Street Photography
“A photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes – just sometimes – one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought.” – W. Eugene Smith
The Origins
Jazz and Photography. The Street. They are one.
Why...?
I am a pianist and have studied the instrument for thirteen years, learning the very foundations and all of the precise, rigid rules and techniques that Classical music demands. I have played Rachmaninov. I obtained my medal and diploma to teach music and Classic standards. But... it turns out that the thrill of a Charlie Parker's free sound, or the Thelonious Monk's inventivity, took me elsewhere.
I was shooting with the analog camera my father offered to me when I turned eighteen. Both piano jazz and photography were inspiring me and giving me opportunities to express myself. Outrageously rebellious, I broke the rules of Classical piano to deliver freedom and improvisation, steadily patient while walking like an invisible alien into streets, to firstly observe.
Let's talk about...
Jazz spans a period of over 100 years and encompasses a range of music from ragtime to the present day, having proved to be very difficult to define.
The 1950s saw the emergence of free jazz, which explored playing without regular meter, beat, and formal structures.
A broader definition that encompasses all of the radically different eras of jazz has been proposed by Travis Jackson: "it is music that includes qualities such as swing, improvising, group interaction, developing an 'individual voice', and being open to different musical possibilities".
Although jazz is considered difficult to define, improvisation is consistently regarded as being one of its key elements.
Let's talk about...
Street photography. A name pops up naturally, that of Lee Friedlander, one of the more famously known street photographers. He represents to me that special link between Jazz and Street Photography.
What comes to you when you think of jazz? You might think of improvisation, soul, and overflowing energy.
It isn’t as structured as classical music and throughout its time has been rebelled against by a lot of music fundamentalists. Lee Friedlander surely took these aspects of jazz with him and tried to capture them in his own photography.
Street photography is a tradition that dates back to the invention of photography. The invention of photography in the early 20th century coincided with the urbanization and globalization of the world. Therefore the first photographs ever taken were generally done in the streets. So one could argue that the start of photography was the start of street photography.
One of the issues of what is and is not a street photograph is that the definition of a “street photographer” has evolved over time. For example, in the early 20th century the term for “street photographer” was someone who took your photo in the street for a penny. An excerpt from Bystander:
“To most people a street photographer is someone in Times Square or Piccadilly Circus who will take your picture for a fee and send you the print later (or, since the adoption of the polaroid by such vendors, give it to you right on the spot)."
Nowadays, this definition has evolved and a street photographer is known as someone going out to the street to capture candid moments.”Buy a good pair of comfortable shoes, have a camera around your neck at all times, keep your elbows in, be patient, optimistic and don’t forget to smile.” – Matt Stuart
Inspiration.
You may find that in many serious debates about what street photography is, the disagreements stem from the various types of photographs that can be captured. In relation, Jazz music borrows inspiration from the roots of African and European music. Through the mix, it creates something new and fresh, similar to what street photography does.
The Famous Debate:
What is Street Photography?
Have you ever questioned yourself about this? Have you witnessed some passionate debates with camera friends or here on DeviantArt?
Most types of photography can be easily defined by their subjects. A portrait photographer creates portraits photos. He poses someone and shoots. I launched a thread to encourage Deviants to give their views on this question. You can find it here. The responses are already starting to get interesting!
“When I photograph, I try to use my instincts as much as possible. It is when pictures are unconsidered and irrational that they come to life; that they evolve from showing to being.”
What is the relation to Jazz Music?
Does a snapshot photo of a street count as a "street photo" because of where it was taken? Snapshot photography is not really street. It's just not. Bluegrass music is bluegrass, and Jazz is jazz. To identify them, is no crime. If a bluegrass musician is unwilling, or incapable, of playing Jazz, the bluegrass picker does not get to redefine what Jazz is, just so they can "feel" like they are playing Jazz rather than bluegrass. In photography, people can make things up as they go. Street photography is difficult to define because it can encompass just about any subject.
To start with, street photography doesn’t need to be done on “the street.” And it doesn’t need to be pictures of strangers. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be pictures of people, though it usually is. Although there are common subjects for street photography, it is not so much about the subject as it is the style of the photograph. I can easily imagine an astronaut orbiting the earth, using a street photography style.
The most common and famous property of street-photography is the idea of capturing “the decisive moment.”
No. But is that all? Why not? It’s the decisive moment alright – but without context – it isn’t street photography. It is juxtaposition of ideas that street photographers are fascinated by.
The moment is not enough. To play by the rules, the shot really does need to be unplanned. It also needs to allow the eye to wander around and make its own conclusions about the meaning of the photograph. If street photography were a musical form – it might be jazz. This style of music has a measure of improvisation.
What about a scientific insight?
From a scientific perspective, a growing volume of published data supports the notion that the brains of musicians are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians. These differences may include changes in plasticity, density, connectivity, morphology and overall cross-lobe brain function.
Research from the Society for Neuroscience, for example, finds that music training may increase the neural connections in regions of the brain associated with creativity, decision making, and complex memory—and they may improve a person’s ability to process conflicting information from many senses at once.
Much like a musician, being adept at multi-sensory processing can be considered a desired attribute in any photographer. It has been shown to speed our reactions, help us identify objects, and heighten our overall awareness and sensitivities—allowing us to perceptually (and intuitively) make sense of our world.
Some personal thoughts
I believe that art, in its various declination, should be our occupation. No fear at all to jump in.
Painting? Shooting? Playing music? Whatever. You can be a novice, an apprentice, a passionate dedicated hobbyist... Multiplicity of attempting Art will improve the expression of yourself and your abilities... Like a free melody out of Charlie Parker's saxophone or shooting because of being in one of those fragile and intense decisive moments... Art is expressed by the will and emotions of oneself paying attention to the world, the people, listening and observing the invisible little things appearing as small miracles of everyday life.
For the pleasure...
References
en.wikipedia.org/?title=Jazz
dbeckerman.wordpress.com/
fr.actuphoto.com/
erickimphotography.com/
www.theguardian.com/
danielstainer.wordpress.com
The more I learn about Photography, the more I'm starting to CRAVE to grab my camera and start shooting!!! 