People, objects, reflections, movement. Street photography is a genre that eventually had to give itself a name, yet its roots lie in what we once called ‘general reportage’ or ‘social photography.’ These approaches shared the same techniques and the urgency of seizing the moment of being in the right place at the right time but above all, they spoke of humanity, whether explicitly present or merely traced out like a sinopia.
Today, street photography merges these worlds in a brutal and unconvincing way. When we talk about reportage, we are dealing with a complete and meaningful narrative; when we talk about the street, it has degenerated into a mere exercise in chasing cheap ‘effects,’ slowly draining a genre until it risks telling us nothing at all. A trick photo, on its own, says nothing.
For me, street photography means many things: engaging in a dialogue with my subjects, intentionally searching for the missing pieces of a broader reportage, or chasing that single emblematic frame capable of telling a story more effectively than an entire book. It is not a genre, it is a drive to create!
Today, street photography merges these worlds in a brutal and unconvincing way. When we talk about reportage, we are dealing with a complete and meaningful narrative; when we talk about the street, it has degenerated into a mere exercise in chasing cheap ‘effects,’ slowly draining a genre until it risks telling us nothing at all. A trick photo, on its own, says nothing.
For me, street photography means many things: engaging in a dialogue with my subjects, intentionally searching for the missing pieces of a broader reportage, or chasing that single emblematic frame capable of telling a story more effectively than an entire book. It is not a genre, it is a drive to create!