What makes a Great Street Photograph?
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
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I share some thoughts on what I think makes a good street photograph, including some helpful advice from fellow street photographer Joshua. K. Jackson on building layers of interest in your images to make them stronger. Share it on if you found it helpful.
#streetphotography #hitrate #buildinglayers
One of the anecdotal tales of ‘hit rates’ that stuck with me was Robert Frank’s seminal street photography work “The Americans” where he took 27 THOUSAND photographs for the project and whittled them down to just 83 for the book, and this was during the film days where you really had to work hard to take 27,000 shots.
Great anecdote - thank you!
That's wild. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks. A fascinating story
Surely, not mention needing a lot of money to spend on film for his project
@@lifesbeautiful3024 he got a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation. They covered his expenses (not just film but fuel, food, accommodation etc) for two years to complete the book. I don’t think you’d get that kind of funding for a book today, but 1950s America was a boom time. The ultimate point is you shouldn’t be afraid to cull your work, the best names in the field did it and perhaps that’s what made them so good.
There are some good observations here but my advice is even simpler. Don't overthink anything. Many of the finest photographers like Eggleston, Shore, Leiter, Haas, Herzog and Gruyaert produced masterpieces that never went beyond one or two layers of interest (by layers I'm not referring to composition) and they weren't really seeking out anything beyond this. It was an approach closer to pop art than documentary photography. I suppose this is why they couldn't really be categorized as street photographers today. If your goal is just to document beauty in the everyday world then there's nothing wrong with that. If you have higher aspirations then that's OK too. Just don't worry about "hit rates", "bangers" and "keepers". None of those things are important in the long run. Oh, and never, ever be concerned about having your work described as "boring". That shouldn't be a concern. Maybe call your photographs "austere" instead.
I get 1 or 2 that aren’t bad per year. But I only shoot on the weekend mostly at the same place.
Love how well you explained the layers. It has really made me look at my images much more critically. Instagram is loaded with single layer images so when I come across a photo that has 3-4 layers it’s amazing. Really inspires me to level up the skills I have by increasing my scrutiny of them.
Sean, you said "I hope this is help"
This is BEYOND helpful.
This is the stuff that makes me follow your channel for years.
This is priceless information and I learn a lot just by watching this video.
Mastering layering in Street Photography is like mastering gourmet cuisine in cooking. Great video as always Sean! Very insightful.
I think you can work it in backwards direction. If secret sauce equals to emotion (which for me it does) then concentrete just on that and if you are lucky other aspects might click from time to time. Because the other way around it will be much more rare to click. And also - emotional image with shitty colors and light is still miles more interesting that technically perfect image about nothing.
This was the single best explanation of street photography I have ever heard. I have often been mystified by the dozens of photos posted in FB street photography groups because I can see no reason why they were shot in the first place. Now I can at least try to articulate what I see as a good street photo and perhaps understand where to start in learning the genre for myself.
exactly. sometimes people take "street photography" as just photographing on the streets, random shots with no intentions or purpose behind it.
@@nomanCyclewala Not to say there is anything wrong with that. Our living spaces should be documented. If nothing else, I will look back with nostalgia at my bland shots of empty streets of my hometown once I will have lost my hair and teeth.
This is probably one of the best videos I have seen on UA-cam. It simplifies what a great photograph is and how we can try to get something which maybe one day be considered to be a great picture.
I wish someone had told me this 10/15 years ago! I might have stuck to photography more consistently, and not given up on it so many times because I kept producing so many boring images without knowing why. I've instinctively thought all this to myself but never felt it was valid. I'm getting too old now to make full use of this wisdom. If you are young enough to make a photographic life then this is a great mantra to follow.
Don’t stop, sir. Everything changed for me when I realized photography for me is a source of inspiration and not something I have to be great at. It’s just something for me, not for others.
Great opportunities for great images occur randomly not necessarily evenly distributed in time. You may have any number of opportunities; the goal should be to be ready. In sport, regardless of the type of competition, there are great players that never hold the championship trophy or world record. Society places an extremely high premium on the penultimate. To much for my taste. I remember when there were consolation games played. Now the second best teams in the world just sit with their heads hung low, not fully appreciating their achievements.
