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Giving my friends printed photographs is something I recently began to do. Now when they ask me to send them photos on Facebook I just say plain no, you'll get the printed version next time we meet.🙂

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

That's great! Something I want to do a lot more

@therealdeemz_

Жыл бұрын

I'd get into the habit of doing that... if Instax Film didn't cost 70c a pop. Otherwise, in a perfect world, I'll give everyone I meet a photo through my nifty little printer

It is great to dive into algorithms and likes, for some time... But eventually this rush for approval dissolves, and then you pretty much have... Just pictures. They may be pretty, yes, but unconnected. People have limited time, so they like to enjoy something connected for them, that has story, effort, and meaning. So I think it is really cool to build projects that tells their own stories. I photographed for several years already, and when I printed my first images... Man, those pixels felt like Art instantly. Print your work, and be proud of what you create!

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for sharing, and for watching!

There is another bit of practicality to doing street, expanding your skill set. As you mentioned, every time you go out will be slightly different. But that doesn't stop you from picking one or two technical skills to specifically work on, while also being open to the stories of people around you unfolding at the same time. There's a reason I will always love candid/street photography.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Yes definitely, I find that especially true for myself recently - practising the same skill in a constantly changing environment

@AnotherOtherMan-alive

Жыл бұрын

@@GeorgeHolden or just experimenting with different visual languages. (Pat Kay has a great series of videos on the subject)

Love this. I bet most of the images in that photobook wouldn't generate much attention on Instagram, but it's a great thing to do for a friend. Context is everything. I saw a presentation by Joel Meyerowitz where he said he used to look out of his window every day and see the World Trade Center, and then suddenly one day it wasn't there anymore. The world's always changing, and those things that seem obvious and mundane now will become more valuable in years to come.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Nick and yes I know the presentation you're referring to, a great example of capturing those moments that won't last forever and giving them a longer lease of life

This is a very good video and obviously thoughtful and provoking. I am aghast when I read the vitriol from some who believe in the irrelevance of this genre. Whoever decides art of any kind is relevant or irrelevant cannot be an artist! Their approach defies the definition. Thank you again George, on behalf of relevant street photographers everywhere. 😅

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I agree those that comment on what is and isn't good tend to be critiquing and bit creating, I think they're scared of taking risks and stay safe in their opinion zone 😅

Very Nice George, I´ve been photographing everyday for a few months now and it has been so good, I´ve done like 4 years ago but stopped since it was my main work camera and was afraid to take it everywhere and now I see those photos of 4 years ago and get so happy that I did and also sorry that I stopped it, now with a Olympus om10-ii you convinced me to get I´m having so much fun and capturing so many candid fun and intimate moments with friends and family as well as street photography that I start to see again a project coming out of it even if it´s a year from now, thanks George

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

That's great to hear! Glad you like the Mkii, I'm definitely considering another MFT at some point to experiment with - such fun cameras to get out and shoot more often!

This is good. A man after my own heart. Hard to beat a photobook to gift someone.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes I'm in the process of sending someone a print soon too, excited to see how it turns out.

The street photography of today will be relevant tomorrow, just like 1960s street photography wasn’t relevant back in the day but it is today, at least from a historical point of view. Cheers from Spain, always loved the tone of your videos, subscribing right away.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Agreed, we don't value today till it's tomorrow

Non-studio photography is the most instant and improvisational of the visual arts. Like jazz music, it is always different with each performance. Instagram and the iPhone has given everybody the opportunity to be the same as everyone else. Strangely it is at these moments when artists break through the background radiation. I have a feeling that something new is coming. Maybe a return to film? Black and white? Who knows? But a phrase keeps popping up in my head: the machine is digital; life is analog.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

I think the return to film and black and white is already here, it may be a fools errand though as prices skyrocket 😂 I am regularly shooting HP5 and developing is getting very pricey

I really enjoyed this video George, made me think about the whole printing thing too...

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

Hey, fellow Holden. Thank you for such a thoughtful essay. The chattering, negative monkeys in my head have kept me from shooting on the street, I must admit. I shall get out there- with your words- not my monkey’s. This Last Christmas I spent a bit too much money on print gifts for my family- of one image I am particularly proud. I am so happy I did. AND… I kept one for myself. Again, so happy I did. Still is absolutely wonderful to see it when I enter my room.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, fellow Holden! That's great to hear, I'm in the process of printing a family photo at the moment, with plans to print some more work soon - definitely makes your work feel more valuable and like it has a place in the world.

