Street photography is like a fine wine.

Sometimes it feels like I don't really get street photography, but I have a deep interest in it. For me, it is both artful and documentary. But I love looking at photos from the past, and probably most of them fall into the street genre. Therefore, yes, you might say they get better with age. Is one of Streetshooter's pictures of the Philadelphia streets more interesting now or 100 years from now...?
 
This is part of what keeps me doing it. Every now and then I see a bit of street photography that strikes me as really interesting art - right NOW! And I love it when that happens. But most of what I see and pretty much ALL of what I shoot, is just basically good documentary shooting that is sort of cool to see now but I think will be VERY cool to look back through in 20 years when times and architecture and cars and fashion and hairstyles and everything else probably will have changed quite a bit and today's stuff will be an interesting document of this particular period. I know when I look at Vivian Maier's recently unearthed work, some of it strikes me as very artistic, but an awful lot of it just strikes me as VERY good documentary work and completely nails her time and place(s). And since I have some very distant memories of the later part of the period she was shooting, its an absolute trip and a pleasure to go back through it and remember it visually a little bit better. And its the thought that my work might do something similar at some point, even if it's just for my kids and grandkids eyes, is a bit part of what keeps me at it. Plus, I enjoy the process immensely. But I don't have any huge ambitions for what I do - just that it may serve as a small part of the record of what life looks like and feels like at this point in time for those who either don't experience or who will need help remembering it...

So I like DOING it now, but I suspect I'll like LOOKING at it more later...

-Ray
 
You aren't alone Malcolm. I like both macro and street photography because of the intimacy of the subjects. The former- things the eye doesn't normally pick up on, the latter- ironically the same. Capturing things up close and personal regardless of the lens being used or the style is fascinating to me. When I am in the moment it is as much about me as it is about what is going on, so very personal.

Ray makes some very good points, about Maier, about documenting a period of time, about recording just for family and about reminiscing when we get older. All good reasons to just keep shooting. At least to me. Now there won't be many photos with me in them, very few in fact as I am really the only one that has made it a point of recording our family thus I'm always behind the camera. But more recently my husband's been catching me as well as my daughter. I think more of the 'she's in another odd position' kind of captures but.. I am there. For about two decades I haven't been. Why oh why couldn't they have gotten me younger!
 
I enjoy looking at street photographs, it doesn't matter if they are from the 'greats' or the forums, I like them all. I've come to the conclusion that these types of photos are like a fine wines, they get better with age and ones from foreign countries have an added appeal.

Am I alone?

Not at all. I look at the photographs from Europe and the UK and envy those in those environments. They have a certain je ne sais quoi which I cannot see, here in Australia. I LOVE looking at any street photography. And everyone's seems wonderful. I'm envious of those who can do it so well.
 
Not at all. I look at the photographs from Europe and the UK and envy those in those environments. They have a certain je ne sais quoi which I cannot see, here in Australia. I LOVE looking at any street photography. And everyone's seems wonderful. I'm envious of those who can do it so well.

You don't see it because you live there. Other places are always intriguing. Chicago does nothing for me, vacationers love it.

More reasons not to buy more camera gear/mac stuff [I know bad words!], save the money for a nice little vacation instead. Then your photos will have that flavor too.
 
I like it mostly for the documentary style content, and of course it's always more interesting when it is from a different time or place to my own. This is also part of the reason why I enjoy a mix of both the broader, more environmental style and the more intimate stuff. From a historical and geographical perspective I like to be able to see both the people and the place they live in.
 
You don't see it because you live there. Other places are always intriguing. Chicago does nothing for me, vacationers love it.

More reasons not to buy more camera gear/mac stuff [I know bad words!], save the money for a nice little vacation instead. Then your photos will have that flavor too.

You're probably right. I actually have a longterm plan to get myself back to Newport (RI) and Cape Cod, where I spent 6 months in 1996. I love the buildings and the history that just reeks there. Current plan is a month at the end of 2013, or during January 2014. I want to be there in winter, as I was over 96-97, I absolutely loved the snow and the quite different ambience it generated.
 
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