Very well explained and laid out. Street photography as I have observed it, is very diverse and varies in style. For me, it's not easy to say what a great street photographs looks like. I think it more subjective than objective.
"In 1757, British sceptic and essayist David Hume wrote, 'Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty' (Essay XXXII, Of the Standard of Taste)". [from Writing Explained]
Love it. This is a great framework for thinking about photos. I would also add another aspect to the alchemy layer that I don’t think you mentioned. That would be a sequence or some thread tying a group of images together. I don’t remember the photographer but there was a series of pictures of people who were walking at a certain in NYC taken years apart. Individually the images were unspectacular having just 1 or 2 of layers you’ve described here. But as a series they were all elevated and really brought up interesting thoughts on human habits and routines.
Hi, Sean.
This is a very strong video.
A video we can all learn from.
I want to start street photography but without the people.
Actually, I want to photograph the mundane and abstract subjects on the street.
I have been photographing for almost 35 years, so I have the basics reasonably under control.
In the photography I did for this I had a rate of 9 out of 10.
But there I had everything under control, the subject, the light, and the emotion.
I photographed black and white still lifes.
But now that I've started shooting on the street, I've found out how difficult it is to take a good photo.
I have just started but I hope, I am now 63 years old, that I can make one booklet with good photos.
But I don't put pressure on myself and see that I improve every time I go out.
I'm not there yet but as long as I see improvement I will keep going.
Thank you for this nice video that I really enjoyed watching.
A warm greeting from the Netherlands,
Antoine.
Great attitude and approach - Best of luck to you!
@@DelusionalNYC Thank you very much, my friend.
Thank you for your compassion for us. You are the real Inspiration for Beginner- and Hobbyphotographer. (Sorry if my English is not 100% correct) Best wishes from Germany🙂
Very interesting approach to categorizing your photography! Nevertheless, I am not very sure if I really agree with your idea of an alchemy layer. If I understood it correctly, the alchemy layer corresponds almost to what Roland Barthes calls the "punctum" in his essay "La Chambre claire": a detail or a vibe from a photograph that draws the viewer's attention to the photo. He separates that from the "studium", the composition of a photograph. Thus, the punctum is a subjective category and not really something in the photographer's power; it isn't even the same for every viewer.
I feel like there is a same thing going on with the alchemy layer: the image by Jill Freedman you shared doesn't really do a lot for me; I don't feel the "alchemy". And last but not least I really don't think that the four layers are necessary for a photographer to go down in history. This is a whole other story because it very much exclusively depends on market logics and not at all on quality or talent. Maybe the photographers just got the right agent, maybe there was that one edition of Life or something featuring their work. Don't get me wrong, the photographic masterpieces we know today don't lack composition or even if you want alchemy, but they are mostly known for reasons that have little to do with the image quality and very much what the cultural field just wants.
Just look at Vivian Maier you're citing here: nobody cared for her until 2008 - and that's not only because we just now rightfully recognize her talent, but maybe more because street photography gained a lot of traction in the 21st century and because of clever marketing. No alchemy, no other layers are relevant in this case. Your Meyerowitz example shows it to some degree too: you said yourself actually it's not a really great photograph. And you can be sure there are thousands of people who have such a photo some place in their photo library. The difference: they are not Joel Meyerowitz.
Sean’s most poignant video to date, imo. We can all be technically great but it’s elevating ourselves from a well composed image to something containing a number of interesting elements that helps it to stand out. I also use my Instagram just as somewhere to experiment and have some sort of online presence (don’t care to chase likes). Getting those magical street photo moments are a rarity so it’s still nice to have the technically sound but experimental shots too as they are slightly easier to come by plus you never get the magical moments unless you’re out there observing the environment with a camera in hand.
Martin Parr said he’s lucky to take four good photos a year.
The Master Class..... You explain things so eloquently.... & what a great opportunity to go to TUSCANY & create powerful images with good food and wonderful people....
Right now for me it's the best channel about photography. Sean is not only an extremely good photographer but he explains things in such a good way. Thanks a lot!
