So I say ‘published’, it’s really a feature on a photography website that regularly features contributors work and essays, but still it’s one I reallt like and I’m honestly very excited to have had it accepted and published.

It’s pretty personal, but that was the point. Hope you like it:

The Phoblographer – Photography & the Politics of Experience

Great photos! Really like the one of the old chap with a stick and the one of the yelling woman in orange.

Very interesting article and perspective on the question of “why am I pressing this button?”

Impressive. Thanks for sharing !

Some great work there.

Alright then, which one is you?

Interesting article, geetee, nicely put together. Thanks for sharing.

I don’t really get ‘Street Portraiture’, though. Your shots are really nicely composed, lit, exposed etc, but I just don’t get it as a genre. I suspect it might just be me, but I find those kind of portraits awkward and unnatural, no matter how hard either party tries to make them seem natural.

(NB for avoidance of doubt: Not meant as a criticism at all, just a comment, and probably more of a comment on me than anything else!)

Great article geetee, quite a bit of it I can easily relate too as well. Always find your portrait work interesting as it’s one area of photography I have never tried as I’m completely fazed by the thought of asking complete strangers if I could take their photo.

Great piece and great photos, geetee! I find the whole street portraiture thing really fascinating. And I’m always in awe of anyone who can take a decent photo of anything 🙂

What a well written and interesting article with some great photographs.
I love photography and most aspects of it, but I’ve always struggled with ‘street’ shots. I think I’m going to have to leave it to experts like you.

I don’t really get ‘Street Portraiture’, though. Your shots are really nicely composed, lit, exposed etc, but I just don’t get it as a genre. I suspect it might just be me, but I find those kind of portraits awkward and unnatural, no matter how hard either party tries to make them seem natural.

So much as I really appreciate the positive reinfocement and kind words of others, actually Pyro, your comments, while challenging, are the most valuable.

Thankyou for you honesrty and opinion.

What the ‘point’ is was actually what I was hoping to communicate in the essay itself. I might not have done that all that well if it wasn’t apparent to you.

I think I can sum it up in one word which is ‘humanity’. I think I do it because I learn something about the nature of people and their/our humanity.

That these are all well composed, lit etc is a challenge that I enjoy trying to meet and the benefit of this is that by being ‘good photographs’ (if indeed they are) then that takes down one more obstacle to trying to effectively show a person’s humanity.

If they feel akward, that can also be a good thing and is actually something I do try to capgture in some of the portraits. I actually want a sense of tension because that tension is more likely to cause someone to think.

That said, I acknowledge that I am still a relative amateur and novice at this. What you seeing/feeling could simply be the result of that.

Thankyou again for being honest in your comments and thank you to the other (positive) remarks.

Hey geetee, thanks for your response, and my apologies; my comment wasn’t meant to be confrontational or demanding of an answer. As I say, I think my ‘not getting it’ probably reflects more on me as a viewer than on you as a photographer.

I’d be interested in discussing a little, would you mind if I emailed you?

Pyro

Interesting article, geetee, nicely put together. Thanks for sharing.

I don’t really get ‘Street Portraiture’, though. Your shots are really nicely composed, lit, exposed etc, but I just don’t get it as a genre.

Take a look at the work of Bruce Gilden, Chuck Jines or Lee Jeffries.

I’d be interested in discussing a little, would you mind if I emailed you?

Absolutely no need to apologies. I didn’t take it as anything other than interested discussion and valid commentary Pyro. I would be delighted to correspond with you.

My email is in my profile.

Great article. Your input on photography threads on here is fantastic, really helpful.

I find myself agreeing with Pyro however. They’re technically great pics, and many of them do tell some kind of story about the subject, but they do appear somewhat ‘staged’ and contrived. They feel they are lacking in context. My interpretation of the collection is that they are pictures of individuals who somehow ‘stand out’ from the crowd, and have been selected because they aren’t mundane or ‘ordinary’. Obviously they make far more interesting subjects than many other people, but they don’t communicate who that person actually is, without any context. I’m really not a fan of this kind of portraiture, and prefer more ‘natural’ looking environmental portraits (although the irony is that such pictures can actually be far more set-up and contrived than yours!). A fair bit of my own work is environmental portraiture (just had such an image published as part of a magazine article), and I prefer to give the image some context.

I do think images like yours can serve as an excellent documentation of the ‘now’ though, and certainly have validity. And my own opinions aside, what s really powerful in your pictures, is the way there is an obvious engagement between photographer and subject. I’m actually quite envious of your ability to go up to people and take their picture; I’ve never quite had the gall to do this! What’s your approach? How do you go about making that initial connection with strangers?

Thanks for sharing this with us. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, and helping others learn.

Clodhopper as with Pyro, thank you for your comments. You are right in many ways, they are staged and therefore contrived. Honestly I am thinking a lot about what you’ve said as I genuinely see your comments as a learning opportnity. So again, sincerely, thankyou.

As for the approach and how I do it, well I guess that’s where I see my ‘skill’. I’m good at reading people, adjusting my approach, building rapport and trust. It’s basically what I do for a living so this is an extension of that skill.

They feel they are lacking in context

This in my eye is what these pictures are about – they say “yes, I am wearing a silly hat (or whatever) but this is the person behind that exterior”. But maybe I missed the point 🙂