Ming Thein on the evolution of street photography

Words of wisdom from Ming:

It is worth remembering that an image reflects the photographer as much as it is about the subject. Think of these images from a social commentary standpoint: what does it say that what the masses consider โ€˜goodโ€™ street photography involves: aggressive invasions of personal space, fascination with the homeless and disadvantaged, capturing people in unflattering poses at non-representative instants (often wrongly interpreted as โ€˜the decisive momentโ€™) and generally sloppy shot discipline (tilts, focus misses, unintentional motion blur, clipped exposures, etc.). There is also an obsession with black and white only; not just that, but black and white with only two tonal values: black, and white. And donโ€™t get me started on those images that have no obvious subject other than a road. All I can add to this is one should really look at the work of those handing out the evaluations: itโ€™s not easy to put forth an objective criticism of something without allowing personal biases to enter.

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1 COMMENT

  1. At least he’s self-aware enough to recognize that his desire for technically executed photos drives his criticism, I guess.

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