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6 Lessons Rene Burri Can Teach You About Street Photography

Copyright Rene Burri / Magnum Photos. BRAZIL. Sao Paulo. 1960.

On October, 2014 Rene Burri passed away, at age 81. He had an incredible career of photography behind him, and produced many iconic images, which include those of Che, Picasso, and many other street photographs which perfectly combined geometry, story, and form.

About a year ago I got a copy of his color street photography, which was published in “Impossible Reminiscences”— and was deeply moved by his color work. I feel that his photographs have an emotional and cultural sensitivity to them. Rene’s work feels like a more empathetic Henri Cartier-Bresson.

I therefore felt inspired to write an article on Rene Burri. Unfortunately there isn’t too many interviews he has conducted, but based on what I could find online— here are some lessons I have learned from him:

6 Lessons Dorothea Lange Has Taught Me About Street Photography

I recently got a new book in the mail: “Dorothea Lange: Aperture Masters of Photography” (courtesy of Aperture) and was deeply inspired and moved by her work, life, and philosophy.

I have always known Dorothea Lange’s work documenting the Great Depression (and her famous “Migrant Mother” photograph), but didn’t know much about her life and philosophy. In this article I will share some of the lessons that Dorothea Lange has taught me about photography, and how you can apply that philosophy to your own work:

5 Lessons Sebastião Salgado Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photos copyrighted by Sebastião Salgado.

I recently saw Sebastião Salgado’s “Genesis” exhibition in Toronto about a year ago, and was blown away by the body of work. It was the most ambitious project I had ever seen– essentially Salgado aimed to photograph the entire world. He photographed people, landscapes, and nature– and did so over 8 years and all around the globe.

When I was in Mumbai (about 3–4 years ago) with my buddy Kaushal Parikh, I stumbled upon his book: “Workers” and was absolutely blown away by the power of the images, the socio-economic/political undertones, as well as the stark black and whites.

I think Sebastião Salgado is one of the most fascinating photographers out there. He started off as an economist, and then turned to photography when he realized that photography had more power than papers to inform people about the world, its issues, and to inspire people to make a difference.

In this article I want to share a little bit of the background and work of Salgado, and share some points of inspiration he has given me (and can also offer you).

7 Lessons Harry Callahan Has Taught Me About Street Photography (and Life)

All photographs copyrighted by the estate of Harry Callahan.

You can download this article for free as a .docx, PDF, or Google Doc.

I recently came upon the work of Harry Callahan from a friend and former workshop student named Chris Giuseppe.

This past weekend, I organized a small meet-up in San Francisco in the mission district (Haus Coffee is lovely) and about 10 of us street photographers met up, exchanged prints, photography books, current projects, and good laughs and catching-up.

This Harry Callahan book that Chris brought (the book is just called “Harry Callahan”) was a big tome– and diverse in its material. Harry Callahan had an incredible career in terms of his photography– he photographed so much different subject matter with so much emotion, soul, and tenacity.

Lessons Todd Hido Has Taught Me About Street Photography (Part 2)

All photographs copyrighted by Todd Hido.

This is part 2 of my write-up on Todd Hido’s new book: “Todd Hido on Landscapes, Interiors, and The Nude: The Photography Workshop Series“. You can read part 1: “Lessons Todd Hido Has Taught Me About Street Photography (Part 1).”

You can also download the entire article free via .docx, PDF, and Google Doc.

Lessons Todd Hido Has Taught Me About Street Photography (Part 1)

All photographs copyrighted by Todd Hido.

You can read part 2 here: “Lessons Todd Hido Has Taught Me About Street Photography (Part 2)“. You can also download the entire article free via .docx, PDF, and Google Doc.

I have really been loving the “Photography Workshop Series” that Aperture has been publishing. They recently did a book with Alex Webb on Street Photography, and also another book with Larry Fink on Composition.

The other day I was browsing Amazon, and Todd’s Hido’s new book (published by Aperture) titled: “Todd Hido on Landscapes, Interiors, and the Nude” popped up. I had heard about Todd Hido from a few good friends, loved his work (landscapes and portraits), his use of colors, and the down-to-earth nature he had in his interviews on YouTube.

I instinctively ordered the book (it is very affordable at only around $20)— and have been absolutely blown away by the book. It is quite possibly one of the most educational, helpful, and inspiring photography books I have ever invested in. I can easily say that it is probably one of my 3 favorite “photography-educational” books, alongside Magnum Contact Sheets and Dan Winter’s “Road to Seeing.”

