Street Photography

Welcome

This site discusses street photography and displays my recent photographs. My main page of images - Sydney Street Photography - tells how I roam the streets of Sydney and the images are updated at least twice weekly. There are also pages reflecting trips I did late last year (2024), to India and Vietnam; and a visit I made to Perth earlier this year (2025).

What is Street Photography

Street photography sees everyday life in terms of candid moments, done in public spaces. It tries to capture human activity within those places.

Some interpretations will include fashion or portraits set in an urban environment. I do not subscribe to such a view, as I believe it has to be candid.

What Motivates Me

I feel alive when I photograph the streetscape. I'm an observer, a voyeur. I select which parts of the street I want to depict: photography is about choosing what is included in the frame, and what is not.

But more than that... how the elements are placed; the aperture and its effect on focus and depth of field; and the shutter speed and its impact relative to time and motion.

Q Why did you take up street photography?

A. I had been drifting into it for a year or so. It seems to agree with my enquiring mind, one which is interested in the human psyche. It's also so convenient for my lifestyle.

Q When is your favourite time of day for Sydney street photography?

A I'm a morning person...I'm up early and have more energy at that time. Also, the air is clearer. However, lately I’ve been out in the CBD at lunchtime when it’s hectic.

Q What is the hardest thing about what you do?

A Believe it or not, it's taking close-up photos. I'm naturally a shy person, though it varies as my mood changes.

Q Who are some of your favourite street photographers?

A Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jonathan Jasberg, Manuel Ortiz, Vivian Maier, Saul Leiter.

Q What are your settings for the triangle?

A I set all three controls manually (Aperture, Shutter speed, ISO). This sometimes means my photo is way over- or underexposed, but as I shoot RAW I can usually recover from this in post processing.

FAQs

What Influenced These Well-Known Street Photographers?

Saul Leiter

Saul Leiter was strongly influenced by his background in painting and his friendships with Richard Pousette-Dart and W. Eugene Smith. These led him to explore photography as a form which relied on artistic distinctions. While he also admired photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, his approach was heavily shaped by his painterly eye and his interest in reflecting the beauty of everyday city life.

A crucial influence for Leiter was his friendship with the abstract expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart. Pousette-Dart encouraged Leiter to try photography and lent him a camera, which sparked his interest in the art form. Leiter's background as a painter, particularly his interest in the French Impressionists, heavily influenced his photographic style. He saw the world through a painter's eye, focusing on colour, composition, and the subtle beauty of everyday city scenery.

Another influential figure was the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith. His work, along with that of other social documentary photographers, provided a foundation for Leiter's exploration of the city.

Saul Leiter 'Snow' (1960) © Saul Leiter Foundation

Saul Leiter © Saul Leiter Foundation

Jonathan Jasberg

He lived adjacent to the Centre For Creative Photography, an institution co-established by Ansell Adams. He would go there and absorb all the exhibitions for free. He also lived close to the Etherton Gallery founded by Terry Etherton who had a close relationship with photographers like Alex Webb, Steve McCurry and Elliott Erwitt. Jonathan fell in love with the photography of Elliott Erwitt and those other photographers.

Jasberg owes his own photographic evolution to his travels, though he didn’t venture beyond his homeland until his early thirties, when, inspired by James Clavell’s 1975 bestseller ”Shogun”, he launched on a life-changing 10-day adventure to Japan.

“It was a 10-day adventure that changed my life drastically. When I returned home, I decided to dedicate the majority of my free time to learning Japanese as well as figuring out how to travel as far and often as possible. I was obsessed and soon started making trip after trip back to Japan, and slowly exploring other parts of Asia and the world.”

Vivian Maier

Vivian Maier's street photography, while unique, was influenced by several photographers and shaped by her worldview. While she was a great original, some influences can be seen in her work, including Helen Levitt, Lisette Model, and Berenice Abbott. Both Levitt and Maier focused on capturing candid moments of urban life, particularly children, with a documentary style. Model's work, known for its stark, often unflinching portrayals of people, is also cited as an influence on Maier's work, suggesting a shared interest in capturing the raw realities of urban life.

Additionally, the "The Family of Man" exhibition at MoMA (1955) is also cited as an influence. Her work also shows the influence of Diane Arbus and Robert Frank. Some suggest that Jeanne Bertrand, who probably introduced her to photography, also played a role.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographic style, like Saul Leiter's, was significantly influenced by his background in painting, particularly his study with Cubist artist André Lhote. He was also deeply inspired by the Surrealist movement and the work of photographers like Eugène Atget and Martin Munkácsi.

Although he was influenced by such photographers as Eugene Atget and André Kertész (1894–1985), his fusion of shape and content was outstanding. In his 1952 landmark study,The Decisive Moment, he defined his philosophy: “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which gave that event its proper expression.”

Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden's affect on street photography is deep. He is known by his intrusive method of using a flash while being up close to his subjects. His distinctive approach has influenced street photographers such as Eric Kim, who adopted his close proximity and direct engagement with his subjects to create raw imagery.

He has been influenced by Garry Winogrand, as seen in Gilden's turning the street into a stage . His unique style has challenged the rules of street photography proving that beauty and truth can be found not just in harmony and order but also in the chaos and uncensored photos.

A Brief About Photography

There are three elements involved in achieving the correct photograph exposure. These are:

1. ISO. This is the overall brightness within an image, measured numerically. For example, 200-400 is considered a normal ISO while 1600 is high (1600 is four times brighter than 400).

2. Aperture. This is measured in f-stops. A lens with an aperture range of f/2.8 - f/22 means it can open as wide as f/2.8 (letting in the most light) or close down to f/22 (letting in the least light).

Unique to photography, aperture affects the depth of field, meaning the distance range within a scene that appears sharp in a photo. A wider aperture creates a shallower depth of field (limited sharpness) while a smaller aperture creates a larger depth of field (greater sharpness).

3. Shutter speed. The speed at which the shutter opens and closes, measured between perhaps 30 seconds (depending on the camera) and 1/8000 of a second.

Reciprocity

This says that when an element is changed (changing the light exposure) using shutter speed, aperture or ISO, a reciprocal movement can be made in the other elements. For example, if you increase your aperture (letting in more light), you can increase your shutter speed (exposing the sensor for less time) to maintain the same exposure. Similarly, if you increase your ISO, you can use a smaller aperture or faster shutter speed.