With that in mind, what is my definition of "Street Photography"? I emphasize the words "my definition" because others' definitions may be different. As a matter of fact I know that some are. Does that make either of us right or wrong? No. This is just "my definition".
To me "Street Photography" is:
- Candid shot of a stranger
- Public place - Meaning anyone could have been there and taken that shot
- Includes a human element - Person or part of person or telling a human story
- A clear element of interest and/or design which grabs the viewers attention
Candid shots include those where the subject catches the photographer in the act so you see them looking into the camera.
For me to call it "Street Photography" it does have to be "candid". There are great photographers out there, such as Eric Kim to name only one of many, that talk to their subjects ahead of time and ask permission to take their photo and even pose them to some extent . I've done that too, but for my purposes I classify that as Street Portraiture, which is another fun and interesting genre. Some may also send a friend or family member to stand in a certain place to give balance or scale . . . Again, "Street Portraiture". Unlike myself, many do not differentiate between "Street Photography" and "Street Portraiture". You may occasionally see "Street Portrait" shots among my street photos.
One last rule I have for myself is that I very rarely include any shots of homeless or destitute, beggars or drunks. To me that is picking the low hanging fruit; taking advantage of others' unfortunate situations and disrespecting them. Having said that I have seen work by photographers such as John Free who spent 10 years going to the train yards in Los Angeles nearly every day at great personal effort, diligence and in some cases even personal risk, photographing the tramps there. John documented their trials in a beautiful way getting to know many and giving them the respect and friendship they needed and deserved. In addition we have Dorothea Lange to thank for the amazing images of the great migration in America during the depression years. Again, there is a difference between grabbing the low hanging fruit and creating a documentary of an important social event or period.