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The Decapitation Technique in Street Photography

A technique I like in street photography is the ‘decapitation technique’– literally cutting the head off your subjects (or just showing their limbs):


Mark Cohen

Surreal street photo by Mark Cohen. Bubble gum and hand.
Surreal street photo by Mark Cohen. Bubble gum and hand.

Mark Cohen in action, shooting without the viewfinder at a very low angle.

Headless horseman by Mark Cohen
Mark Cohen, teeth.
Mark Cohen, laughter.
Mark Cohen, laughter.

I first got this idea from the photographer Mark Cohen, who shot a lot of photos with a super-wide angle lens (21mm), and used a flash, and focused on body limbs and parts. His work is genius.


Similarly, I have added this technique to my own work. Some examples from my SUITS hardcover book:

1. Obscure the face of your subject

This picture I shot on Wall Street in NYC; shooting with a flash in the late afternoon (on a rainy and wet day), and shot it the moment the man in the suit covered his face with an umbrella. To me, this makes it more mysterious; the “suit” becomes more of a symbol.

2. Have a visual element cut off the head/eyes of your subject

Another picture in Tokyo: a man smoking a cigarette while crouched down in Tokyo. Note that the visual element looks like it is chopping off his head– perhaps a metaphor.

3. A patch of light, and just a hand

Showing emotion through body/hand gestures— like the man leaning against the wall. No need to show his face to show his emotion of despair.

4. Only photograph an arm

Shoot horizontally, and get close to whatever you’re photographing– whether an arm, leg, or body part.

For this picture I shot it on a 35mm lens with a flash, and only showed the tension in the man’s arm– holding the briefcase (showing the veins in his hand).

5. Hand and object

The symbolism of the tie looking like a noose. Shot with a flash.

6. Still life

A photograph of a shopping store mannequin– with the head “exploding” with flowers!

7. Cutting out the eyes

By cutting out the eyes, the subject becomes more obscure.

8. Hand gestures

This picture I also shot on a 35mm lens, with a flash– getting super close to the moment I saw this ‘significant gesture’ of the man reaching into his shirt pocket. Shot with a film Leica, pre-focused to .7 meters (minimum focusing distance).


9. Shooting with a flash

Danny eyes flash

I took a bunch of photos of this kid named Danny in Saigon (a 3-year old kid), and he was playing inside a cardboard box. I shot a bunch of photos with a flash, and when reviewing the photos after-the-fact, I saw this fun and surreal photo of him with just his teeth!

10. Shadow selfie

Obscure your own face by shooting a selfie in the mirror with a harsh source of light, and shoot at -1 or -2 exposure compensation to darken and obscure your face.

11. Darken the face of your subject by “burning” in post-processing

dark skies over Tokyo

For this picture, I shot it on a Leica M9, ISO 2500, with a 21mm lens. The original photo the man’s face was already quite dark, but I further darkened the man’s face in Photoshop with the “burn” tool.


Conclusion

To me, a lot of great street photos are surreal. They don’t look like reality.

Ultimately techniques aren’t so important– what is more important is what you’re trying to say through your photos. For my SUITS project, it came down to this:

Don’t be a prisoner to the rat-race; you have the freedom to escape!

And to show this feeling of anxiety and despair, I used a flash, decapitated heads, and photographed my own reality.

BE BRAZEN,
ERIC


Street Photography 101

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Street Photography Ideas

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Street Photography Techniques

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  • Street Photography Techniques: The 3D Scan/360 Degree Technique (Shooting Head-on) and Holding Your Camera High in the Air and Point Downwards (and Use Your LCD Screen to Frame the Scene)
  • The Walking Alongside Someone and Shooting Until They Notice You Street Photography Technique
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  • The Cutoff Technique in Street Photography
  • THE CUTOFF TECHNIQUE IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: GOPRO POV KYOTO ERIC KIM

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Street Photography Articles

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Street Photography Composition Techniques

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STREET NOTES.