Hi Sean! Amazing video attempting the breakdown of a great image. (I say attempt, because this is such a complex topic...)
Really made sense how you condensed light, color, etc. into “aesthetics" and I might have to steal that from you...
Good video, but at least one of the images is posed, which to me makes it a lovely photo but not really a great *street* photo, since it's setting up the image rather than it being a live moment. But of course it's all subjective and for me, some of what's considered the greatest street photography and certainly some I love most wouldn't qualify for the criteria mentioned. Leiter's work, for example, often rejects most of it and yet has endured the test of time. The key thing that's missing for me in the list is a sense of time, place and beauty, which I think *can* trump composition, light and all the rest.
I wish I could go back and look at SL's work without the nostalgia
Oh man this helped so much. I am not a street photographer but I am a landscape photographer and the layers you are talking can totally be applied to that genre as well. The biggest key that I took away is the hit rate. I am lucky if I get 3 great images a year but man I have lots of good to ok ones lol
When I shoot street images, I feel as if I’m trying to make a mini movie for whoever sees it. I want them to have this quick flash of a life and world they don’t know.
This is such a great way of thinking about the practice of photography and what makes a great image 🙏👏 reminds me of Randall Jarrell’s line about poetry: “A good poet is someone who manages, in a lifetime of standing out in thunderstorms, to be struck by lightning five or six times; a dozen or two dozen times and he is great.”
Great advice, but every requirement I keep in mind while shooting is another reason for me to not take a shot. In the very extreme, when I try and find a shot with all of these layers, and ultimately fail, I am put off from trying to take any shot at all. As in, if it is not divine, why bother?
I'm trying more and more to subscribe to the idea of keeping my camera at least shoulder height, and snapping photos whenever my eyes see something interesting. The volume of shots I throw away increases dramatically, and percentually very few shots are worth keeping, let alone publishing or printing. But in absolute numbers, there is also an increase of shots I am proud of, shots that make me pick up my camera and say "maybe this week, I'll also get another good one".
There are ways to look at this negatively. There is a big doubt in my mind that I am meant for this kind of art---Surely if I were any good, I would release the shutter and the shot would be a keeper? And the quite frankly enormous numbers of photos I delete as they are worse than uninspiring, but devoid of any substance or content whatsoever, surely does not help this feeling.
I am watching this video over and over again, it really resonates with me. You’re undoubtedly not “only” a great photographer, but also a terrific teacher!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
❤ Love the contents Sean. Thanks for sharing idea to us.
Thank you, hope it helps me!
Very good information as usual. I like to remind myself that Photography is a journey, not a destination. To me, what makes a great street photograph depends on who is looking at it. What makes a great record, or rap album is the same. Musicians or rock bands, do not make records for other musicians. They don't even make them for all people!… they make them for those specific people who follow them, and love to listen to their music, and think that it is great. Mozart isn't for everyone!… Keep on keeping on regardless… I know you will. 🙏🏿
Ths shown range of "Hit Rates" (I never count such a thing) feels consistent to what I experienced so far. I can have 2000-3000 pictures from a good session or holiday but only a hand full would Wow me so much that I think it´s worth putting more effort into post-editing in order to print a really good poster or similar out of it
Thank you so much, truly helpful.
I was lucky enough to spend 9 weeks in Greece, and photographed on most days.
I have just started going through my images thinking, "Maybe these are good enough for a family Photobook, but they are not so great." Then, after about 100 images, I found 1 banger. This is probably a really good outcome.
I still have 3000 images to go through, now. Based on your video, I will view these in a different light.
