Issues and controversies

Street photography is not without risk. Every time you take pictures, problems can occur. 

Risk of theft

As a street photographer you risk having your camera stolen. My partner regularly tells me to put my camera away when we're in a rough town or out late at night

But to get mugged you have to be unlucky or have done something unwise. You should only take pictures where there are lots of people around, not least because empty places are unlikely to produce good photographs.

Don't visit the same places regularly, at least not really dangerous places. That way, your movements won’t become a recognised pattern.

And don't wave your camera around. By the nature of the work, you should try to remain unobtrusive.

If you’re using a phone, keep a firm grip on it at all times. Encase the phone in the palm of your hand, so there's little chance of anyone snatching it.

Risk of hostility or violence

If you photograph drunk males, you risk getting a beating, or the loss of your camera with all its precious images. And if you’re using a smart phone, you stand to lose your life's records.

If you encounter an aggressive person, act submissive. Switch on the charm, offer to delete the offending picture, apologise, make excuses, and walk away.

If you explain why you’re taking pictures, most people will be disarmed. They really want to be sure you aren’t from the government. You could say you’re taking pictures for a student project, a book or magazine.

Add a compliment; it will help: ‘You have a strong, experienced face; I wanted to capture it’.

Mistaken intentions

You don’t want to be branded a pervert. For that reason, it's difficult for males to photograph women.

Generally, however, young women aren’t good subjects for street photography, unless they are exuberant, sad or behaving badly, i.e. drunk and disorderly.

A chic woman in a run-down area of town can make an interesting photo. But photographing lone women who may already feel threatened, is legally and ethically unwise.

Are we exploiting our subjects?

Some people see street photography as discourteous, because most pictures are taken without the subjects' consent. They call it 'hit and run' photography.

They say they'd feel aggrieved if they saw a photo of themselves at an exhibition, with the image adding to the photographer's fame. They would feel the photographer had taken advantage of them.

It is true that, unless you ask people's permission, you're taking advantage of them.

And some think we are voyeurs, watching people from the sidelines but not engaging with them.

Street photographers say they try to show the world the way it is. We present images of real people facing their everyday problems. And we bring people face to face with issues they might not otherwise see.

Moreover, street photography has been practised for decades; and some of the world's most famous photographers, like Cartier Bressson, were street photographers.

A man dives from a frightening height into a small pool in Negril, Jamaica. They do it for donations. I paid him for the risk he took. But do we exploit poor people? This photo is a still from a video I shot. So the perfect timing is a bit of a cheat. Note: it’s shot against the sun, so the people are silhouetted.

Clichés

Street photographers are also accused of seeking out clichés and stereotypes.

When we show pictures of drunken revellers, we're telling the world that in some cities drunkenness and rowdiness abound on a Saturday night.

When we photograph drug addicts, perhaps we're encouraging people to be shocked, rather than engaging in a meaningful debate about prevention or rehabilitation.

There's a risk that we concentrate on the worst aspects of society, gravitating towards the ridiculous, the absurd and the shocking.

Others will say we’re demonstrating support and compassion for people. We don’t flinch from showing the world as it is.

But it's worth thinking about. Are we promoting stereotypes? Do we mock afflicted people?

Are either of these images (above) more truthful or representative? Should street photography aim to reproduce some eternal ‘truth’? And do we look for clichés? Note: the top picture would have been better if shot at ground level, rather than from the upper deck of a bus.

Photographing children

There’s a taboo about photographing children. People think there is a paedophile around every corner. This makes it hard for the street photographer.

Inevitably, therefore, we concentrate on photographing adults. That’s a shame because children are more instinctive and less reserved than adults, and therefore produce great photos.

It takes a brave person to take photographs where children are concentrated, such as outside a school or at a playground.

If I’m out on the street, and a child is doing something interesting, I’ll take their picture. But you should avoid dwelling too long on children. And try to make it clear you’re photographing people in general.