8 Lessons Mary Ellen Mark Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photos copyrighted by Mary Ellen Mark.

I remember when I first saw the work of Mary Ellen Mark, I was blown away. Her work had such a deep sense of love and empathy for her subjects. Not only that, but her compositions and framing was brilliant. I always noticed that around the edges of the frame– she always had great little details which made her photographs great.

Even though Mary Ellen Mark is more of a documentary photographer– her photos have a very strong “street” feel. She photographs people, and her images have emotion and soul. I feel that we can all learn a lot from her life’s work.

Book Review: “Road to Seeing” by Dan Winters

All photographs included in this article are copyrighted by Dan Winters.

My good friend Bill Reeves recently bought me a copy of “Road to Seeing” by Dan Winters. I’ve always known Dan Winters as being a quite edgy portrait photographer– and had no idea that he was actually quite interested in street photography, and had quite deep philosophical views on photography.

When I first got the book, I was pretty astounded. It is a thick book (about four-fingers thick) and has amazing typography, binding, and the photos in the book look like small prints.

The other day, I devoured the book– it took me about 5 hours and I also jotted down some of my favorite quotes and ideas from Dan. Through this post- I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned from Dan, while also giving an overview of the book.

5 Lessons Richard Avedon Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, May 9, 1981.

Richard Avedon isn’t a street photographer— nor did he consider himself one. However, he did shoot street photography in his life, in Italy, New York, Santa Monica, and more.

I was particularly drawn to Richard Avedon because I have a fascination with portraiture and the human face. Even for my personal street photography, I might consider it “street portraiture.”

I have recently binged on everything I could about Avedon— and have gained a ton of inspiration from his photography, his love of life, and his personal philosophies. I hope you enjoy these lessons as much as I did.

15 (More) Lessons David Alan Harvey Has Taught Me About Street Photography

You can see the original article I wrote on David Alan Harvey here.

I just finished a week-long workshop with David Alan Harvey as a part of the Provincetown Magnum Days event. I have already written an article on the lessons I’ve learned from David Alan Harvey– but wanted to use this opportunity to further expand on what I’ve learned from him, and also add some new things I’ve learned. Here I go!

20 Lessons Constantine Manos Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Recently I had the great pleasure of being accepted as a scholarship student (under 30) for the Magnum workshop in Provincetown, Massachusetts with David Alan Harvey. Unfortunately David got stuck in Paris en route, so the first two days I spent with Costa Manos. And I’m glad I did, I learned so much from his decades of experience (he has been in Magnum for over 50 years).

So based on my two days with him, I wanted to distill some wisdom he shared during the workshop. Here I go:

7 Lessons Helen Levitt Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Click to read more — Helen Levitt / New York, 1980

Helen Levitt is known as a “photographer’s photographer” a photographer who is admired by photographers everywhere, but not that well known. Since the raise of fame of Vivian Maier— I wanted to profile the work of Helen Levitt, and share the work of talented female street photographers.

8 Lessons Robert Capa Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Robert Capa is one of the greatest photographers to have ever lived. When he was still alive, he was proclaimed as “The Greatest War-Photographer in the World”. He captured some of the most intense wars during his time, including the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), Chinese resistance to the Japanese invasion (covered in 1938), the European theater of World War II from (1941-45), the first Arab-Israeli War (1948), and the French Indochina War (1954) and tragically passed away by stepping on a mine.

During his lifetime, he co-founded Magnum alongside photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, David “Chim” Seymour, and William Vandivert in 1947. He also mentored many young photographers in Magnum such as Eve Arnold, Elliot Erwitt, Burt Glinn, Inge Morath, and Marc Riboud.

Capa also famously coined the phrase: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” and his bravery on the front-lines helped him capture some of the most intense, intimate, and emotional photos of war.

So who exactly was Robert Capa, the man and the photographer? How did he start off as a photographer, start Magnum, and create a legacy that has lasted for decades? I wanted to learn more about Robert Capa and did some research on him through the biography “Blood And Champagne: The Life And Times Of Robert Capa” as well as the autobiography Capa himself wrote: “Slightly Out of Focus” where he shares his personal stories from World War II.

Interested in learning more about the legend Robert Capa? If so, read on.

18 Lessons Richard Kalvar Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Richard Kalvar / Magnum Photos

Richard Kalvar is one of the contemporary masters in street photograph, and also a member of Magnum. I have always loved his quirky and observant street photographs, and am quite pleased how active he is– especially on Facebook and the Magnum Blog. I gained a lot of insight about his work and street photography through his various interviews online. Read more to gain inspiration from him!

