Street Photography for the Purist

Preface – By Chris Weeks
First off, I’d like to thank Sev, Michael Kaiser, Matt, Rainer, Deb, Errol, Darren, Massimiliano, Bernhard and Patrick Kahn for collaborating in their
collaboration and allowing me to include several of their own street photographs with their respective forwards. So very cool of all of you.
All of them share my love for walking a street. Here in Los Angeles. There in Prague. Or Paris. Or New York. Wherever. In the chaos of the city
or the town we find the beautiful details of life. We give them order through our simple observation with composition.
All you have to do is look; it’s there. That photograph you’ve had in your mind forever. There it is. Thwaap.
I think it was Mr. Cartier-Bresson who said, “A successful street photograph – or any photograph for that matter – is when eye, mind and heart come
together.”
I may agree with him although I hardly ever do on many things.
For me street photography is not only going on my own – often solitary – photographic quests but looking at other’s work. By looking at this work I
can tell much about a photographer. His or her worldview comes to mind the most. No matter your worldview I think the successful street
photographer should leave his or her politics at home or on their blog. I don’t believe they should intersect one’s work documenting chaotic life on
the street.
The best work is unforced; it comes naturally; moments either happen or they don’t.
Or ... your skills of observation need honing and practice.
Then and only then will you discover that there are no laws or rules – except, of course, having to do with exposure and composition.
Develop the eye of a fetishist voyeur. A spy. A ghost. A voyeur spy with a great eye.
Even though many of the photographers I’ve chosen to contribute with forwards – myself included – have made photographs of exotic locales, I find
that there is actually more mystery in places one knows intimately.
Open your eyes.
Go for a walk.
Right in the middle of the chaos.
Find your photo. Then find another. Don’t force it. Just go and see and make photos of the history happening around every single one of us. It’s
out there.