An Introduction to Street Photography

Jay Dawson

A very common misconception about Street Photography is that it primarily consists of ‘photos taken in the street’. While this is somewhat true, photographer Mary Warner Marien defines Street Photography as photos of ‘chance encounters and random incidents within public places’. For a long time I have been incredibly interested in the hustle bustle of city life and a few years ago I ventured into the street with my camera with high hopes to capture the chaos of the street, which a lot of people overlook.

Capturing a still candid photo of one of these ‘random incidents’ or ‘chance encounters’ freezes that moment for others to look at and take in. It removes the noise of scene and lets viewers make up their own mind about what is going on. If you’re a little shy and don’t feel comfortable taking photos of people directly, I must remind you that street photography doesn’t even have to even include people. You could follow in Henri Cartier-Bresson’s footsteps and focus on geometry and angles. Bresson spent a lot of his time using the street to frame his images. Sometimes the best method is to stand still and take in what is around you before you shoot. Wait for those chance encounters, don’t machine gun your camera hoping to get one good photo.

Those who do not fully understand the motives behind the work of street photographers, will often dismiss this particular style of photography with voyeurism. While this is a large trait of street photography and photojournalists, the reason why photographers venture into this field is much more idealistic.

At CLICKASNAP we believe that artistic expression is something everyone needs in their life. Your photos are an extension of yourself in that you’re essentially providing the world with your own perspective on, well, the world. With street photography, you never know what you might see, and if you have a camera in your hand to capture a ‘chance moment’, you’re immortalising that moment and giving other people who weren’t there, the chance to relive it online.

For those of you who are already actively involved in shooting street photography or those of you who are new to it, or wishing to give it a go, we are really interested in seeing your work at CLICKASNAP. Why not go out for an hour or two, take a few shots in the street and upload them to our platform? Fear not, we will not ask you to give up any rights to your images and you can rest assured that we will not sell your images. What we do offer though, is to pay you EVERY TIME someone looks at your photos. That’s right, we can give you real money for your photos!

There is no limit to how far you can dive into street photography, I’ve seen photographers spend their entire weekends in the street, armed with one camera and a lens shooting dozens and dozens of great photos. But I have also seen those same photographers upload their photos to social networks where their photos go stale because of lack of interest. Unlike Meta, a network with over a billion people from all walks of life, many of whom aren’t in the slightest interested in quality photography, CLICKASNAP is a network of photographers and those who appreciate good photography. We give you the opportunity to start a conversation with like minded shooters, a chance to reach out and see what other photographers are working on, and moreover, we will ay you every time someone looks at your work. Why hold back? Join now for free and start making money from your photos!