I think there is a difference between “street photography” as it is defined by say HCB and how most modern snappers define it. The current mass of so called street photographers are really doing no more than documenting what they see around them. The pictures that come from that are almost never going to be the kind that stand the test of time and certainly won’t make their way into the ‘magnum contact sheets’ for example but that is not to say that they have no value. Pictures of the world we live in are important too (even without classic composition or juxtaposition) as they document a person’s view of the world and also in time, these pictures gain weight and importance. The pictures above will be of interest to people 100 years from now for perhaps many reasons but if for no other reason then just for the “holy cow, look at what people were wearing, driving etc back then” factor. Are they true “Street Photographs”? That is debatable but ultimately almost all contemporary photographs have little value at the time they are taken, it is better to see how a photograph gains importance over time. A bit like wine, new red wine, no matter how good, is not a patch on what it is after seasoning a few years. Even the amazing photographs that have come from the Arab Spring… can you name one that is famous and well known? I didn’t think so. You will be able to in a few years, and definitely in 50 years. Just ask Van Gogh, famous now but when he was a contemporary painter… he could not sell even one. With contemporary photographs, history is the judge but we need to give history time to do its magic and it either blesses photographs and the photographers who took them or it damns them. And while we are at it, the opposite of blessing is not hating, its indifference.
If ever I leave London, what I will remember most, are the faces of the people going by.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Kodak Tri-X 400
Camden Market is a lot bigger than first meets the eye. It is a rabbit warren of little nooks and crannies with the most interesting little shops selling trinkets, posters, t-shirts, clothes, music, food and countless other items. This is a little shop that sells old records, posters and magnets. The oddest looking place for a shop with not much space but as you can see he has used it to the last inch. I went up and asked him if he minded if I took a picture of his shop and he said he didn’t mind.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Kodak Tri-X 400
London is a mix of people, probably the most diverse city in the world. Looking at someone you can never tell where they are from originally, are they born and bred Londoners or are they tourists or people just moved here for a while? (accounts for a lot of people!). They say you are a Londoner while you are in London, however you find yourself here.
I was sitting in the coffee shop in Camden Market when I noticed the light catching this girl sitting nearby. She sat there, I mesmerized by something, some thought, I don’t know what. I reached for my camera, raised it up and click. Moments later, she got up with her parents and speaking German, they left and were gone, out into the streets to join, I suppose, other Londoners.
Walking around Central London looking for opportunities to portray London, I came past the Odeon cinema, Leicester Square. Often the scene of famous premieres with red carpets and celebrities in the best. It’s not always like that. Sometimes it is just a place to go, on a rainy, cold, winter’s afternoon. A place when you can do anything, and nobody will notice.
Leica MP
Not sure if you are aware of the area around Tottenham Court Road Station end of Oxford Street? I have been there a few times over the last month and there is a negative energy there. I could not put my finger on why but the place is so run down, the people are strange and seem a mixture of desperate and scared. Not a great part of London. I then heard that this was the area of London where a lot of the hangings used to happen and although much as been tried to revamp the area, nothing has worked. Funny that even after all these years you take one walk down there and you know there is something very wrong with it…
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Ilford Delta 100
Ilfotec LC 29 5 min @ 20 degrees
Last weekend I spent a bit of time around Wardour street (picking up some new film - Ilford Delta 100 to be precise) but also just took in some of the feel of the area. Noticed a number of Caribbean style restaurants which looked great. Definitely going to give them a try in the near future.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Ilford Delta 100
Ilfotec LC 29 5 min @ 20 degrees
Tiburon, one of my fav places to go when in SF. Sam’s for fish and chips is a standing order. Took the ferry back to SF once, now that is a commute I may be able to live with.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Kodak Ektachrome 100G
Why is it that whenever I close my eyes and think of SF, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Kodak Ektachrome 100G
Although shooting slide film these days is pretty time consuming (not many labs process E6 anymore and drug stores won’t touch it) I find there is something National Geographic about it which not even modern C-41 film can achieve (ok, Kodak Ektar comes close!). I love the rich blues of Ektachrome. Perfect for blue bird day in San Francisco as we closed out 2011 in style.
Leica MP
Summilux 50mm
Kodak Ektachrome 100G