6 Lessons Jeff Mermelstein Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Jeff Mermelstein.

I love the street photography of Jeff Mermelstein. Hailing from New York City, he is one of the most prolific street photographers and photojournalists out there. Besides his personal street photography work, he has done major assignment work for Life Magazine, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine.

When I first saw Jeff’s images, I was blown away by the simplicity but depth of emotions in his photographs. His photographs are very quirky, and intensely powerful as well.

I wanted to dedicate this article to Jeff– in terms of how he has inspired me in street photography. I also hope to share some of his philosophies, images, and experiences with you.

14 Lessons Alec Soth Has Taught Me About Street Photography

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All photos in this article are copyrighted by Alec Soth / Magnum Photos.

Alec Soth is a photographer whose work I strongly admire. He is a member of Magnum, although he is not the typical “Magnum” photographer. He is generally identified in the “fine art”/documentary crowd– and certainly isn’t considered a “street photographer.” However his philosophies in photography and the way he interacts and photographs his subjects in an empathetic way really helps me connect with him (in street photography).

In this article I want to share some things how Alec Soth has inspired me– both in terms of a human being and as a street photographer:

14 Lessons Mark Cohen Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Mark Cohen.

I think Mark Cohen is one of the greatest street photographers out there who isn’t as well known as his contemporaries. I’m sure you might have seen some videos of him on YouTube shooting with a flash without using the viewfinder. I have to admit, even to me– he seems a bit “creepy” when you see him working. However the reason he works the way he does is to create art– he feels that the end justifies the means.

I have been deeply inspired by his book: “Grim Street“– and I just pre-ordered a new book he has in the pipeline called “Dark Knees.” His imagery has inspired the way I shoot quite a bit (especially when it comes to photographing details and decapitating heads). Not only that, but it is quite inspirational to see him shoot in his small town for over 30 years.

Below are some lessons I have personally learned from Mark Cohen:

12 Lessons Trent Parke Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Trent Parke / Magnum Photos.

Trent Parke is one of the most phenomenal contemporary photographers around. What I love about his work is the strong emotional and personal connection he has in his photographs, as well as his fanatical passion to street photography.

One of his seminal books, “Minutes to Midnight” recently got republished– and I wanted to write an article on Parke, and how he has inspired my street photography.

12 Lessons Joel Meyerowitz Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photos in this article are copyrighted by Joel Meyerowitz.

I am surprised I haven’t written an article about Joel Meyerowitz yet. He is one of the living legends and masters in street photography, currently at 75 years old. He shot in the streets with other legends such as Garry Winogrand, Tony Ray-Jones, and even bumped into Henri Cartier-Bresson on the streets once.

7 Lessons Saul Leiter Has Taught Me About Street Photography

I can’t remember the exact moment that I discovered the work of Saul Leiter. I think I remember seeing some link on the internet about the discovery of one of the earliest “pioneers” in color street photography. But upon hearing this, I didn’t dig into it too deeply.

About a year ago when I was in Marseille, I re-discovered Saul’s work through a good friend of mine, Yves Vernin. When I left Marseille back to America, he gave me a beautiful Saul Leiter book. When I flipped through the pages, I was overwhelmed by the beautiful colors, reflections, and abstractions of Leiter. It was unlike any street photography I had seen before. It was much more romantic, poetic, and full of expression.

I then started to research more on Saul Leiter and have not only appreciated his images, but his philosophy of life. At his late eighties, he is very down-to-earth, and has no interest in legacy or fame. He lived a simple life and even now with his sudden rise in fame, his ego hasn’t inflated one bit.

In anticipation for the DVD release of his film “In No Great Hurry” I wanted to write this article about lessons in street photography (and life) I have learned from Saul Leiter.

6 Lessons Eugene Atget Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Eugene Atget has always been sort of an enigma to me. When I started to delve into the history of street photography, a lot of people credited him to being one of the “fathers of street photography.” But when I first looked at his work, I was a bit confused. Most of his photos didn’t have any people in them. His photos were mostly of the architecture of Paris: doorways, arches, door handles, street facades, and the streets themselves.

I always thought that street photography had to include people in it. But Atget was talked about thoroughly in “Bystander: A History of Street Photography” by acclaimed photo historian Colin Westerbeck and by the great Joel Meyerowitz.

