Best street photographer -Walker Evans

As street photography is believed to be the most interesting, inspiring and thought-provoking photography  but it is as well as difficult and challenging too because as

Robert Capa said:

” the pictures are there, and you just take them”.

I agree pictures are there but managing the time and your knowledge about composing things, handling people nearby and also tolerating the environment at the same time you have to do all these things, it’s very hard to click at the perfect moment to capture the unusual environment and making flawless shots or being spontaneous but when you look at the walker Evans street photography you just think for a while that wow! What a photographer he is yes, his photography includes so many unusual things and it is unbelievable that his photography includes

Technical perfections & visual Education

 As he was not in the favor of manipulating the photographs he said in his interview:

“To me it should be strictly straight photography and look like it; not be painterly ever.”

As he did not have the Nikon or Canon DSLR sort of camera at that time he had a Leica, a Rolleiflex, or an 8×10 camera and with this he had done tremendous and beautiful work that’s why it is believed that without having a high equipment his works are technically perfect with visual importance. His photographs are not only technically perfect but they also have visual prominence which is very significance in photography there are rare people having both things in their photography at the same time.

Reality

His photography is sometimes very brutal and cruel because it was real. As he do not like manipulating the photographs that’s why he had photographed the reality.

Instinctive Compositions

In his photography, form and composition both have equal importance and prefers to compose originally, naturally rather than self-consciously. He says I don’t think about consciously, instinctively.

Always Go Against the Style of the Time

He had started photography because he thinks that it is a forbidden fruit and not getting as much importance at that time and then he had started photography and according to his one interview he hated the contemporary style and aesthetic of the time which resembled more “fine art” than the rugged street life he would photograph.

Letter and Words

Letters and words are also the subject matter of his photography except people. Words, letter, signage and billboards are the part of everyday existence and without them the everyday life is incomplete. He had also captured many urban landscapes because he was interested in reading, writing and literature that had a huge influence in his photography – how he was attracted to words as symbols and metaphors of life.

  

He turns his subjects into participants

Some portraits from his work shows that he sometimes ask people to pose for him and in his interview he explains that he likes turning people into participants in his photograpgh beside taking candid shots.

Walker evens is one of the most favorite photographer of mine. I like his compositions and understanding of light and the approach he styles an ordinary thing into a beautiful one.

Capturing Design Elements

Photography is a form of design. And with the help of design elements you can capture one simple object into a very eye catching and exceptional one. These elements includes lines, texture, form, shape, space, size and color. you’ll find all these elements in your surroundings and when you’ll start observing them it will be very surprising for you when you start discovering shapes in clouds, different colors in a leaf, countless different textures in one trunk of a tree and several sizes in pebbles etc

The arrangement and selection of colors can destroy or make your picture. It’s very important to remember color theories and you can also compose your frame with the color classification like primary, secondary and composite colors etc. Like below in (photography I) I have captured the primary colors.

Lines are the most important element of the design and in the picture it creates movement and sometimes the feeling of sadness and happiness it depends on the line weight and direction. Lines in the picture also allows you to find the focal objective in it. In the (photograph) I have only captured the lines in the nature. And the second one is a staircase and these are diagonal lines. Without lines no other six design elements exists.

Shape is also a very essential element and with the help of silhouettes you can show the shape in your picture because of the contrast of the background with the black objects directs your eye and focuses on the shape.

Texture is also important design element and it can be captured with different angles and sometimes it creates the feeling of 3d in 2d photography, if captured correctly. I have captured this tree texture from a low angle and this flower with the high angle.

Form can only be captured when the contrast of light and shadows are there other wise it will be a shape. Lights and shadows can make a form.­

These are few photographs in which I have tried to capture the element of designs.

Color

Form

Color

Form

Lines

Lines

Shape

Shape

Size

Texture

Texture

6 Things to Keep In Mind While Photographing

1. Fill the frame:

    As Robert Capa said:

“ If your photos aren't good enough, then you’re not close enough.”

   It’s important to full the frame what ever you’re working in any medium but photography demands it a little bit more than any other medium because leaving a frame empty looks not that much creative as the complete filled frame does. When your object occupies the whole frame it sometimes gives an outcome of some abstract representation of your actual object. 

    2. Rule of thirds:

Designers, photographer and almost every artist use this guideline to compose their artworks, this rule is also known as rule of thumb. As composition is a very vital part of the photography, well composed objects can make your photograph looks energetic and lively as the focal (active) point are four and by placing your objects on them or adjacent to them can create your photo looks entirely perfect and flawless.

As Matt Hardy said:

“Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.”

It’s true that composing things with intelligence is important to make a photograph, snapshot can be taken by anyone but they are few who can compose objects cleverly.

  3. Source of Light:

While taking pictures it is important to keep in mind that what is the source of light and where your position will be to capture the object. Light in your photograph can brand your image in both ways either negatively or positively. It’s  a key to take a good photograph to remember that the source of light would not be against your camera because then your end product will be a silhouette and no doubt they looks very creative and artistic sometimes but not every time. Light can be artificial or the natural one but more important is that how you treat it and how you understand it. Understanding light is as significant in photography is like a good composition in it, by adding both things in your photo you can create a masterpiece.

1 4. Take photos regularly:

As Percy W. Harris said:

“Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase.”

As practice makes a man perfect its same in photography that you might be a best photographer by practicing it. Although according to me photography is not all about practicing it but still you can do tremendous work by shooting regularly.

As Henri Cartier-Bresson said:

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

So just think that taking 10,000 pictures is not an easy task to do. So try shooting on regular basis to complete the total of your worst pictures and after it you can take good pictures too. 

  4. Understanding your camera:

Along with the importance of visual impact, meaning and thoughtfulness in photograph mechanical and technical excellence is essential too because it’s impossible that without knowing how to function your camera, you just start capturing things nicely. So there are few things to get control on them and then you’ll be a good a photographer soon.  

·         Aperture

·         Auto/manual focus

·         Depth of feel

·         ISO

You can Google these functions to learn about them and you may download tutorials.

6. Technology does not matter:

In photography technical rightness is important somehow but only in primary basis. Your value of instrument (camera) is important but more important is your own creativity. 

As Arnold Newman said:

“A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart.”

Still Camera 8x10 format

Yes its true in all approaches, you can take examples from the photographers who had used the 8 x 10 camera with almost 50 times less functions in them as compared to the cameras now we use, the photographers includes Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, Walker Evans, Edward Weston etc. they all were great photographers not because they had overpriced camera or they prefer the machine over creativity, they were creative by their own selves.

here are few photographs taken my this camera:

may be it's true that there are no rules, no guidelines, no restrictions and no limitations for photographers. 

as Ansel Adams said “

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”