In its most basic form, street photography is just taking unposed pictures of people in public. In the absence of the general public, a robust discussion will inevitably arise. the same factors that make a good photo. Light, composition, and subject. Because you currently have so little control over these factors, the street is incredibly difficult. Whether you want to add the word "decisive" or not, the moment is the key phrase. When something catches your eye, you have two options: either take the picture as soon as you can from where you are, or start looking around to see if you can move to change the background, wait until the subject is in better lighting, or simply move around to wait for the composition to come together.
Martin Agius is a photojournalist and a street photographer. He was born in Malta in 1966 and, from a young age, took an interest in photography with the only available medium at the time, which was camera film. In 2008, he decided to take his photography to another level: he enrolled in courses organized by the local photographic societies. In July 2009, soon after passing an accredited course in photography, Martin was appointed the Official Photographer for the Armed Forces of Malta. On retiring from the Armed Forces of Malta in 2010, he began his career as a freelance photographer and as a photojournalist for a leading newspaper owned by Media.Link Communications Co. Ltd. In the same year, he was also the Official Photographer for "Gladiators Fight Night" (a sports activity with local and foreign participants), a role he still has till today. He is also the Official Photographer for Kumitevent in Sicily since 2021. In 2012 he obtained an Associateship with the Malta Institute of Professional Photography (MIPP) and subsequently abroad with the Societies’ Photographic Society in the United Kingdom (SWPP). The panel he presented for these qualifications was in the Fashion & Glamor genre. 2013 brought about a new experience for Martin: he was asked to judge a number of local and overseas competitions as well as qualification panels. These included the SWPP's 20 x 16 Print Competition hosted in the United Kingdom.
Martin has been organizing Street Photography workshops since 2015. He also lectures locally on Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Martin has notched several gold, silver, and bronze awards in the Societies Monthly Competition (SWPP). He was also awarded the Societies prestigious UK Press & News Photographer of the Year. In November 2016, he organized his first solo exhibition called "Malta Street Life". He has also had his works exhibited in Egypt, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, and in 2020, Japan.
In 2021, he was invited by Avantech (Canon Shop) to have a solo exhibition sponsored by them and do a talk for them. In the same year, he was approached by the Valletta Cultural Center to exhibit one of his images on one of the prominent streets in Valletta for a whole month. Some of the photos which are either published in local and overseas foreign media or entered into national and international competitions can be viewed on his website