Street Photography - Right or Wrong and When Does it Cross the Line?

[ham]

Street Photography and Photojournalism are different though. I see SP as photography for artistic expression in public, whereas PJ is a recording of news in as unbiased a fashion as possible.

Also confused by what you mean. You love this type of photography but think it's an invasion of privacy?

I'm not being confrontational at all, just intrigued as to your position.

[Raid]

Street Photography and Photojournalism are different though. I see SP as photography for artistic expression in public, whereas PJ is a recording of news in as unbiased a fashion as possible.

Also confused by what you mean. You love this type of photography but think it's an invasion of privacy?

I'm not being confrontational at all, just intrigued as to your position.

All comments and criticisms are very welcome. One of the things I like most about this forum is that free expression is allowed, nobody gets to precious about their work (although I wish Joel, Bob, Sean, Denise and many others would post a few duds just to show the rest of us that they are human).

I don't see PJ as showing truth or even being unbiased. There are so many shots that I can remember that cause you (the viewer) to ask what is going on here, in other words it tells a story. Many images may even grab you and disturb you. This is what I feel PJ is about and if you look at many of the images under the term street, they are easily to pick.

I was out with some work colleagues and as normal I was discreetly using my P&S (f1.8 no flash). A woman received a photo call that her brother was uncontactable after the Tsunami in Indonesia (2004). A few days later after mobile coverage was restored she found out he was safe.
Some days later I was reviewing the shots I had taken at home, when I realised I had taken a shot of that womans face as she was receiving the call. Even though I did not tell my girlfriend what the photo was about, she cried when she saw it and I still find the image of her face haunting. I have never shown that image to anybody else or even tell anybody it exists, for some reason I have never deleted it. I regard that image as a gross intrusion into her life.

This is the conflict I see in this type of photography, the images that I remember the most are the images I wish I had not taken.

What would you have done?