Has Street Photography Lost Its Soul?

I love street photography; it’s fun. Everyone can do it because you don’t need to spend a lot of money to travel to far-off destinations. If there are no big cities nearby, no worries, we can do it in our local towns. Perfect!

But there’s a problem. Street photography has become so incredibly popular that somewhere along the way, much of it has become so unbelievably predictable. When you scroll through social media, you see the same photos over and over. Someone walking through a shaft of light. A reflection in a puddle. A person framed perfectly in a doorway or walking past a large poster or mural that looks like it’s interacting with that person. Grabbing hand, anyone? And let’s not even talk about the random, pointless photos shot from the hip of people walking toward the camera, doing absolutely nothing.

You know the images I'm talking about. You’re shaking your head in agreement, aren’t you?  We've all taken them. I've taken them myself. Actually, I still do, but don’t tell anyone. Shhh…

Let me be clear: I’m not criticizing, I’m just sharing an observation. There’s nothing wrong with any of these types of photographs. I would say—particularly if you’re starting out on a street photography journey—they’re excellent exercises for learning timing, composition, exposure, and the all-important zone focusing.

The problem is, however, that so many photographers don’t get past these kinds of images.  They see YouTubers and influencers shoot them and think, “Oh, that’s what I need to do to be part of this cool street photography tribe!” Hey, don’t forget the cowboy hat.

Social media is dictating what street photography should be, what it’s supposed to look like. We’re not exploring the world around us with curiosity; we’re simply hunting for examples of images that platforms like Instagram have programmed us to look for. We’re not discovering and creating; we’re part of a Pokémon scavenger hunt, collecting images like young schoolboys used to collect stamps.

So here’s a question to you, dear reader: Has street photography become formulaic, predictable, and boring, and lost its soul?

I think it has, but I’m interested to know if I’ve simply lost the plot and become a miserable old curmudgeon. 

There are not enough discussions that ask questions like, “Where’s the creativity in doing this?” What’s the point? Where’s the why?

Well, I’m asking, “Why is everyone simply recreating images we’ve already seen? Including me!”

Rules Are for Fools

While I’m on this little rant, another thing that fascinates me are the self-appointed rule-makers who insist street photography must follow a rigid checklist.

I love grabbing my camera and heading out onto the street for a few hours of photographing whatever I feel like. Whatever piques my curiosity. I’ve been doing this for decades, long before many of today’s loudest gatekeepers were even born. But now, apparently, I’m doing it wrong.

I was informed recently by a young photographer, clutching an M6, that you can’t ask an interesting person you meet on a street if you can take their photo—that’s not “proper” street photography. People photos have to be candid.

Those interesting storefronts I love to photograph? Not street photography.

Architecture isn’t street photography unless that shaft of light between the buildings has a person walking through it.

Details aren’t street photography. Nor are empty streets.

You can’t use long lenses; you need to get close to your subjects.

There are more, but I’m bored typing them. You can keep your rules; I’m not interested in them.

Seriously, who even decided this? There are more gatekeepers and know-it-alls in the street photography genre than in any other. Landscape photographers don’t question whether the mountain in your photo is quite tall enough to be technically classed as a mountain, and wildlife photographers certainly don’t tell you the pigeon you shot in the forest spends its spare time in the city eating out of tourists’ hands, so it’s not really a true wildlife photo.

Yet street photographers can spend entire evenings on forums arguing whether a photograph qualifies as street photography or documentary photography or urban photography or environmental portraiture.

Who cares?

The photograph either works or it doesn’t. It’s interesting, or it's not. It tells a story and makes you wonder what’s going on, or it doesn’t.

So do you really need a defined label for that? I don’t think you do.

The Best Photographers From the Past Didn't Care About Categories

When I look at some of my favorite photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Eggleston, Tom Wood, or Peter Mitchell, they weren't trying to satisfy a genre checklist.

They photographed what interested them. Sometimes it was people. Sometimes it was architecture, a shopfront, a parked car, an old decaying sign. Their photos were born from curiosity.

Their photographs felt personal because they were photographing what genuinely caught their attention rather than what was expected of them.

What Can We Do to Address Boring Street Photography?

We could stop photographing a stranger walking down the street doing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. That would be a start.

I do believe documenting everyday life has value, but the thing is, 50 years ago there were only a handful of photographers doing it, and today every other person is a street photographer. Does the insane number of photos shot now mean future generations may find those photographs any less fascinating? I don’t really know, although I would hazard a guess they’ll bore the pants off people after too much looking.

Documentation alone was enough 50, or even 30, years ago. But I don’t believe it’s enough to create a compelling image today. So what is? Well, in my opinion, the best street photographs tend to do at least one of three things:

• They tell, or suggest, a story.
• They capture a well-timed human moment and create an emotional response.
• They impress us with their beautifully considered and skillfully created composition, utilizing shapes, textures, and light.

Sometimes all three happen at once.

Those are the photographs we stop and look at, immerse ourselves in, and the photographs we remember. Those are the photos I prefer to pursue, because they have soul.

Does Originality in Street Photography Even Exist?

The problem with copying visual trends is that eventually everybody arrives at the same destination.

The same focal lengths, the same editing styles, the same compositions. Street photography becomes less about seeing and more about belonging to a cool tribe. I’ve talked about this in my YouTube videos: the desire to belong is understandable; it’s a human trait. We need to belong to a tribe and feel safe.

But belonging and originality rarely occupy the same space.

If your goal is simply to participate in street photography culture, then by all means photograph people walking through beams of light, or someone sitting at a table, seen through a window full of reflections. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it’s a lot of fun. Personally, though, I’m trying to be done with that. I want to move in a direction that builds a body of work that feels personal and unique. How about you?

If you do, then I strongly suggest you don't ask yourself, “What should a street photographer photograph?” and look to social media for the answer.

Instead, start asking:

“What am I genuinely interested in?”

That question changes everything. And to be honest, it’s the same question we should be asking for every genre of photography.

Final Thoughts

These days I find myself increasingly photographing shopfronts, safety cones, signs, architectural details, layers, colors, gestures, small interactions, and the kinds of things many street photographers walk straight past.

Some people will say that's not street photography. And that's fine, because I’m not interested in categories and all that nonsense anymore. They can call it whatever they like. The older I get, the less interested I become in photographing what street photography is supposed to be, and the more interested I become in photographing what the street actually gives me as a place to explore and express my creativity.

I'm interested in making photographs driven by curiosity, photographs that feel honest and personal.

With the enthusiasm and belief that, perhaps, that's where the soul lives.

If you wish to hear more thoughts about street photography, and see me break down some of my favorite recently shot street photos, watch below: