Hello and welcome back #monomad army. Another fine day and another great opportunity for some black and white photos. Today I am continuing street photography from our last post. Have you ever asked yourself if it is street photography offensive? After all, you are taking photos of people without their knowledge and also without their consent. Do you even have a right to do so? Well, actually yes, you do. Streets are public spaces and in public spaces, you can take photos of other people, even without their consent. Is it moral? That's another question.
My opinion is somehow neutral. It can be moral but the line is thin. We do like our privacy and on the other hand, we are quite an interesting species. You don't need a lot of work to find some really interesting situations somewhere in the city. It is not called concrete jungle for nothing.
There are also some advantages to this type of photography. You will find people faster than wild animals, so your photography subject is more available, if may I. And again as I said, interactions with another person are frequent. That means your story will be complete in your photos.
What did I learn when taking street photography? People are in majority nice, even if they are showing different nature. One must understand, cities are tough places to live, and showing your weakness is not the best idea. But once you let someone see you, they will let you see their world.
Any bad experiences when taking street photos? Not really, from time to time someone asked me not to take photos of them and I always listen to them and delete photos. What I do regret, are the situations I didn't capture. I still remember one situation which would get me a National Geographic award or something if I would capture it. Sadly, I am afraid I might not have that opportunity ever again. The world is changing quicker than ever and street photography will change too. Masks everywhere, fewer interactions, fewer stories... But we will figure out something, and seek action to take.
A very beautiful urban atmosphere between busyness and tranquility
Beautiful shots and lovely narrative to go with it. I'm with you on the street photography morality. There are so many interesting people in this world. Although we all do similar things (eat, work, commute, play) it's how we do them that really adds color to the world.
Yes. I too found that in this world, most people are kind. We all have a smile inside of us. Like you said, the city can add a bit of a harder exterior, but we're all softer on the inside. Once the inside light comes out, I believe the world becomes a more beautiful place to live in. Thank you for sharing your images and thoughts on this post.