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STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION x RICOH GR II

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LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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  • The Psychology of Street Photography
  • Fundamentals to Street Photography
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  • NEO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
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Street Photography Inspiration

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Beginner Street Photography Articles

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Get started in street photography:

Definitions in Street Photography

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  • The History of Street Photography

How to Shoot Street Photography

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  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Street Photography
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Street Photography Equipment

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  • What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
  • What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
  • What to Consider When Buying a Camera

See all equipment articles >

How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography

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Intermediate Street Photography Articles

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Take your street photography to the next level:

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Advanced Street Photography Articles

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Find deeper meaning in your street photography:

  • How to Master Street Photography
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Street Photography Tips & Technique

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Learn how to shoot on the streets:

  • 70 Street Photography Tips for Beginners
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See all street photography tips and techniques >

Street Photography Guides

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In-depth guides on street photography:

  • How to Shoot Candid Street Photography
  • How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
  • How to Shoot Black and White Street Photography
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  • How to Shoot Street Portraits with Permission
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  • How to Shoot Urban Landscapes

Street Photography Equipment

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The best equipment for street photography:

  • What is the Best Camera for Street Photography?
  • What is the Best Lens for Street Photography?
  • Why I Love Cameras with Non-Interchangeable Lenses
  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for Cameras in Street Photography
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See all equipment articles >

Street Photography Editing and Workflow

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How to Start a Street Photography Project

  • Free E-Book: The Street Photography Project Manual
  • How to Start Your Own Street Photography Project
  • How to Come Up With a Personal Photography Project Idea

Learn From the Masters of Street Photography

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Start here:

  1. Why Study the Masters of Photography?
  2. Great Female Master Photographers
  3. Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
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  5. Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
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The Masters of Photography

Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos
Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos

Classics never die:

  • Alfred Stieglitz
  • Alec Soth
  • Alex Webb
  • Alexey Brodovitch
  • Anders Petersen
  • Andre Kertesz
  • Ansel Adams
  • Araki
  • Blake Andrews
  • Bruce Davidson
  • Bruce Gilden
  • Constantine Manos
  • Daido Moriyama
  • Dan Winters
  • David Alan Harvey
  • David Hurn
  • Diane Arbus
  • Dorothea Lange
  • Elliott Erwitt
  • Eugene Atget
  • Eugene Smith
  • Fan Ho
  • Garry Winogrand
  • Gordon Parks
  • Helen Levitt
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson
  • Irving Penn
  • Jacob Aue Sobol
  • Jeff Mermelstein
  • Joel Meyerowitz
  • Joel Sternfeld
  • Josef Koudelka / Part 2
  • Josh White
  • Lee Friedlander
  • Lisette Model
  • Magnum Contact Sheets
  • Magnum Photographers
  • Mark Cohen
  • Martin Parr
  • Martine Franck
  • Mary Ellen Mark
  • Rene Burri
  • Richard Avedon
  • Richard Kalvar
  • Robert Capa
  • Robert Frank
  • Saul Leiter
  • Sergio Larrain
  • Sebastião Salgado
  • Shomei Tomatsu
  • Stephen Shore
  • The History of Street Photography
  • Todd Hido
  • Tony Ray-Jones
  • Trent Parke
  • Vivian Maier
  • Walker Evans
  • Weegee
  • William Eggleston
  • William Klein
  • Zoe Strauss

Free Downloads

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Free Street Photography Books

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Distilled information on street photography:

  • STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL by ERIC KIM
  • The Art of Street Photography
  • 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
  • Street Photography Contact Sheets
  • Street Photography 101
  • Street Photography 102
  • Film Street Photography Manual
  • The Street Photography Composition Manual
  • The Street Portrait Manual
  • 31 Days to Overcome Your Fear in Street Photography
  • Zen in the Art of Street Photography

For more resources on photography, Start Here >

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