Many thanks. 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Great video! I really like your idea for structuring a great photo. Simple and effective, very helpful to improve awareness and understanding of the photos. Thanks for that! More in general, I like your way of thinking, and how you communicate all of that to us. If I may, I would suggest an additional layer. The meaning layer. I think the meaning of a photo (in case there is a strong meaning) would greatly contribute to the overall value. The meaning can be deeply connected to the moment (or even to the alchemy), but not necessary. Indeed, the meaning could be just personal (like a photo of my grandfather) or can be recognized by wider audience, like a political meaning, or ironical meaning, or for reporting an abuse, you name it. Greater the audience, greater is the photo. It is very difficult to achieve in street photography, maybe the most difficult one, but it is worth to mention (in my opinion, at least). Moreover, this would especially apply in a photo series (or a photo project). Anyway, thanks again and congratulations for your videos. Great esteem for your work
Recently bought a camera for street photography, and this video really has given me a goal to strive towards. Thank you, Sean
Hit rate is always a funny and fuzzy term. When I'm shooting moving vehicles, I use it for just "usable" because there are just SO MANY shots that are unusable when you're doing 20+ shot bursts while panning. First time I tried panning shots, I took about 500 shots. Maybe 7-8 were even in focus and the car had no motion blur. Of those, I kept 1.
"The harder I practise, the luckier I get" - Gary Player.
A high percentage of my favourite Street photos have a luck element to them. The right people came into shot at the right time. An unusual character did something unusual while I was ready with my camera.
It's a lot like fishing (and golf) though. You need to be out there fishing if you want to to get lucky and catch a fish. You never get a lucky photograph sat at home watching TV.
Is like “One hit Wonders” in music
One thing about street photography to keep in mind, is it’s hard enough just to get a visual moment. You can look all day and maybe find one particular subject, lighting, and background that synchronizes into something magical! The serendipity moment.
But you have to be out there shooting in order to achieve it!
This was great. Before I saw it I thought you were going to be talking about visual layers in the photo. The way Saul Leiter shot through so many layers for example. I remember seeing Eduardo Pavez Goye in a video talking about the trouble he had composing in a square format, and that he didn't like what he was doing until he realized that he needed depth in the photos to make the square format work. I thought that was an interesting realization, and could help with other formats once you had mastered square. Have you ever tried restricting yourself to a square format?
Square format can be both the very best format and the worst.
I love your posts and I love your work. You help so much to define a great "street photograph, but my feeling is that you haven't put the "time frame" or "moment frame" into the analysis. You use the phrase "deep knowledge of our subject matter". Really? Do you really believe that Vivian Maier even knew (or post knows) the name of the young lad riding the horse or even the name of the horse?
What I am trying to say is that recognition of that great photograph came way after the moment of capture. Vivian Maier made 10s of thousands (maybe 100s of thousands) of images. We see the end result of not only her pressing the shutter, but her looking at her proof sheets and knowing which photo has the magic that you speak. The time frame or moment frame that I mentioned earlier comes not only when one is out on the street with their camera, but in the lab (today in front of his computer) scanning, looking, deleting and picking the photo that has those moments.
Most important to me is to be on the street with your camera. Click the shutter and enjoy the walk. Later, with tea in hand, examine, critique and feel your work. But on the street, stop thinking and start shooting.
I love how you've captured the essence of street photography in this video. This was well articulated and thought out in explaining what compelling street photography can be.
Excellent video... very thought provoking and inspirational. Thank you.
One shouldn’t force the layer idea into every shot, as there are often only singular or dual aspects available OR DESIRED. Never exclusify subjective frameworks. It’s limiting.
Have Parable vol. 1. Just ordered vol.2!
It’s amazing how you articulate whats in my mind and I can’t express it. The layers concept has always been in my mind including the magical sauce at the end. I just couldn’t express it into words like how you do.
Re: "Hit rate" I'm 62 😪I've been taking photos on and off since I was about 14, I would estimate that I have about 30-35 "Great" (IMHO) pictures in that time.
Sean, hit rates are fairly similar across all photography genres. I think for a beginner they need to realize experienced photographers rarely get the great photo. Many think photography is easy because they regularly can get you level 1 photo with their phone.
What a great perspective. I’ve just subscribed and so had not heard your visual notebook description. Thanks!
This video was very informative and beautifully crafted. As you stated, i definitely experienced and feeling of relief after receiving what you had to say. It does help me think deeper and more freely about street photography. So thank you much for this amazing video!
such a wonderfully explained everything about layering.... cheers
Great video Sean. I think you’ve articulated what I think about when I see a great street photograph but couldn’t say what makes it so good.
