Street Legal

Taking My Next Few Steps in Candid Photography

Street photography is a genre that has been, at times, shunned, feared, respected, and even elevated to an art form. With the ubiquity of phones, you could argue that everyone is a street photographer—as some notable photographers have said, the smartphone has democratized photography, particularly street photography.

Others say it has diluted the art form. I suppose I would agree with this idea, at least a bit. I mean, how many selfies do we all see a day? Hundreds? Thousands? Nothing wrong with that, but that’s not why I’ve taken up photography.

I tend to be in the camp of world famous street photographer Joel Meyerowtiz. When speaking about digital cameras, smartphones, and social media, he described photography as a “democratic medium.” What I like is that he qualifies this thought by noting that today, more than ever, “Everyone can use it (a camera), but not everyone makes art.” 

This distinction is important.

Street photography is psychologically difficult—at least for me. It feels like I’m deliberately invading someone’s privacy. And while U.S. law is clear—anyone in public is fair game, with no legal right to object to being photographed—it still feels fraught. I expect most photographers acknowledge this tension. Several I know have drawn lines of their own: for example, photographing children is generally off-limits.

However, there are occasions when street photography feels perfectly natural and normal. I took advantage of one such occasion recently to try my hand at this genre in a way I never had before. Redwood City’s Music On The Square.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!