Street Photography

Street photography has been a passion of mine for coming up to thirty years. Back then I used a little Fuji and I would just wander around Liverpool seeing what shadows and angles I could find in the street. Finding magic in the mundane still appeals to me more than any other photographic discipline. The feeling of just walking down a street and seeing something fantastic that most people walk past without a glance is special. I can’t tell you how much street photography improved my photos; analysing your own images and seeing why one worked and one didn’t is an absolute must for you to become a better image maker. 

Capturing someone just going about their normal day is amazing. They could be coming home from work after a hard day, running for a bus or just enjoying an ice cream.

That’s the reason I always have my camera with me. You never know if you’re going to see some beautiful light through a building, lighting someone up as if they were on stage at a broadway show, or walk around a corner and stumble on a protest against Iran. 

I used to keep my street photography for me. I think I was hoping one day someone will see all my work and say: ‘he wasn’t a bad photographer, was he?’

But last year, I entered one of my favourite street images in The British Photography Awards and it was shortlisted so I entered another one in The International Photography Awards which also got an Honourable Mention. So, I thought I might as well show a few more. 

Sometimes street photography can require a lot of patience. I stood waiting for someone or something interesting to enter the light in my image Trudging for over an hour, with people walking past me asking ‘Are you still here?’ The same thing happened with Windswept. I was stood there hoping for someone doing a wheelie on a bike, or a skateboarder, when this lady went past and threw her scarf behind her. It looked like the wind was blowing the buildings and her scarf, in front of this great glass window.

Give street photography a go even if it isn’t for you. In the long term it will seriously improve your photographic eye. 

A few photographers you might want to check out for inspiration are Henri Cartier-Bresson, Garry Winogrand and Bruce Gilden (but he tends to get slapped and told off a little too much for my liking). Vivian Maier – who I think never realised how wonderful she was – and finally Josef Koudelka who is one of my personal favourites. If I ever make an image as good as him, I will be very happy indeed. There’s many, many more besides so check them out and with each new photographer you find you’ll fall in love with photography a little more.