Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest you or make you think. If you want to send some links my way, details will be at the post below.

Portfolio Find

Mark Steinmetz

Mr. Steinmetz is one of those classic guys. He’s a Winogrand disciple but unlike Winogrand, Mark I think has a slower and more deliberate approach to photographing. It’s still there and present but there is no rush. His latest work, The Players took 4-5 years to finish. Check out his work and if you want, get a copy of The Players here.

Also check his interview by GUP magazine to gather some of his thoughts about the book.

Look at this project 

MONAS by Andri Tambunan via Invisible Photographer Asia

Located in the heart of city, Monas Square is the biggest open public space in Jakarta. Monas square, also called “Merdeka” or Independence square, not only provides an escape and breathing room from the congested capital but it brings people together by serving as a common ground, accessible and utilized by people from different backgrounds and economic classes. The Monas Square is surrounded by trees and grassy area ideal to have a picnic or a family outing, several basketball courts and soccer fields to play pick up games, a place for people to exercise such as jogging or riding their bicycle, and a place for street vendors to sell food or products.  This space is also often used for public concerts and gatherings, bazaars, festivals, and numerous local social events. In the middle of the square is a 132m tower called Monas, or Nasional Monument, symbolizing the fight for independence erected by Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president.

All photos were taken with iPhone 4s native camera, edited with Snapseed and instagram filters.

Bruce Gilden Criticisms

After the VICE photo issue project of Bruce Gilden and Stacy Kranitz in Appalachia, the two photographers has received a lot of flak and most of them are towards Gilden. Here are some of those criticisms. The one on vantage is a must read. Love him or hate him, one has to understand that there may have bee a line he crossed when he was doing his Appalachia story. Perhaps VICE also has to answer for it? At the end of the day, read to be informed.

Taking Liberties, Taking Shortcuts, and Taking Advantage of People via Vantage

“The past few days have been hard,” wrote Kranitz on Instagram on June 7th. “I have been on assignment with another photographer, Bruce Gilden. He and I are at odds with the way we make our work. I watched him make portraits and aggressively enter my shot to get his own, while telling me ‘this is my shoot, you are just here’ I listened as he said disparaging things about people, I listened to his dissatisfaction with people being to [sic] ‘plain’ and late last night I could no longer stand by and continue to feel good about being bullied. He humiliated me in front of a group of church goers and I feel that I may have taken a stand at the wrong moment. That I was not being considerate or mindful of my surroundings either. I don’t hate Bruce or his work but I think turning people into what you want them to be, turning people into ‘self-portraits’ of yourself is complicated and dangerous especially in a place with a history of extraction.” 

 

Bruce Gilden and The Absence of Empathy via Photoshelter

Gilden has a point of view, for sure, but he also seems to have an agenda that has little to do with the people or places that he’s photographing. Instead of trying to connect the audience empathetically, he triggers a different type of pathos in me. One that has me shaking my head at yet another pathetic attempt to capture Appalachia.

A Latter-day Freak Show via The Guardian

Gilden may be shoving these broken faces in our faces to confront us with what we usually choose to look away from. But his style seems to work against any intention to humanise his subjects. First and foremost, I feel uncomfortable as a viewer – not because of the poverty or abuse etched on to the landscapes of these faces, but because their perceived ugliness is paraded as a kind of latter-day freak show.

General Links

Warren Sebastian via Fotografia Magazine

If you love colorful beachside photos, you might like Warren Sebastian’s take on the british seaside life.

Paola Paredes Photographed the very moment she came out to her family via Fotografia Magazine

Paola Paredes is a 29 year-old Ecuadorian photographer currently based in London. For many years, Paola has kept her homosexuality hidden to her family; but she recently found the courage to sit her parents and sisters at a table to tell them the truth. But Paola did more than that: she set up three cameras around that table to document the entire conversation. In fact, Paola says that the very idea to record hercoming out in pictures was what finally made her decide to reveal the truth.

Richard Bram: If you doubt a photo at least a bit, it does not work via Bird in Flight 

Richard Bram is a favorite street photographer of mine. He shares some great nuggets of wisdom such as this one:

Do not be easily satisfied. Street photography is a heartbreak. Most of the time you will not come home with a great photo; no one does. What I see most often are lazy ordinary pictures, in focus, exposed properly and with nothing in them at all.

How to turn your phone into a DIY Projector for 1$ via Photojojo

This should be an interesting DIY way of presenting your work to friends or family. It’s easy to set-up and should be practical to assemble anywhere.

Check this Kickstarter 

Do you wood film Kickstarter by Compagnia-imago

This kickstarter campaign is for reloadable film cassettes. Here’s the kicker, theirs is made out of wood and an eco friendly plastic. Throw some money their way especially if you are a film shooter. #BelieveInFilm

Care to share some links?

If  you have any links, videos, or anything interesting you want to share. Tweet them over to me at @agdemesaphoto or email me the link at contact@agdemesaphoto.com

Cheers everyone! Till Next Month!

• A.g.