Over the course of our four weeks together, you will learn that the phrase “street photography” has come to mean much more than simply making exposures in a public place; it is a way of finding beauty and meaning in the everyday human experience. We will attempt to get you out of your comfort zone and into the world around you, the goal being to capture YOUR experience on the street through your work. We will discuss how street photography came to get our attention through the classic work of great pioneers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson. We’ll set out to emulate his wonderment and ability to make a statement with a photo, as we come to learn that even the most “objective” and “journalistic” compositions are teeming with our own ideals and subjectivity.

You’ll learn your camera inside and out, as you’ll be shooting in a constant-changing scene. We’ll discuss the best settings for the changing light and motion, and you’ll learn to be ready at any second to get “the shot.”

As important (and challenging) as the technical know-how will be the willingness to immerse yourself in your surroundings in order to tell a story. You’ll find that you might have overlooked the beauty of the abundant and ever-changing juxtapositions of light, color, life and death. You will become more aware of shape and line, and how they literally intersect with our lives while in the public sphere. Once you learn to look for these natural compositions, you will see them everywhere. “Discovery” will be our main goal in this course, as we’ll not only learn more about our cameras but also more about how we view the world as individuals (which sometimes requires us to plop down on the sidewalk, so prepare to get dirty!)