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Favourite Street Photographers


John Mitchell

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Garry Winogrand is a favorite of mine.

 

Nikki Sixx is doing some interesting work these days but it seems to be themed around addiction.

 

They are not "street photographers" per say but Robert Capa and Richard Avedon have what I would call a "Street Style" that is very honest.

 

Of course, my images are nothing like any of the individuals I've mentioned though I look up to all of them.

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I owe Capa proper respect, since he died in a place where I could have died, but I've always felt he was overrated. Avedon could do anything he turned his hand to and do it a bit better than the next shooter. 

 

John, I've traveled a lot in Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina and missed just 5 countries, the Guyanas, Paraguay and Nicaragua. But that was when the clients were paying the way. 

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I just took the time to look through Robert Capa's portfolio on Magnum, and I must apologize and withdraw my remark about him being overrated. It's all very good stuff and I can feel the energy behind the camera.  I'm sorry, Bob.  And sorry too that you stepped on the mine. 

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Ed, I purchased the book "Contact Sheets" put out by Magnum....I was absolutely impressed.  It's like paging through a history book looking through the eyes of photographers.  There is a "Magnum" style and I wish I could come close in the imagery.  I know it's a bit off topic but it is worth the look if you get a chance.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Some nice pictures there, David. Jay's bank/studio/apartments are just a few blocks from me on Spring Street and The Bowery. I've known him since interviewing him for The Nikon Image in the '70s. I haven't seen him recently. We used to run into one another at an Italian restaurant on Mott below Prince. 

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I must give credit to Colin Templeton for getting me into street. He's a photographer for the local papers however his personal work is just pure street. 

 

http://500px.com/colintempleton

 

I asked him how he manages it, and he replied. Small camera, thick skin and good walking shoes lol 

He is excellent!

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Vivian Maier is certainly one of them.

+1 here and like all great artists didn't acclaim fame until she died.

 

I attended two Vivian Maier photo exhibits. Fascinating back story to her 'getting discovered.' She had already died and a few years ago a guy happened to buy out  a mystery box at an auction for unclaimed storage. He didn't know what he was buying until he started really going thru everything and tried to track her down. She had already passed away;made her living as a nanny and her passion was photography.She'd sneak off with her camera(either a twin lens reflex or Leica) on her off day and snap away.  Here is her site: http://www.vivianmaier.com

 

L

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Vivian Maier is certainly one of them.

+1 here and like all great artists didn't acclaim fame until she died.

 

I attended two Vivian Maier photo exhibits. Fascinating back story to her 'getting discovered.' She had already died and a few years ago a guy happened to buy out  a mystery box at an auction for unclaimed storage. He didn't know what he was buying until he started really going thru everything and tried to track her down. She had already passed away;made her living as a nanny and her passion was photography.She'd sneak off with her camera(either a twin lens reflex or Leica) on her off day and snap away.  Here is her site: http://www.vivianmaier.com

 

L

 

 

Woah! - I'm being knocked out by some of the togs linked to on this thread. Vivian Maier is just fantastic.  Absolutely tremendous work; can't stop looking at her photos.  My keyboard is tongue-tied for want of sufficiently admiring adjectives to put in any kind of sensible order.

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Some nice pictures there, David. Jay's bank/studio/apartments are just a few blocks from me on Spring Street and The Bowery. I've known him since interviewing him for The Nikon Image in the '70s. I haven't seen him recently. We used to run into one another at an Italian restaurant on Mott below Prince. 

Jay Maisel's house is not just a house. IT'S 72 ROOMS,LOL! Wow,would love a to met him and get a tour.

Here is Jay's place. He didn't get this from selling .50 photos. :-)

I've always been a fan of his work.

Check out the house photos!

 

http://nymag.com/realestate/vu/2008/09/50481/

 

L

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  • 11 months later...

Some of you may have seen this......

 

What Makes  A Good Street Photograph ?.......   Magnum man Bruce Gilden giving some students a critique of their street photographs.

 

http://www.vice.com/video/what-makes-decent-street-photography-814

 

May be interesting to some.

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Some nice pictures there, David. Jay's bank/studio/apartments are just a few blocks from me on Spring Street and The Bowery. I've known him since interviewing him for The Nikon Image in the '70s. I haven't seen him recently. We used to run into one another at an Italian restaurant on Mott below Prince. 

Jay Maisel's house is not just a house. IT'S 72 ROOMS,LOL! Wow,would love a to met him and get a tour.

Here is Jay's place. He didn't get this from selling .50 photos. :-)

I've always been a fan of his work.

Check out the house photos!

 

http://nymag.com/realestate/vu/2008/09/50481/

 

L

 

 

That building is said to be the most valuable privately owned property in NYC. (I read that somewhere.)

 

Jay came to fame in the late '50s when there was a major style change in photography. Before that, the picture story was king, a series of several images that together made a point. Look up W Eugene Smith. As  the picture story was winding down art directors and editors wanted to go with a single image that would tell the story: Pete Turner, Art Kane, and of course Jay. 

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Here is a Japanese street photographer.

 


 

How about Robert Frank ?

 


 

Not exactly street photography but how about Dianne Arbus?

 

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I have never been impressed by Arbus, even after seeing her work close up a year or two ago at the Nottingham Contemporary. I consider her hugely overrated; I think I am with Susan Sontag in that respect. I was polite to her nephew? though when he presented a profile of Arbus and her work as part of the event.

 

Many of the others that have been suggested are head and shoulders above Arbus.

 

Has anyone mentioned Martin Parr. Not really my taste but I appreciate he has his own vision. Or what about Tony Ray-Jones, short career but highly influential.

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I have never been impressed by Arbus, even after seeing her work close up a year or two ago at the Nottingham Contemporary. I consider her hugely overrated; I think I am with Susan Sontag in that respect. I was polite to her nephew? though when he presented a profile of Arbus and her work as part of the event.

 

Many of the others that have been suggested are head and shoulders above Arbus.

 

Has anyone mentioned Martin Parr. Not really my taste but I appreciate he has his own vision. Or what about Tony Ray-Jones, short career but highly influential.

 

I have been thinking about what you say here Martin.  If I were a critic I might agree with you, but as a photographer I beg to differ. What you might have missed is that Diane Arbus was an original (just like Eggleston above). Others have come along and improved what she started (or as the critics would say, she was hugely influential).  Similarly, in my view, 'street photography' is mainly school of HCB. Maybe some of the followers have improved on his vision, although his work is so complete that might be quite an achievement.  You mention Martin Parr.  One thing that impresses me about him is that, even though he got accepted by Magnum, HCB hated his work.  He was doing something new too.

 

Well he certainly was he produced 'The Last Resort'. 

 

 

That's the great thing about photography, and art more widely. There are different views, sometimes widely different sometimes nuanced; all valid at least when they are considered rather than a simple knee-jerk reaction. There are no absolutes despite what some critics and academics might argue.

 

I have warmed to Parr in recent years, originally I suspect I would have been with HCB ;) Until Parr most of the well known work from Magnum was B&W and then he came along with his highly saturated imagery of everyday life; it must have been a shock! I can see how his work fits with what Magnum had been doing previously.

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Dennis Stock had the same touch of humor in his work as did Elliot Erwitt.

 

I appreciate hearing about the younger shooters. I'll just end my comments by saying let's not confuse Street with PJ or Portrait work, even if there is always some overlapping. 

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