Thank you for an important and thoughtful presentation. I'll admit I dislike the term, "street photography." I'm in good company, as Garry Winogrand (January 14, 1928 - March 19, 1984), everyone's idea of a "street photographer," didn't like the term, either. But we're going to call it something, and whatever it's called, it's far from irrelevant. My family (wife and then 16-years old twin daughters) and I spent a month in Vietnam and Thailand in 2019. The trip mostly was to visit my wife's family in Vietnam. She's from a working class neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City, there are a lot of shops in and outside people's homes. I knew from previous trips that I'd have lots of opportunities for "street photography." My style primarily is to engage with my subjects, so maybe it's "environmental portraiture." Whatever. Before we left California, I purchased a Canon Ivy photo printer (Fujifilm make the Instax) and several packs of instant print film. That little printer was about the best 100 USD I've ever spent! I'd transfer photos from my camera to my phone, brighten them up a bit in Snapseed (remember, the phone screen is a _projected_ image, the print is a _reflected_ image), then transfer them from phone to printer. I'd give copies to the people I'd photographed, which made me a lot of friends in various places. But there was this one lady, peddling Vietnam national lottery tickets in the neighborhood, who'd watch me photographing people in the neighborhood and who'd take me around and have me make portraits of other people. Either way, she'd always have me make a second copy of these photos for her. Happy to, and I made a trip to a local camera store to buy more print paper when I started running low. But it wasn't until nearly the end of the trip that I found out what she was up to. She'd made a photo album for herself, with a cover cut from a cereal box or some other heavyweight, four-color printed paper and laminated with clear tape. She taped pages between the covers and laminated all those 2" x 3" prints onto the pages with clear tape. I'm an older guy, an ex-cop, I've dealt with the best and the worst humanity have on offer--and I nearly cried!

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Daryl, very interesting!

@broadpalette

Жыл бұрын

Wow. That is such a beautiful story. I can only imagine the feelings it still brings up. Thanks for sharing. Inspirational

Yes! A thoughtful video which sparks others to think more about purpose in street photography. I am so tired of puddle reflections, and all the rest of the so-called interesting tricks of the trade, so to speak, when story and a bit of geometry is all one needs. Oh, there is the general understanding of how things will look in a photograph, but that all comes in time -- practice and more practice. Handing a person on the street and good image you took of them, is priceless, as they give a genuine thank you. A photo of a shopkeeper might be a proud moment in time, and something they can display to others. Things which say I am important, part of, in harmony with this world, that can become a lasting remembrance -- priceless. Even the simplest of things, like people and their dogs, or cats -- take the shot and put it on the Internet ( your website ) and display those happy times. Be that good neighbor. Take care, and thank you, Loren Schwiderski

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Loren and thanks for sharing that insight too!

I wasn't expecting to witness the Holdenverse 🤯🤯 my poor brain

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Eyy didn't mean to blow your mind 🤯

I like your thought processes… as well as the idea of being overcome by rolls of rogue filmstock!… Keep on keeping on!

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! And yes the damn film stock gets everywhere 😂

Your editing and camera trickery is always so satisfying to watch man.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

I really appreciate that, thank you 🙏

this topic recently came to my mind. Some might see street photography as something that is 'overrated'. Especially for those who don't really see photography as something that is more than just taking pictures.. they might perceive street photography as something.. random? or something that one might say is 'a waste of time'... I know a lot of people who, when looking at street photographs, might say "I can take such pictures using my phone camera, so what's the point of buying an expensive camera?"... there are also a lot of people who would even try to 'compare' themselves, who are not a 'photographer', to us who likes to bring our 'professional-looking' camera with us. This sometimes discourages us, especially those who have an interest and would like to get into this unique, beautiful, and fun, yet sadly often, underestimated genre of photography. in addition to this... a lot of people nowadays see street photography as 'taking portraits of strangers' due to the booming trend in Instagram and TikTok. Not that they are bad influences on the street photography world. Not at all... but sometimes, those little things can change the way people see and understand things.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely agree with you, thanks for sharing - I did a video on street photography trends a few weeks ago, I like some trends but I agree they can narrow the perception of street photography as whole

How honest can we be when talking about street photography? While many photographers love it, It’s a difficult genre to defend. from the proliferation of cliches in the genre, to the fact that so few street photographers understand or have a relationship with the places they shoot, to how street photography is often aesthetically and conceptually lazy, to the way street photographers treat people as visual fodder, and so on. Folks will continue to shoot street, but almost none of it will be relevant, regardless of the photographer’s intentions. The exception is someone like Darnella Frazier, but I doubt she would ever call herself a street photographer. People are gonna think I’m a hater, but that’s not the case, I just believe in intellectual honesty and being honest about the state of photography today. There is still meaningful work to be done, but only a tiny number of people are capable of doing it.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

With complete respect, does your username preface your opinions? I agree most of us will never create anything meaningful, but I disagree that none will be relevant - relevance is relative to context, what is relevant in your town may not be in mine, and that's where I think we can still create meaningful work. It doesn't need to be meaningful to millions, maybe just a few people.

