Street Photography Now

The latest book I've researched for assignment three is called Street Photography Now by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren. The focus of this book is not colour per se, but knowing that I plan on shooting my forthcoming assignment as street photography, I felt that I could glean plenty of interesting ideas when dealing with the genre, and also see how long-standing and up-and-coming street photographers use colour to enhance the narrative in their images. I studied the book mostly from a colour perspective, and my brief notes reflect that approach. Firstly though, I'd like to share some of my favourite quotes from photographers featured in the book:

'If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, it's a street photograph'. -Bruce Gilden

'Like members of a secret society, teeming pedestrians march in a parade of broken cadence to countless tunes, in all directions, for every reason'. - Gus Powell

'... trying to find the unseen within the everyday'. - Munem Wasif

And from the introduction to the book:

'a good street photograph is remarkable because it makes something very ordinary seem extraordinary.'

Unfortunately, like the McCurry book, I'm unable to reproduce the images I've made notes on due to copyright restrictions, but my notes do reflect my thought process even without seeing their relative images:


pg.24 blood red shed - three horizontal colours, like a colour triptych

pg.30 the red of the coca cola uniforms contrasts against the green foliage

pg.36 multitude of colours - reds, blues, yellows

pg.44 although both colours are muted, the 'warm' yellow of the building contrasts with the 'cool' grey/blues of the mountain and sky.

pg.46 colourful tower blocks, contrasting with each other and also the bland foreground. The blue cart is particularly prominent.

pg.49 the green foliage, red bus shelter, yellow posters and red tiles give a brightness to the image which seems at odds with the dreariness of the weather.

pg.69 the three primary colours are visible, while the rest of the scene is an ethereal green/grey

pg.81 the vivid red dress is juxtaposed with its complimentary colour in the green grass. The brightness of her straw-coloured hair also catches the eye.

pg.89 the bright yellow curved line against the black tarmac and understated tones in the rest of the scene really animates the image.

pg.110 an interesting colour combination, the red barrier acts as an accented colour against the yellows, blues and greens which are all closer to each other than to red on the colour wheel.

pg.119 the blue of the shawl is mirrored in the barrier tape, creating a striking and dynamic composition.

pg.134 the warm colours of the woman's clothes seem to radiate, while the cool and neutral colours in the rest of the scene recede feeling almost 3D.

pg.193 the red turban matches the hue of the fry box, drawing attention to both ends of the frame.

pg.211 the ball is hard not to notice due to its size, but especially its colour. Would it 'pop' so much if it were for example a white ball?