
One of the things I pay attention to are the workers who make a city function. I spied this kitchen worker on break behind the Spokane Club today and made a quick snap. I had hoped to cross the street and talk with him but he rushed back in without looking my way and the moment was gone.
One of the challenges of street photography is that so many photographers start out by seeing someone interesting but being too afraid to pick up the camera. Most of my students start out by making a lot of what I call butt shots. These are photographs of people taken without their knowledge from behind where you cannot see their face.

I think it’s important to be willing to photograph someone from a position that identifies the person and shows respect for them. I have to be willing to risk confrontation if I point the camera at someone who isn’t happy about it. 99% of the time I will either ask permission first or I will make the photograph and then approach the person to get their name and contact info so I can send them a copy.
With digital photography it is so much easier to show people the image I have made which usually alleviates their concern. When they see the photograph they understand that the camera is the way I tell someone they are important and significant to the world. I think of the term Namaste.
A yoga instructor explained that the meaning of the term is the light within me acknowledges the light within you. It is a sign of mutual respect. It is an active sharing in the human condition.
When shooting film I don’t have that luxury but I can show them examples of my work on my cell phone so they know I am a legitimate photographer and not just a voyeur or being exploitive.
Paul Strand was known for his street portraits and his use of deception to capture people without their knowledge. He felt it was the only real portrait he could make that showed the truth of a moment unscripted. He famously said, “The spirit of intent must be sufficiently humane to warrant the intrusion.”
Alfred Stieglitz that that the highest use of the camera was to show real people living real lives. In the day of social media influencers, I think street photography that reveals true candid moments is more important than ever.
I take Strand and Stieglitz’s words with me everywhere and I take the job of making a candid photo of a person very seriously. It requires great effort, great conviction and a willingness to share in the vulnerability of meeting a stranger for the first time.
