When I try to describe some of the more nuanced concepts of Street Photography I often end up using musical terms to communicate my point !
I remember a photographer describing his approach to “Street” as more jazz than classical , once I saw the work it seemed to fit perfectly , in fact it was so good I “Borrowed” that description on a regular basis for years , apologies to the original author for not remembering your name and crediting you !
I was watching a Top Of The Pops documentary on Saturday evening ( Yes that is what it has come to ) when someone described the BBC Orchestra as fantastic musicians who were highly trained but possessed little sense of groove ! The moment I heard this description I related it to Street Photography and thought about how this communicated something I had noticed but failed to clarify or describe clearly in my own mind or in one of my blogs !
A abundance of “Perfectly Good” Street Photography exists all around us but I often feel as if something is missing , I see & create pictures myself that are technically good , well lit and well composed but feel a bit wooden , photo-perfection can make some moments look & feel a little sterile !
Flawless technique can eliminate the elusive fleeting feeling of spontaneity or candidness that the best Street pics exude , perfection should be used sparingly in Street Photography as it can become a bit predictable, if not out right boring !
Perfection is a double edged sword it can lead to some undesirable creative destinations ?
In order to understand the visual groove I’m trying to promote here it might be advisable to reference the informality of a musical groove by acknowledging that groove disappears when the work of great drummers or bass players is transposed , groove appears to run through the veins of the best reggae , blues , soul and disco performers as a extension of performance personality rather than formally learned technique. When formal structure is introduced by writing the dots down the “Groove Magic” evaporates ?
Groove is not transferable, its like a spiritual reward for hard work, talent and vision , the best photographers / musicians appear to push the envelope of flaws to the point that accumulated little “errors” become “BIG” deliberate natural technique !
This groove thing appears to be connected to authenticity , feel , vibe , rhythm , truth and many more inner spiritual senses , it certainly comes from within , strangely you barely notice it exists until it goes missing or someone tries to fake it !
Your only here once , search for yourself , find your own personal visual groove , go beyond being the sharpest best exposed kid on the block !
Technical perfection is little more than a foot in the game , it does not disguise aesthetic silence …
Authenticity ? Now we’re talking , what were you trying to say …
Check out the work of Mark Cohen , Masahisa Fukase and William Klien , photographers with a well developed sense of groove …
HCB v Robert Frank , the perfection of pictorialism v a grungy groove…