Street Photography Book Review: “Minutes to Midnight” by Trent Parke

minutes-to-midnight-cover
I’m not 100% sure how I stumbled upon the book: “Minutes to Midnight” by Trent Parke. But when I did— I was blown away by Trent Parke’s incredible story-telling, visuals, and vision. It inspired me to write my first article on him: 12 Lessons Trent Parke Has Taught Me About Street Photography.

Steidl has recently re-published “Minutes to Midnight” — and it has been a massive hit. It is hard to find copies that aren’t sold out, you can currently get some more pre-orders on Amazon.

For the Steidl re-print, there has been a slight change to some of the images, formatting, and printing (all in a positive way). I currently have my copy of “Minutes to Midnight” in my street photography library— and it is one of the most precious black and white books I own.

I wanted to write this article sharing my thoughts on the book, why I think it is a great body of work, and I hope you find this article useful.

12 Lessons Trent Parke Has Taught Me About Street Photography

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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.

Which is Better? Black and White vs Color for Street Photography

Black and White vs Color for Street Photography
Black and White vs Color for Street Photography.Â

I recently got an email from one of my readers, Kit Taylor, asking me the following question:

Color or B&W? What goes into the decision to finish a street/candid
photo as color or black and white? Some photographers have a strong
specialization. Some of us use both almost equally. Some photos are
obvious; often I have some that are difficult to decide on.

I’m really glad that Kit asked this question, as this is an issue that I grapple everyday as a street photographer. There are many pros and cons to both color and black and white street photography– which I will outline below.