masters of photography — Journal — Tristan Parker Photography

The great genre debate: The influence others have on Street Photography

This was a topic that I started to write in Thailand, but my broken tablet screen put a halt to the blog productivity. This was actually a real shame, as while it was raining there (it rained a lot) I was really enjoying just sitting on the balcony of the villa we were in and writing. I found it relaxing, and quite honestly I couldnt have thought of a nicer way to spend some time while away on a break.

Is street photography changing in the digital age?

This discussion is a growing theme for some of the words that I pen here when I have the time and motivation to do so. I guess I write these things on topics that I feel passionate about. In all things in life this is where you get your best results (maybe a topic for another time). The theme in question is how the world is changing and how this is changing photography. I have asked this question specific to Street Photography, but I think we will be able to investigate the topic in a more holistic nature as far as photographic genres go.

Where Will the Street Photography Boom End?

Street photography is booming right now, and I think that this raises a few questions. Some of these questions in my mind will lead to desirable results, others however may not.

In the years gone by there have been a wealth of very talented artists that have walked the streets of the various cities and locations of the world with a simple camera in hand, and a very simple goal. The goal was to document and record the world around them. Some were doing it for different reasons to others. Some were doing it to preserve memories of their life, others as they loved to interact with their subjects and record life of people in the places that they either lived or visited. Others still as they were simply obsessed with the still image and its wonders. I think that even the later needed to be draw in some way to the people around them though, it was a requirement of the trade for most.

The Masters and Street Photography: Not what you think

So there is a wealth of information out there on the classics of street photography, and what you can learn from their work. I thought I would take this tried and tested, well read blogging formula and perhaps have a look at some of the masters of photography in general, and what we can still learn from them from a street photography perspective. I have blogged on the rules of photography applied to the street, and I think that my aim with this initial blog will be to take some of those rules and contrast them with some work from some of the real greats of our art. Not just street greats, but landscape, studio, and fine art greats, surrealists... What can we as street photographers learn from them?

My Photographic Inspiration - Dad

Where do you draw your inspiration for your photography from? If you cant answer this question clearly, then youre in trouble I tell you. It might not be a simple answer to convey to others, granted, but it is an answer that you should be eager to provide to anyone who would ask such a personal question.

I am lucky. I have a very personal source of both inspiration and knowledge for my photographic journey. My Dad... He isnt the single source, and I dont think that any artists would ever claim to have only one influence in their work, but he is an important one.

Is There a Direct Correlation Between Focal Length and Confidence in the Street?

There are a heap of posts on the net discussing what the optimal focal length is for street work. There is a mass of other discussion around the use of prime vs zoom lenses. I fall squarely on the Prime side of this fence due to the fact that you should be able to see what your lens sees, and this requires the use of a standard and fixed focal length to enable you to get used to how this will look when searching out images.

Film vs Digital

So the age old question? Well maybe not… Maybe the new age question… In this digital age, is the medium of choice for photographer’s film or digital?

I think that the unarguable answer to this question from a pure population, and pure statistical perspective is that we are in the digital age, and digital photography is the medium of choice. Its convenient, its fast, its cheap, its just better, right?

To Crop or not to Crop

Yesterday I took a photo that I am very happy with. It was a spur of the moment shot, shot from the hip and captured the image exactly as it was in my mind before firing the shutter. A girl was walking towards me in the street and at the time of the day the sun was casting a shadow that only illuminated the girls face, and with the right exposure setting and a little post production tweaking I was confident that the result would be spectacular.