PhotoTalk 2020/05
Let’s venture into some Street Photography discussions (almost always contentious).
There are different types of Street Photographers, yes there are, who would have thought it!? Among them are those who sit patiently and wait for the right moment, there are those who walk about and capture as they go, there’s a few others, I won’t go into all. Mostly, street ‘togs tend to use small cameras, to be as discreet as possible, to not interact or affect the scene… mostly. There are those who interact with the subjects amiably and derive some amazing street portraits as well, and then there’s Bruce Gilden.
What made Bruce different was his habit of walking around with his camera and a flash attached to it, and he would walk right up to his intended subject(s) and press the shutter button also triggering his flash, most times shocking the unsuspecting subject.
You should check more of his work, this image is but one that represents his collection, his work captured the 1980s New York City scenes memorably.
Is Street Photography simply about capturing candid moments? Some of us may consider it voyeuristic, is it? Is such photography an invasion of privacy? Is Gilden’s approach any better than that of other street togs who choose not to interact? What’s your opinion and your own questions?
Originally posted to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Group on April 1st, 2020. original comments and discussions can be seen on the original post.