Street Photography - Introduction

Welcome to the first installment in my series on Street photography as an art form. I'm Avanish Dureha, and whether you're a beginner or a seasoned shooter looking to reignite your creative spark, this series is for you. We'll explore the art of Street Photography pioneered by Henri Cartier-Bresson. If you enjoy this, subscribe on Substack (Dureha.substack.com) for more articles and tips.

“I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heat of the known awaits just around the corner.” – Alex Webb

Street photography is a genre of photography that captures candid, unposed moments of everyday life in public spaces. At its core, it's about documenting the human experience as it naturally unfolds in urban and suburban environments. It’s about peoples emotional connect with their environment, about the mood of the shutterbug and his life’s experience competing with the subject.

Key Characteristics:

When I think about street photography, I see it as photographing strangers without their explicit permission, focusing on authentic, spontaneous moments rather than staged scenes. The subjects are usually unaware they're being photographed, which preserves the genuine nature of their actions and expressions. I work in public spaces like sidewalks, markets, parks, transportation hubs, and city streets. A number of occasions I identify a subject, walk ahead, turn back, and a quick snap and a smile.

What Makes It Distinctive:

The genre emphasizes storytelling through single frames, often capturing fleeting moments that reveal something about human nature, social conditions, or urban life. When I'm out shooting, I look for strong compositional elements, interesting light, and that sense of timing that freezes meaningful moments. I'm drawn to elements of surprise, humor, irony, or poignancy that emerge naturally from the scene.

Technical Approach:

I typically work with smaller, less conspicuous cameras to remain unobtrusive. I often use zone focusing and faster shutter speeds to capture movement and ensure sharp images in unpredictable situations. My aesthetic tends toward documentary realism, though I bring artistic interpretation through framing, timing, and post-processing.

The Moral Dilemma:

This is where street photography becomes complex for me. Every time I raise my camera, I'm making a split-second decision about someone else's privacy and dignity. I'm constantly weighing the artistic or documentary value of a moment against a person's right to move through public space without being photographed. There's an inherent tension between capturing authentic human moments and respecting individual autonomy. I often ask myself: Am I exploiting someone's vulnerability? Am I perpetuating stereotypes? Would I want to be photographed in this situation? These questions don't have easy answers, and different photographers draw their ethical lines in different places. My own answers to these questions change every day based on the atmosphere the subject and the mood of the day and place and that decision could be something else on another day. There are no right answers.

Historical Context:

The genre emerged in the early-to-mid 20th century with pioneers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, who coined the concept of the "decisive moment" - that perfect instant when all visual elements align to create a meaningful photograph. Other influential practitioners include Vivian Maier, Robert Frank, and Diane Arbus.

Modern Evolution:

Today's street photography has expanded beyond traditional urban settings and continues to evolve with digital technology and changing social norms around privacy and consent. As a contemporary practitioner, I constantly grapple with these ethical considerations about photographing strangers in an increasingly connected world where images can spread instantly and have lasting consequences for the people in them.