being taken and
shared with the world.
Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C – by Diane Arbus |
Many people needlessly
waste hours of their time arguing, what is, or is not, street photography. The
definition of street photography has been evolving over time. In early 20th
century, a street photographer used to be someone who would stand in the
streets, taking photographs for money and send you the prints at a later time.
Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos. SPAIN. 1933. Valencia Province. Alicante. |
Today, a “street
photographer” would be someone who goes out to public places and takes photos
(usually candidly). There are lots of debates even on the candid nature of
street photography. It would be pertinent to mention here that, some of the
most famous images like Grenade Boy (by Diane Arbus), Transvestite and two
women in Spain (by Cartier-Bresson), and Kid with a Gun (by William Klein)
weren’t candid– but with the subjects’ consent.
Gun 1, New York 1995 – by William Klein |
Recently there has been
a huge hue and cry over the some of the supposedly candid street photographs by
one of our age’s iconic photographer Steve Mc Curry which were not only found
to be posed but some of them were also found to be heavily edited.
These days, lots of
great street photography are done outside of the streets, mostly in public
places – in malls, parks, and even beaches, not all of them candid in nature.
Although street and
people photography mostly started out in urban setting and is still mostly done
in such places, it is no more restricted or limited to primarily urban
settings. It has transcended the barrier of urban world and stepped into the
rural parts long ago.
I had always found
similarities and differences between street photography in an urban setting and
a rural setting.
India has always been a
primarily agricultural economy where the bulk of the population lives in rural
areas. India is also the home to huge Metropolises whose population exceeds 10
million. From the point of view of
street photography, India presents such diversity and completely different
scenarios that it can be highly bewildering.
On one hand India has
such remote villages where even basic amenities such as roads, electricity etc
are non-existent, and on the other hand there are cosmopolitan cities that are
home to the most advanced technology centers in the world. India lives in
religious diversity, communal unrest, slums, poverty, corruption etc., but India
can also boast of the biggest manpower in software field, huge malls,
supermarkets, cine complexes, flyovers, latest gadgets and cars. On one hand we
have a big chunk of the population who can barely write their names and on the
other hand we have Indian origin persons who have become CEOs of the biggest
companies in the world.
India seems to be a
place of extreme polarity which exists in unexplainable intimate inter-dependency
and inter-relationship. Two worlds inter-twined in such a manner that it is
almost impossible to tell one apart from the other.
I feel fortunate to
have witnessed such great diversity in a single country. The urban part of my
street photography has mostly been done in parts of central India and other
urban centers while I was travelling. I have this habit of photographing local
life, street food etc when I travel apart from the tourist spots and monuments
which are obvious subjects. Common men, their life, their food fascinate and
attract me, not only in cities or towns but also in villages. Hence I often find myself carrying my camera
to villages where I try to photograph rural folks. I like to talk with people,
listen to their stories and laugh with them.
Street photography is not
just capturing a fleeting moment, it is also about connecting with people,
projecting stories in a single frame, or as some would like to point out,
capturing such moments and emotions that would make the viewer question or
imagine stories.
Whether it is a urban
or rural setting, one thing is almost universally common. A street photographer
has to have the power of observation. He/she needs to be an astute witness to
whatever is happening all around him. Not only does he have to understand the
numerous stories unfolding one by one or all at a time in the surroundings but
he also has to look out of the best opportune moment when everything falls into
place to give that story/message in that one frame, as the great photographer
Henry Cartier-Bresson liked to call “the decisive moment”. Such power of
observation and perfect timing comes with practice, with hours and days and
years of roaming around among people and strangers, and infinite patience.
Someone who wants instant result should not venture into this genre as it can
really test one’s tolerance and sometimes even the best of street photographers
can feel frustrated.
I could have used my telezoom to zoom in on this man washing his clothes in the river water. But I used the wide angle lens to capture the beautiful sunset in the background. The beautiful background makes the picture stand out and also gives the story a context. It also reinforces the predominantly rural environment shown in the photo. Joda, Odisha. June 2016 |
Apart from the
importance of a story and proper timing, composition and backgrounds are also
very important for street photography whether it is in a city or a village. I
have often found that a simple composition along with an eye on the background
can result in very good photos that can convey the message more powerfully
rather than a cluttered and busy frame where the message is lost in the melee.
I would like to mention here, that India being a densely populated country,
Indian cities are generally very congested and it would be very difficult to
find large frames where you can keep the composition simple. Wide angle shots
in such cases would naturally take in a lot of busy background. I had to be
extra careful in such cases not to include unnecessary details that can easily
distract from the main subject of my story. City life is also much busier and
almost mechanical in nature. People are just rushing by. No one has the time or
inclination to stop.
I wanted to isolate the man waiting on the divider of a road for his son who is away playing with his son, while people walk by and vehicles rush by. Use of a wide angle would have resulted in inclusion of too much background leading to the subject getting lost. The wide aperture 50 mm gave nice isolation as well as some context to the shot. Nagpur, India. March 2015 |
Everybody is busy with their own existential struggle.
