A brief history of street photography

Everything started with a simple picture

To put into perspective where street photography fits into the photographic timeline, let's remember that the very first official photograph was taken in 1827 by Nicéphore Niepce in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France: "Le point de vue du Gras" in French or "View from the windows at Le Gras" (which is a pretty bad translation of you want my point of view and even if you don't want it.)

That's it, let's start...

The beginnings of street photography: how a new point of view was born

We can trace the origins of street photography to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Even as the art of photography was still in its babyhood, photographers began to document everyday life in busy public spaces. During this era, photographers were freed from the constraints of a studio by the advent of portable cameras like the Kodak Brownie.
How lucky they were to avoid the megapixel war !

The early 20th-century street photographers.

As the 20th century moved forward, street photography grew and became more and more popular among photographers from all over the world. People like Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand pushed the limits of what a picture could say in the United States. Stieglitz's work, like his "Equivalents" series, looked at how everyday things could be abstracted, while Strand's street portraits showed a sense of social reality.

At the same time, European photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans did a lot to help street photography expand. Cartier-Bresson, who is often called the "father of modern photojournalism," came up with the phrase "The Decisive Moment" to describe the exact moment when all the parts of a picture come together to make a powerful image. His work showed how important it is to capture the passing moments of daily life.

Eugène Atget was a pioneer in urban photography.

French photographer Eugène Atget, (cocorico!!) active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is often cited as one of the earliest and most influential figures in street photography's history. Because of his commitment to documenting ordinary life in Paris, Atget is frequently considered a forerunner of street photography.

Images of Parisian sidewalks, businesses, and architectural features captured by Atget offer a glimpse into another time and place. He has achieved legendary status in the history of street photography thanks to his careful documentation of the city's evolving landscape.

The "Golden Age" of street photography was after World War II.

In the years after World War II, street photography became very popular, especially in the United States. During this time, which is often called the "Golden Age" of street photography, shooters like Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand came into their own.

"The Americans," one of Robert Frank's most famous works, shows how powerful it can be to tell a story through street photos. In this book, Frank went all over the United States and took pictures that showed a complicated and critical side of American life. His pictures show how different and complicated the country is without any filtering.

On the other hand, Garry Winogrand was known for how much he wrote and how well he saw the nonsense of everyday life. He walked around New York City and took pictures from the hip. He left behind a large body of work that still inspires street shooters today.

A change in how people see street photography as art.

As the 20th century went on, people started to recognise street photography as a respectable form of art. Street photography started to be shown in galleries and museums along with other kinds of visual art. Photographers like Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and Joel Meyerowitz pushed the limits of photography with their work and changed the way people thought about it.

Diane Arbus's pictures of people on the edge of society, like circus artists and transgender people, made people think about social norms and what it means to be human. Her powerful pictures continue to make people think and talk.

Lee Friedlander's street photos often had objects that reflected light, like windows and mirrors, which added layers to the pictures. His new ways of putting things together and making shapes pushed the limits of what street photography could be.

In the 1970s, Joel Meyerowitz took pictures of New York City that showed how busy and exciting city life was. At a time when black and white was the norm, his use of colour photography gave street photography a new twist.

Street photography in the 21st century: The Digital Revolution

With the rise of digital photography and the popularity of smartphones in the 21st century, street photography has changed in big ways. Now that cameras are everywhere, the meaning of a "street photographer" has grown to include anyone with a camera or smartphone.

Social media sites like Instagram and Flickr have turned into virtual galleries where street shooters can show their work to people all over the world. The speed of digital cameras makes it possible to record events as they happen and share pictures quickly.

Brandon Stanton, who started the "Humans of New York" project, is one of the modern street photographers who use digital technology to tell the stories of the people they meet on the streets.

In conclusion, street photography will always be popular.

Street photography has gone from being a small group of people's hobby to a well-known and important form of art. It has given a unique view of what it means to be human, often challenging social rules and making people think.

Street photographers, from the first ones like Eugène Atget to us ones working today, have always taken pictures of the world as it happens in front of them, one decisive moment at a time. With digital technology making photography more accessible to everyone, the future of street photography is wide open.

As we think about the long history of street photography, one thing is clear: the power of spontaneous moments frozen in time has a timeless appeal that goes beyond generations, cultures, and technological advances. Street photography will always be a reflection of society's beauty, complexity, and conflicts. This will be true for many years to come.