Westerbeck further explains the relevance of Eugene Atget by writing the following:

“While stop action images of people are bound to figure prominently in many collection of street photographs, this book also contains many pictures in which there are no people at all. The most salient examples are to be found in the works of Eugene atget. Yet even he was, through implication and inference, trying to show us life onthestreets. Suggesting presence in these midst of absence, he was attempting to reveal the character of the street as it inherited in the setting itself. Like every other practitioner of this genre, he wandered the streets with his camera, looking for what would they be called photo opportunities. More important, he’d was also like every other street photographer in his readiness to respond to errant details, chance juxtapositions, odd non sequiturs, peculiarities of scale, the quirkiness of life on the streets.”

Did Atget even consider himself a street photographer? Certainly not. In no records of him did he ever call himself a street photographer (the term was coined centuries after he even took photos). Not only that, but Atget saw himself as a “collector of documents” rather than being an artistic photographer.

14 Lessons Elliott Erwitt Has Taught Me About Street Photography

USA. New York. 2000. © Elliott Erwitt / Magnum Photos

If you are not familiar with the work of Elliott Erwitt, you have definitely seen many of Elliott Erwitt’s iconic work all around the globe. As one of the original Magnum members and former president, he has one of the longest spanning photography careers- spanning over 50 years.

What I most appreciate about Elliott Erwitt is his wry sense of humor when looking at the world– as well as his straightforward and nonsensical philosophies about photography. When sharing his thoughts and advice, I think he is one of the most practical and helpful- especially based on his decades of experience.

I share some things I personally have learned from him in the article below.

10 Lessons Andre Kertesz Has Taught Me About Street Photography

All photos copyrighted by the estate of Andre Kertesz. Also many thanks to Michael Meinhardt for helping me edit this text.

Andre Kertesz is one of the greatest photographers who ever lived. He photographed extensively for over 70 years, which also makes him one of the most prolific photographers. Not only did he help pioneer the genre of street photography, he also had a strong impact on an entire generation of photographers – even including the great Henri Cartier-Bresson.

When asked about Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson showed his reverence by saying: “We all owe something to Kertesz.” and even “Whatever we have done, Kertesz did first.”

Another famous photographer, Brassai, beautifully captured what made Kertesz so great as a photographer:

“André Kertész has two qualities that are essential for a great photographer: an insatiable curiosity about the world, about people, and about life, and a precise sense of form.” – Brassai

Every street photographer with a desire to learn more about the masters needs to know about Kertesz. I have personally gained a great deal of inspiration from him and will share some insights I have gained from him:

17 Lessons Walker Evans Has Taught Me About Street Photography

I want to write about a photographer that most art and photography students know, but not that many street photographers know (or appreciate) online.

That photographer is Walker Evans, one of the most pivotal American photographer from the 20th century. He inspired a league of influential street photographers such as Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, and even Bruce Gilden. He is most famous for photographing the Great Depression with the FSA, his candid work of Subway riders in NYC, and his street photos and urban landscapes all around America (his most famous book being “American Photographs” which was the first photography exhibition to be held at the New York MOMA. He was also a non-dogmatic photographer who often proclaimed that the camera didn’t matter and experimented with the 35mm format of the Leica, the 2 1/4 format of the Rolleiflex, the cumbersome 8×10 large-format, and even using a Polaroid SX-90 more or less exclusively towards the end of his life.

There is a lot that I don’t know about Walker Evans, so I made it a point to learn more about him through doing research for this article. I hope that you find his work to be as inspirational as it was to me.

Before I start this article, I want to share this excerpt that Robert Frank said about Evans and his influence on his famous project, “The Americans“:

“When I first looked at Walker Evans’ photographs, I thought of something Malraux wrote: ‘To transform destiny into awareness.’ One is embarrassed to want so much for oneself. But, how else are you going to justify your failure and your effort?” – Robert Frank

5 Lessons Bruce Gilden Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Bruce Gilden is one of the best street photographers currently alive. He is a photographer who has had a deep influence on me and my approach in street photography– especially when I first saw the video of him shooting in the streets of New York City.

Bruce Gilden is also one of the most controversial street photographers– and I also feel one of the most misunderstood.

In this article I will write what I personally learned from his street photography and how I see him as more of a humanistic street photographer (rather than just being an asshole as others might misinterpret him to be).

7 Lessons W. Eugene Smith Has Taught Me About Street Photography

W. Eugene Smith is one of the legends of photography. Although he was notorious for being maniacal, emotionally distant, and unreasonable– he channeled those energies into being one of the best photographers history has ever seen. I consider his approach to be very similar to that of Steve Jobs.

I hope that this article can help you get a better understanding of W. Eugene Smith, his work, and his philosophies of photography– to take your own work to new heights.