Moreover, city people are more accustomed to see people walking around with
cameras or cell phones taking photos, especially if it is some tourist spot
too. Doing street photography in such places becomes comparatively easier.
Nobody would bother with what you are doing apart from showing some mild
interest or asking a few questions. Please note that although this may be a
general trend, it is not true for all places. There may be places where the
public may not be open to or accustomed to cameras being pointed towards them
and may react unexpectedly or even adversely. I always try to be as discreet as
possible but in case I see someone noticing me or showing some kind of unhappy
expression, I generally approach such persons directly and ask for their
permission for taking photographs around him or he/she as a subject. But in
most of the time, I have not faced any adversity or opposition. Rather people
have been very open to being photographed. Some of them would even request me
to take their photos and would feel innocent glee on seeing their faces on my
camera screen.
I
found these villagers smoking Ganja (Opium) near a Shiva temple in Odisha,
India. They were a bit inquisitive why I wanted to take their photograph, but
once they were satisfied, they were very free and almost forgot I was sitting
there taking their photo. April, 2016.
Village life, on the
other hand can be languid to the point of boring. People generally have more
time and more leisure than city folks. This also makes them more inquisitive to
what is going on when they see someone moving around with a camera in their
hands taking photographs of common people and more often than not approach me
and start asking questions right away. Mostly they think I am some kind of
surveyor (may be because of my tripod, which I sometimes lug around) and would
ask me what I am surveying for. I would generally explain to them that I am not
a surveyor and that photography is my hobby and I love to photograph common
people and their lives. Most people would gladly accept this simple truth. But
sometimes, some people are more suspicious of my simple explanation and would
look for some hidden truth behind what I am saying, imagining more complicated
stories. I would then give them something akin to being a member of a club and
I am doing some kind of photography assignment in which I have to take photos
of village folks and their life. This would normally satisfy their minds.
Village
folks have gathered to have a drink of Handia (fermented rice drink made by
indigenous people) during a local weekly bazaar. Barbil, Odisha, India. May,
2016.
However, one should be
careful and respect the sentiments of people, especially around religious
places. I have seen that in India, village folks are more open to people taking
photographs around religious shrines than city people. I am not sure of the
reason, but I can guess it might be related to a more open environment and more
communal harmony among village people. With terrorist incidents in rise and
terrorists targeting various urban centers, it is not unnatural for city people
to be suspicious of camera toting strangers who suddenly emerge out of nowhere
to take pictures of their religious shrines.
Hence, the approach
needs to be modified based on which kind of setting, urban or rural, you are
photographing in. Whereas in villages you can be a bit more relaxed once you
have satisfied the inquisitiveness of people who come inquiring as to your
motive behind taking photos, in cities you need to be more discreet and
careful, although in many places (e.g., in tourist centers) people are very
used to camera and won’t even notice you taking photographs. It all boils down
to the comfort level of people whom you are photographing. To be within their
tolerance zone, try to be as invisible as possible. Be mindful of how people
might react to your presence. Try to guess their reaction from their behavior
and expression. Be respectful of their sentiments and if someone does not want
to be photographed, leave that person alone, do not force anything. You do not
want to face a hostile crowd with expensive camera equipments in your hands.
Street
photography in India is incomplete without scenes of street food. I shot this
street side stall of Chole Bhature (an Indian delicacy) in the streets of Agra,
the city of the Taj. This one had to be in color, as the ambience, the texture
on the food would have been lost in black and white.
Apart from your
personal approach, photography style and technique is also important while
taking street photos. City life is fast and the scene is quickly changing, requiring
you to be constantly on the lookout for perfect moments which might be very
short lived. A little carelessness and you might miss out on a frame that you
would regret. But
This
photo was risky, I sat down near the feet of the kids playing football on a
road while it was closed for traffic during some weekend celebrations. The ball
of someone kick could have hit me or my camera anytime. For me, the fast
movements of the kids, the low angle, the ball in the air and the slight motion
blur works very well. Nagpur, India. April, 2015.
at the same time, the
ever changing fast life of cities also offers more opportunities for photos.
The village life on the other hand is slower and more leisurely. Does not mean
that there are no interesting moments in there, but it means that you can be a
bit relaxed and plan your shots in a better way and be more mentally prepared
when the perfect moment presents itself.
Whether it is a
city/town or a village, connecting with people and understanding their stories
is important in both the cases. A deeper understanding throws up more
interesting frames. People in both the places have similar kind of emotions,
expressions, problems and joys. The happiness is similar, the sorrows are same.
As photographers we
need to respect their private spaces, their culture, their sentiments. We
should never look down on them whether or not they are less educated, or less
financially well off than us. I hope my article will be of help to people from
within India as well as those who want to visit India from abroad.
References: Various websites and Wikipedia.
All pics in this article are shot
by Indranil Bhattacharjee unless otherwise mentioned in the caption.