Gallery
of Contributing Photographers
Master Street Photographers
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Elliot Erwitt
Garry Winogrand
Contemporary Street Photographers
Steve Dierkens
Rinzi Ruiz
Kip Praslowicz
The Masters of Street Photography
It’s difficult to advance as an artist without becoming familiar with the work in your field that precedes you. Any blues musician worth his or her salt is intimately familiar with the styles of B.B King, Albert King, Freddie King (none of whom were related, by the way), Etta James, Howlin’ Wolf, and more. Anyone who is serious about producing impressionist paintings understands the nuances of the works of impressionist masters such as Monet, Degas, and Renoir. If you’re serious about developing your skills as a street photographer, you should become familiar with the methods and styles of the street photography masters.
The photos shown here are examples of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s, Elliot Erwitt’s, and Garry Winogrand’s work. These images are not necessarily the best or best-known photographs by these artists; they are examples of the origins of street photography from the early 20th century. As you look at them, reflect on how much of our culture has changed, and how much has stayed the same.
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the other photographers on the list. Some may intimidate you; others may annoy, confuse, or inspire you—but the lasting impression of their work will be strong. In my opinion, that’s as good a description of a master and teacher as any.
While there is no universally agreed-upon list of master street photographers, the works of the following artists is considered exemplary in this genre.
Eugene Atget (1857–1927)
Andre Kertesz (1894–1985)
Walker Evans (1903–1975)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004)
Robert Doisneau (1912–1994)
Helen Levitt (1913–2009)
Dianne Arbus (1923–1971)
Saul Leiter (1923–2013)
Robert Frank (1924–
Elliott Erwitt (1928–
Lee Friedlander (1934–
Garry Winogrand (1928–1984)
Joel Meyerowitz (1938–
Martin Parr (1952–
Alex Webb (1952–
Henri Cartier-Bresson
© Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos
Valencia Province, Alicante 1933
Elliot Erwitt
© Elliot Erwitt/Magnum Photos
New York City, NY 2000
Garry Winogrand
© The Estate of Garry Winogrand, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
New York City, NY 1970
Contemporary Street Photographers
As much as I love the photographs I’ve selected to illustrate my own work in the genre of street photography, my images ultimately represent only my approach to the art. They show the places I’ve been to, the subjects I’m most interested in, the way I like to shoot, and the way I like my images to look. My images do not represent the best nor the only way to shoot. Your work should reflect the places you’ve been to, the subjects you’re most interested in, the way you like to shoot, and how you like your images to look.
The following images are samples from three contemporary street photographers with unique styles and points of view. I chose to include their images because I appreciate their aesthetics, and I wanted to show a diversity of street photography styles. I think you’ll enjoy their work, too.
Steve Dierkens (www.stevedierkens.be) is a Belgian photographer who has a well-developed talent for capturing colorfully odd, absurd, or even cartoonish moments of everyday urban life.
Rinzi Ruiz (www.streetzen.tumblr.com) is equally adept at shooting images in both black-and-white and in color. His images emphasize deep shadows, low-key tones, isolated figures, and lurid colors to convey a sense of mystery, wonder, unease, and irony.
Kip Praslowicz (www.kpraslowicz.com), who shoots in both black-and-white and color, produces images that have a quiet subtlety, ambiguity, and intensity. His images invite us to linger over every detail to find deeper insight into the message of the photograph.
I invite you to visit these artists’ websites to see more of their work. Other contemporary street photography websites worth visiting include:
• Street Photographers
(http://www.street-photographers.com/)
• iNPUBLiC
(http://www.in-public.com/)
• Urban Picnic
(http://www.urbanpicnic-streetphotography.com/)
These websites offer amazing images from like-minded photographers from around the world. You’ll also find a supportive community, and perhaps even a venue for your own work.
Steve Dierkens
© Steve Dierkens, 2012 Dunedin, New Zealand 2012
Next to paragliding, pursuing the art of street photography is my favorite pastime. I like to roam the streets and other public places on a hunt for humorous, absurd, or ambiguous scenes and situations to photograph. It’s necessary to be totally focused, or you might miss out on something special. Street photography is all about reacting quickly and anticipating what might happen next. It pays off to always carry a camera with you, even when you go to the grocery store around the corner. You never know! Photographic opportunities just present themselves to you—for example, something or somebody in the street might grab your attention. It can be beneficial to stay with the subject, hang around a bit, try to relate it to other elements in the environment, and wait for the right moment. Being patient is important when photographing, but there’s also a tiny bit of luck involved. Sometimes a detail you didn’t notice while photographing a scene turns out to be a key factor in the picture. To me, a compact and non-obtrusive (digital) rangefinder camera with a fixed 35mm equivalent lens works best for street photography. The fact that there is no zoom available on the camera forces you to get in close. The difficult part of street photography is to become invisible as a photographer and shoot in a candid way.
© Steve Dierkens, 2014
Ghent, Belgium 2014
© Steve Dierkens 2013
Ghent, Belgium 2013
Rinzi Ruiz
© Rinzi Ruiz 2014
Burbank, CA 2014
Usually I drive to downtown LA to walk around and shoot, but sometimes I find interesting subjects while running errands locally. I was making a quick stop to get coffee when I noticed this mannequin leg in the car. It’s not something I see very often, especially in the residential area where I live, so I wanted to get the shot. Since I have a camera with me all the time, I was able to take the picture.
© Rinzi Ruiz 2014
Los Angeles, CA 2014
I saw this man walking toward me from a distance. What caught my attention was the amount of smoke he was producing. I got low as he got closer, and took a few shots of him as he exhaled smoke. I smiled and greeted him afterwards. It was a brief and positive interaction. He was curious to see how the pictures turned out, so I showed him. He complimented the image, we shook hands, and we both went on our way.
Kip Praslowicz
© Kip Praslowicz 2011
A Woman Flips, Rex Bar, Duluth, MN 2011
A core foundation of traditional street photography comes from the pursuit of capturing examples of the unexpected in human behavior and society. To successfully capture these moments, I feel like the act of street photography is closer to a sport than the more deliberate visual arts, such as painting or sculpture. Street photography requires the need to be completely at ease with using your gear, and being ready to put yourself into the position to snap a photo in a heartbeat is an important skill (one which paid off to make this photo). This image was taken on a Thursday night—a band was playing in front of a small crowd, and one couple used the open floor space to bust out some more advanced dance moves.
© Kip Praslowicz 2010
Bus Stop, Duluth, MN 2010
While actually depicting humans is the typical theme of street photography, I believe the genre to be more about humanity as a whole: not just the behavior of individuals in public, but also our constructs and how we manipulate and use the space around us. While this photo lacks actual human figures, the sun backlighting the bus stop illuminates the smudges on the glass left behind by the many people who have used the shelter to hide from the harsh elements raging in the background.
© Kip Praslowicz 2013
World Record Attempt At Snow Angels. 7086 People Short, Duluth, MN 2013
These next two images are an example of how I’ve been approaching street photography for the past few years. Gone are the handheld rangefinder cameras and the attempt to be unseen. Instead, I use a large 8x10 camera, and I have zero hope of trying to be stealthy. The goal is to intentionally compose a scene like a landscape photographer would, except I try to anticipate where interesting human activity will unfold. Then I wait for just the right scene to unfold before making a single exposure. This style is an attempt to approach street photography with more deliberation, like that used in the art of painting.
© Kip Praslowicz 2014
Mt. Ashway, Bayfield, WI 2014