Key takeaways from Phil Penman’s book “STREET”
Phil’s book is a great size; I say this because it Allows you to get a clear feel for all the images depicted on each page.
So what is in this book?
Well, its starts with a section titled “citizen,” Where you can see a collection of images of street portraits with the occasional candid capture of a man in a space suit or gollum in the subway. A nice reminder that the streets are flooded with people waited to be captured.
Next, we have “Celebrity,” which is a look into his past, where Phil takes us on a quick journey to take a Glimpse of life, chasing down Celebrities and what exactly is required. The pages are filled with paparazzi images from both sides of the camera. In this section, we also get some great stories of what it takes to be in that business. The common thread for me was you have to be willing to work harder.
The Third and final section, titled “City,” is the one that resonated the most for me. In a collection of images in black and white and color, Phil Can Capture the grit and feel of the city i so love.
If you don’t have this book on your shelf, you need to pick it up, and please read the stories. don’t just flip through the images.
key take aways:
it’s ok to ask for portraits. it doesn’t all have to be candid shots; Street Photography has this stigma that everything has to be sneaky shots, “not Disrupting the scene.”
you have to be willing to put in the work; in each of his stories, i came to realize that he got the shot because he was the last man standing; he hustle harder, and in the end, your efforts will be recognized.
lastly, Try to compose and capture images that show us, the Viewers, the true essence of the scene. I believe there are three people to consider when taking images, the photographer (your vision), the subject (how you want them to be presented), and the Observer (what You want the person viewing the image to take away).
Read more books,
John