When it comes to the “alchemy” you mention, I think that alchemy is curiosity. All the examples of the alchemy you gave make me ask myself “what was going on there?”.
Superb. One of the best imo. Your own photography has really kicked up to another level imo.
Heard you today on the fujilove podcast. Thank you for what you’re doing for photography, sure, but for mankind even more.
I thought this was an excellent and thoughtful/insightful presentation, and after considering it, I think one could safely delete the word "street" from the title (ie, so that it is simply "What makes a great photograph?), and most of the considerations would then apply to almost any genre of photography. It never was just about the technical elements. Even a landscape has to somehow connect with us emotionally, and, in effect, transport us so that we are somehow experiencing the vista personally. Aesthetics - Subject - Moment - Alchemy.
Thanks for unraveling the wooly thoughts in my mind. Starting to finally transcend the pre- occupation with technique and gear , having a guiding concept like the one you so simply set out, will be very useful. And will be an effective antidote to impostor syndrome.
You misapply the word "layer" to include any aspect, element or characterstic of a photo, thus robbing the word of its real and useful meaning. You're encouraging fuzzy thinking that is not helpful. If you disagree, offer a clear definition of the word layer as applied to photos.
Great commentary! Do you think the same ideas about layers apply to landscape photography? Is there a “moment” and a “subject” layer beyond what’s already implied by the “aesthetic” layer?
I always enjoy your videos Sean and get so much out of them. Much of what you say matches my own beliefs, but sometimes you just need that voice from the outside to act as a reminder or affirmation that we should be comfortable with who we are.
The Alchemy Layer… that’s when the Photo Gods have looked down upon you and given you something special 😉📷
Agreed, but I’d also say that thinking of your hit rate as ‘good photos’ / ‘trip’ is using the wrong denominator. What matters is how many you get that you’re happy with over a much longer period, as the ups and downs day-to-day are huge. It’s the body of work over a decade, a lifetime, that matters.
Your comments about hit rate really struck a chord. When I used to use film I found it initially hard to accept that if I got one passably decent image on a role of 36 frames I had done alright. Nobody told me about this and I was sure that everyone else was producing wonderful images with every exposure. I almost gave up.
I can’t tell you how helpful this was. This is why street photography is a spiritual practice!
Gosh, this is so interesting! 16 minutes, but obviously so much thought behind this. This video is a brilliant reference for self-assessment with enough objectivity built in to dodge the spectre of self doubt.
Thank u for always helping me to be better. As u continue to assimilate the genius of others has it changed how u initially approach a shoot? What are u currently drawn to ? Is it light or possibly subject matter?
As I travel I find myself drawn more to interesting people or subject matter then I hope and pray the light shows up😊
I feel like "Hit rate" is entirely dependent on the process. YOu should be out there shooting and observing and thinking and readjusting and experimenting over and over until you arrive at a final image or a set of images that tell the story of the day or person or experience you are shooting. I dont think photography is about trying to optimize how many useable images you get from a session (unless client pays for it). Its about the work and the process.
Your content and approach is so spot on.
What a photographer (amateur or professional) needs to hear or maybe has forgot along the way.
Congrats and keep creating such great videos 👏🏻
Thank you, that's the way I think, no one told me this, but I know day soon I'll hit the jack pot but for now, I'll keep snapping away and doing what I love, hopefully I make some money on the way, it helps, thanks again
Would this make a LOT more sense if you used your own photos as examples? 🤔
Thank You, I learned a lot from this episode. I can’t wait to start applying these ideas to my photography. Travis
This certainly helped declutter my mind.. thanks for sharing 🙏🏽
I think one needs an interesting street, first of all? There are millions of "so what" pictures with nothing to give or say. Too many street photographers, not all of them with a good pair of eyes.
I really appreciate your videos. I would love to know more about the alchemy layer. Thanks in advance.
Layering is alot of fun. You have to take hundreds if not thousands of photos to develop it. Mostly, it's mastering human nature. Once you get a good feel for people, you will have to be patient and predict how the shot will happen.
Ugh.... another silhouetted pedestrian walking into a shaft of light....and then photoshopped to a high contrast.
