Street Photography 2023, F-Stop Magazine

blog

Street Photography 2023, F-Stop Magazine

April 1st, 2023 by Cary Benbow

Alexandre Scharl – Along the Souk wall

Street photography is a genre of photography that captures the everyday life of people in public places. It can be a powerful way to document the rhythms and patterns of a city or town, be it large or small, as well as the unique personalities and experiences of its residents.

Another way that everyday life is reflected in Street photography is through the focus on daily happenings. This often places focus on the mundane and ordinary aspects of daily life, like people simply walking down the street, cars driving by, or people going about their daily routines. By focusing on the everyday, or the quirks which exist in those situations, street photographers can help us to see the world in a new way and to appreciate the commonality between us.

As the juror of this issue’s exhibition, my selections formed around a pertinent set of criteria. I would not consider images which appear to be blatantly set up or manipulated. I was consciously sensitive to any images which appear to take advantage or exploit people in a public setting. I looked for images which display the skill and craft of a photographer who has captured an un-repeatable photograph, or a distinctive scene which gave rise to a meaningful image. Maybe humor or wit is the strength of the image, or the sheer joy of bearing witness to beautiful light.

Many images submitted for this exhibition focused on the built environment in cities, and featured structures and spaces used by the people who live there. While overlap and similarities exist, the “New Documents” and “New Topographics” movement in contemporary documentary photography are markedly different compared to traditional Street photography. Both of these styles are within the larger circle of documentary photography, but ‘Street’, at its essence, traditionally means candid photography of humanity in a public setting. While people are not required for an image to be considered ‘Street’, I opted toward images of people in public spaces for the purposes of this exhibition.

I was also particularly interested in work which demonstrates that the photographer was clearly revealed as an artist with a point of view, and not simply a recorder of facts. The images included in this issue’s exhibition, and our featured photographer, had to distinguish themselves from thousands of seemingly random photographs, candid photographs, and some literal photographs of a street. No matter one’s stylistic preference, many agree that a Street photograph captures a real moment. It is our hope that this exhibition is full of real moments which share these photographers’ unique perspectives of the world, and act as a gateway to connect with the world around us.

– Cary Benbow, writer and contributor to F-Stop Magazine

Check out the full issue of F-Stop here.

About Cary Benbow

Photographer, Writer, Publisher of Wobneb Magazine

View all posts by Cary Benbow →

Location: Online Type: Essay

blog