My adventures in streetphotography #1

I have always been keen on photography since i got my first film camera sometime back in the 80's. But i used it only for holiday and party photography and it never really occurred to me to use it as a form of artistic expression. Back then i was only aware of the kind of art now called fine art photography... you know, sunsets and fancy landscapes.

Street chess in Munich
A very well executed "travel-shot" from before i had even heard the term "Street photography"

I later had an old Konica rangefinder heired from my grandfather, a film SLR in the early 00's and then small handy digitals until around 10 years ago. Then everything changed.

The old Konica, from the film days... came in handy on a month long trip to Sri Lanka in 1995

I saw a BBC 6 part documentary on the telly called "The genius of photography" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/) and I was astounded by the artistry I never knew anything about. What this series did was to look at photography from a purely artistic angle and the editors certainly knew how to present its history in an engaging way. Even the music and the narrator had a special sort of spice, that lured me.

I had heard of Magnum before, but remembered them as solely a sort news photography group...I had never realized the incredible artistic talents, because they were never really heard of in the mainstream.

The biggest impression was made by the chapter on Henri Cartier-Bresson. He has by many been called the father of street photography, and was already roaming the streets of Paris with his Leica in the late 1920's... the portability combined with camera-, film- and lens quality, took photography to a whole new level. The idea of the decisive moment was born and perfected by Bresson.

Bresson's surrealist flavor combined with his extreme sense of composition and being at the right place at the right time... sometimes waiting for hours until some person emtered the scenery, captured my imagination in a very powerful way. I was completely absorbed with his photography and promptly ordered a large book of his work, to study more of his work.

I suppose i always had a knack for composition, but i never really new it, and never used it any really productive or artistic way.

Lazy pride
Another early shot from before my deliberate go at street photography from a zoo, again shows the slight talent, but not used on anything really interesting. It is just a bunch of lions.

I knew I had to get a better camera than my small pocket digital, and sent 100$ after a used Canon 10D with a cheap zoom lense. I exchanged it with a Canon EF 17-40L and now i was rolling. On my first real Street tour I got these two shots .. not too bad for a first try

Boys on the bench

Far apart

I even messed a little with the decisive moment... a moment yes but not that decisive :-)