Street Games
by Neta Dekel
Street photography fascinates me from the start of my photography adventure, in the early 1980’s. Photography in the streets has everything I love in photography – meeting new people, capture real-life, unpredictable situations, action and art. The best thing in street photography is that it is anywhere.
You don’t need to travel to Africa and wait forever to capture a good image of a leopard or a lion, you don’t need to travel to distant countries and wait for the right time and right light to have a good landscape photo. You are using light and small gear. It is everywhere, anywhere, anytime.
Photographing strange people on the street, usually without prior consent, can be un-pleasant, scary and tricky. You cannot anticipate the reaction of the subject to the camera. After years of street photography I can say for sure, that most of the people doesn’t care to be photographed, and moreover, find it flattering. If I need to assess, I would say that over 85% will not object to be photographed.
The key things to take street shots without objection are to give respect to the people and be nice. Don’t hide your camera. Street photographers are not thieves that steal a shot. Before, or even after, taking the shot, be nice. Give a nice smile, say some greeting words. You will be surprised how people are reacting. Show the result on you camera screen.
One of the most important things is to be aware to the local culture and environment. For example, in some countries in South and Central America, the local people believe that taking their photo, is capturing the soul, so extra sensitivity is needed. On the other hand, Taking picture in poor or crime zones can be interpreted as to invasive and cause to violent reaction.
After years of walking with camera in the street of many cities in the world, I start building themes. Similar situations that capture my eyes. One of the unique things I have noticed, is that people all around the world is using the public space for leisure activities. I was fascinated from the people that gather in the street to play board-games. We might think that board-games requires quiet place the enables concentration, with some drinks and snacks. But seems that all over the world, people enjoys gathering in public places to play.
People are playing in the streets anywhere - it can be in Manhattan or Beijing in china, from Tbilisi in Georgia, to London, Tel Aviv or Arusha in Tanzania.
The game can be photographed from a lot of perspectives – from above (my favorite point of view) or from the eye level. Even close-ups can be amazing.
