Street photography is definitely outside of my comfort zone! I always feel there is a fine line between documenting “the human condition” and exploitation. Being a private person I would not want to be photographed without my permission, especially if the occasion caught me in a moment of despair. However, on the other hand “A picture is worth a thousand words” and can be pivotal in conveying a societal message. The first time I had the urge to photograph the so-called “human condition” I was working in a psychiatric hospital outside London, England. I was deeply impacted by the many expressionless faces of the permanent residents in that institution which was, at that time in the 70’s, often referred to as an asylum. It was a place of locked doors and lost souls. The vacant look in so many eyes haunted me so much that I wanted to capture those blank stares with my camera. I didn’t, I was a student nurse and feared that it would be considered exploitation. However, some years later Lord Snowdon published a photographic book on the mentally ill and yes …he did a good job of capturing those haunting images.
About a week ago, a British friend of mine e-mailed me a wonderful article about street photography. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15087749 After reading this article I have been inspired to go out to a public venue, at least once a month, to hone my skills in documentary photography! However, I will also keep in mind the following quote.
“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” By Mary Ellen Mark, award winning documentary photographer.