Very interesting Sean - my own view is that if you are taking images purely for yourself then the emotional / alchemy layer is the most important as these emotions come back every time you look at the image - to others there may be no value in this though. I guess different people would rank the importance of the four layers differently - could be an interesting exercise ?
Sometimes I feel that someone with good Photoshop & AI skills can create a 4 layer image 10 times in a day everyday.
The world will surely accept that norm one day
This is an amazing video, real street photography wisdom. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, next time I will grab my camera I will think about these layers!
I agree with this! I'm a pro and some shoots I'm commissioned for I don't like any of the images, but as long as the client is happy I'm ok with this.
Clearly explained, very useful and supportive, thanks x
I see an exaggeration rate here. There is no such thing as perfect street photography, precisely because we do not have absolute control over the layers of image composition.
I learned that I’m a huntress when it comes to street photography. :-) I tend to focus most on subject and moment layers.
Thanks it was always inspiring and rewarding to view your video. They are refreshing and always learn something new.
Saul Leiter used reflections, condensation and raindrops on a window as layers, or even negative space. Some of my favorites he shot from inside a car to get at least one layer already by default.
On weekends I always go out to tske photos outside and always in my mind I need to have a good photo everytime I gone home. Otherwise, I fail
Happy to notice you wear colour shirt 😊
So intersting the way to make streetphotography 😊
If you stop to tap your buddy on the shoulder, you missed the shot. Love your insight. Thanks
Absolutely fantastic definition and explanation. Thank you
Such a great video, and such useful concepts, thank you so much for sharing!
Great video - as an addicted (for the moment) one to these street Photography videos I have to say : 2 or maybe even 3 layers for this video !
thanx for the advice, I always thought some of my images were bland now I know what to look for
Wow! By far, this is the video where I learnt the most about photography!
How long do you stay in one spot with your camera out hoping to be able to capture that rare one of a kind moment that you're talking about before its awkward?
You really explained perfectly what a great photo is. In my opinion, social media has conditioned us to stick to „one layer“ photos. I‘ve noticed that all the (IG) photographers whose work I really admire have transcended that cage and it is truly what sets them apart.
Awesome video sir...kudos to your content..these visual notes help the artist prepare for the grand finale or the quad layer..love the comparison of layering..always wantee to know what it is meant..I will be using this video to come back to revise before I go on the streets..have bless day sean
Do you think this concept of layers in photographs apply to all types and categories of images? Is it always the more layers the better? Are these layers in addition to foreground, middle, and background layers in an image? Does a portrait always only have one layer? How do you keep all these concepts in your head at the same time? Buy the time you run thrught the list the scene would have changed and no longer available. Is it just better to make the image and study and evaluate later?
Layers can be interpreted differently but basically, your right, foreground, midground and background. You have the basic 3 layers, for example, the subject up-front in the first layer, whats behind them in the mid ground second layer and then the third layer is the sky/buildings. Generally, ultimate shots are those who have three layers of interest that between them contain that 'elusive something', their specialness which comes from the feeling created by the photograph in the viewer and this photo is generally considered to have a universal quality.
A portrait is generally 2 layers, the subject and the background. Study the photographers whose layer work you like and practice doing it yourself.
So when your on the street, think about someone really close up with a more wideangle lens and how they might look, maybe two people bookending either side of the frame while focussing more on the second layer action from other people and then.. after lots of practice, maybe a third layer of people, with the fourth layer being the buildings/sky. Not easy as Sean says but when you have some practice under your belt and getting some results, it feels wild.
Thanks, Sean. Learnt a lot from this video. Insightful.
Hi Sean, I’m curious if all of the unnamed images in this video are yours? Fantastic work!
They are
Well put Sean, great advice for any photographer, seasoned or newcomer, street or studio.
Also, I love seeing how you keep making changes to how you produce your videos, both the content and the production quality are top level, really well done.
Thanks so much my friend 🙏🙏
Love this. Applies to more than photography. Keep sharing your wisdom Sean.
Thanks for the support my friend 🙏
Moment Layer????? Hahahahahahahaha so pretentious.