@confrontingphotography4815

Жыл бұрын

@@GeorgeHolden haha, yes to a degree, my username is an indication of something. I am actually pretty optimistic about photography and what there is left to do with it, but I do think it's important to question the current thinking about photography as well as aesthetics, genres, the way we use and see images, etc. Our views might not be that different, I agree that context is very important.

@confrontingphotography4815

Жыл бұрын

@Rob S totally, that's why I mentioned Frazier, her cell phone video was the most important thing shot on an American street in decades, but how many Leica worshipping street dudes get that?

Bad street photography is easy and good street photography is ridiculously hard. Garry Winogrand shot film in digital quantities, and made a dozen absolutely memorable unrepeatable images. Perhaps another 50 very good shots. He left thousands of un-proofed and undeveloped films when he died and there was, arguably, very little of artistic importance on them. And that's from a guy on top of his game. It's tough and requires ruthless editing to be any good.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

That first sentence is a perfect summary, thanks!

You remind me of a young Jamie Windsor... And yeah emotional response.. for me is everything...Kudos...🙏👍🙏

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Hahaha I have to look up Jamie! And thanks!

Every time I do a photo shoot (mainly street nowadays) I always make 6 x 4 prints of my favourite shots so that I can "live with them" before making larger prints or a book. Prints are photographs; the rest is just data.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

That's great, I agree sometimes filenames don't feel like images

Art is an end in itself

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

This is true!

Thanks for this one!

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

This is such a good idea.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Tara!

Great video!

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Problem is, imo, plenty of people only think about the monetization goal. Not about the art. It's happening every time in many audiovisual areas. People wants to monetize their time while playing games, not enjoy playing them. People ""reacts"" to things and make videos about it. Society nowadays became so hard and weird at times, i get it. But do things just for the joy of doing it or just because it's something i enjoy, seems like it became "pointless". I keep doing street photography with my camera or my phone because i enjoy it. Because everything is ephimeral. Capture time, space and composing from is adictive to me. If you enjoys taking pictures for the sake of it, don't let anyone ruins that.

@GeorgeHolden

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

I didn't know George of Negative Feedback got older and dumped his original channel. You talk faster now too.🤣

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Just had to look up Negative Feedback! Channel looks great shame he stopped sharing

Subscribing even though you keep saying "gift" as a verb

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

It kind of annoys me too, but what's the alternative?

@fellowcitizen

Жыл бұрын

@@GeorgeHolden I'm not sure I should give you the answer 😹 Looking forward to more🥂

I think it is preposterous that people will go buy thousands of dollars in equipment, digital cameras, editing software, studio space, the works, just to be a mediocre studio photographer or just shooting trends for instagram. -_- photography is an art form not just some easy way for people to make money off other peoples laziness. Can’t tell you how many people I’ve met that call themselves “wedding photographers” with an eos and a tilt shift lol

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

It is odd, I prefer wasting money to shoot in the street 😂

What exactly is street photography? You taking pictures of the road/street? And whatever happens to be on the road/street? I see a road in all your pics, so Im not far off right? Whats do you find special about taking pics of a road/street? And do you ever take pics of just the street itself, like the actual asphalt?

@GeorgeHolden

10 ай бұрын

Street photography is capturing life in the street, if you check out more of my visits and Instagtam you'll see more examples - capturing people within the context of a street - it has little too do with roads or streets themselves and more with the people

@socksonfeet8125

10 ай бұрын

@@GeorgeHolden ah ok, why not call it people photography or city life photography then, weird that it took on the name street photography, doesn't make much sense to me, thanks though.

Be here, now...............

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

Very

“Anything” is “relevant” as long as “anyone” deems it to be. If relevance is a synonym for popular or marketable and that dictates whether you will or you won’t? Throw in the towel. You’ve already given up too much control of your art.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

True!

Yes, "today's photography looks the same", meaningless, boring, pointless Instagram images billions of them, and interestingly the 1% who make kind of "A picture is worth a thousand words", almost all of the quit Instagram or very seldom post a few images. Those guys are the "less is more" kind of people. Sadly, I don't belong to those guys because my images suck, I mean just look like anybody else's. If photography has chosen you, you can get in the 1% otherwise you always be in the 99% who take the same boring images. You know what is interesting, whoever is in the 1%, they don't know or care, but whoever is in the 99% mostly thinks they belong to the 1%. Sorry, George but this was my subjective opinion.

@GeorgeHolden

Жыл бұрын

I don't disagree

I would write what I think about the so-called street photography. I won't, because 99% of these photos are garbage that will be lost in the depths of history. Waste of time.

@GeorgeHolden

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for wasting your time with me