What Would Your List Say ?

The iconic Tony Ray Jones Approach list got a bit of a re-visit on Twitter this week thanks to a post from Phil Turpin and it got me thinking …

Let me start by saying that the list is great advice for all photographers as it is as relevant today as it always was but the Street Photography landscape we inhabit now is a very different world to the 1960’s England that TRJ immortalised.

What would / should a approach list fit for the twenty first century look like , I’m not suggesting that we can improve “The List” but I do wonder if we can add to it and modernise it for Street Photography today ?

This is mine , what will your list look like ?

MY APPROACH

Always shoot in colour , we live life in colour !

Use a wide lens and get close if necessary.

Avoid established photo clichés , seek originality.

Value the moment , ordinary is just ordinary .

Respect others but protect your rights , UK Street Photography is a lawful activity.

Never leave a location unless you have exhausted all the photo -ops .

Avoid photographing children .

Never risk your personal safety for a picture.



The real value of this blog should not be underestimated , its no bad thing to examine and re-examine your approach to Street Photography .

Mental preparation and visualisation of various Street scenarios will improve your photography and interaction with others , don’t ignore the advice to stay safe , not sure the safety advice would have been necessary back in the sixties, folk were more tolerant of photographers back then …

My list is not definitive or set in stone but it is more or less where I am now , if nothing else its a start to a ongoing conversation with myself …

Give it a go and make a list of “Approach Stuff” , it will help to improve your personal photography …

Value the moment , ordinary is just ordinary .

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is coming to a end, hopefully ? It can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy the print of the month , other Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

Smile Shortage !

Has your Street Photography “get up and go” got up and gone ?

Here in the UK everything is starting to feel a bit more downbeat . I’m certainly struggling to find the inner and outer smile that feeds my Street Photography optimism !

My personal photography feels as if it is losing momentum , hitting the streets usually guarantees a more positive mood within me but my inner and outer smile is not being reflected back these days , it’s tough on the streets !

It’s getting harder to get off the sofa and play the long odds Street Photography game !

Looking back at my recent Brexit & Pandemic themed projects I now realise that both of these projects were fueled by fear , anxiety and uncertainty, my inner smile has become a grimace !

I have written this piece to assure others that they are not alone if they are not feeling it , Street Photography represents slim pickings for many right now , the game has changed !

Although its hard , unproductive and at times soul destroying there is nothing else I would rather do, the highs still outweigh the lows …

My mojo might be low but I’m still in the game , my next frame might be a masterpiece ?

That is what I tell myself anyway , I’m going to stay focused , adapt and celebrate the small wins …

Where did I put that smile , where did you put yours , have a good look around and see if you can find it …

Stay safe…

Red Bag  , October , 2021 . From a short session today  , my next frame might be a masterpiece ?

Red Bag , October , 2021 . From a short session today , my next frame might be a masterpiece ?

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is coming to a end, hopefully ? It can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy the print of the month , other Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

The bloke at the bus stop !

Few people would describe me as shy or quiet nowadays but it wasn’t always like that …

It’s fair to say that I have been a big fan of all things photographic for almost all of my life , my humble Tyneside roots put me in the right place at the right time in many ways, as British Photography was shaping its voice I had a ringside seat and everyday access to the 1970’s locations that inspired some of the worlds best photographers to create some of my favourite photographs and photo-books !

Wallsend , Walker and Byker were all very much my neck of the woods and part of my everyday , Side Gallery was also a hugely inspirational & influential hangout for the teenage me…

Rest In Peace , Chris Killip , 1946 - 2020

Rest In Peace , Chris Killip , 1946 - 2020

The work of Sirkka Lissa Konttinen , , Chris Killip & Graham Smith were amongst the first photographs I ever saw in a gallery setting , the teenage me never really knew how good this stuff was on first view as I had no yardstick with which to measure “Good Photography” at this time in my young 1970’s life, I knew nowt but I knew what I liked !

I thought that all Doc Photography must be like this ????

To cut a long story short the photographers at Side impacted my entire life in such a positive way that I studied photography and pursued a photographic career , in the early 1980’s I set up a project that introduced the people of Walker to photography as a recreational pursuit, we built a Community Darkroom and created a strong group that met once a week formally and frequently informally , we even ran fund raising discos upstairs in the Scrogg Inn public house ! Great days and great music , I became Dave Double Decks , DJ of a real 1980’s Disco by default …

In the early 1980’s I was familiar with most of the Killip work that eventually found its way into the acclaimed Photo-Book, In Flagrante , 1988 , as I had watched the body of work grow at Side Gallery , many of the views were from my everyday life at this time and Killip’s work showed me how to photograph and interpret the reality of my life during the era of de-industrialisation in the NE of England , I used to walk the streets seeking out the exact view points featured in Killip’s pictures and make a “Barrett” version with my £30 used Yashicamat LM , bought from a generous neighbor with my first weeks wages !

I had brief sightings of “Mr K” at Side Gallery but sadly I would not get the chance to meet Chris until many years later or so I thought ?

The truth is that I was meeting Chris Killip once or twice a week at the 39 , 40 bus stop on Welbeck Road but I didn’t really believe it was him or have the confidence to strike up a conversation and ask the ID question , you don’t expect your teenage Photo-Heroes to turn up at the Library Bus Stop week after week !

Just like you wouldn’t expect to see HCB in the “Middle” club on Raby street , Byker ?

Looking back I reckon I must have spent many cumulative cold, windy hours in the company of Mr Killip observing a polite silence or muttering nonsense , like you do with “Strangers” at the bus stop !

As I awaited the bus I would ask myself , “Is that him , it could be, naaa , looks like him, it can’t be , it is , naaa its not” ? It took me almost forty years to resolve this …

Another confession I must get off my chest today is arguably more embarrassing , the photo project I set up on Scrogg Road in the old doctors surgery was about forty meters away from the house that I now know Chris occupied in the early eighties. One day, when we were out beating the drum for our community photo project we unknowingly leafleted the house he lived in looking for new recruits , just as the leaflet was about to be posted at Mr K’s house, the door opened and a guy took the leaflet saying he wasn’t interested in photography but his fellow occupant “Chris” might be, he was a “Keen” photographer , Geordie understatement if ever there was , for the record “Chris” was Killip , he never joined the Walker Photography Group but I know he got the leaflet !

The irony of trying to recruit Killip to our ragle-tagle band of photo brothers and teach him photography still makes me smile , a very happy ironic memory !

Finally , I have carried the “Killip ID Uncertainty” with me for most of my life, I have never really been certain who the bloke at the bus stop was , I knew who I wanted it to be and I had “circumstantial” suspicions but I also knew that a Walker lad like me doesn’t get to meet his revered photo-heroes at the local bus stop !

Do “Famous” photographers catch the number 39 bus … ?

In 1980’s Walker they do …

I had the good fortune of meeting up with Chris at Parr Foundation many years later, in 2019 my suspicions and his ID was confirmed, we discussed many things , including life in Walker , the Scrogg Inn and the cold windy Walker Library Bus Stop …

Mr K never gave off the aura of a Master Photographer , he appeared to be a ordinary bloke to me , I think that is how he liked it and that’s my excuse …

Happy days, told ya it was him , told ya …

Hindsight is a marvelous thing …

Sadly we lost Chris Killip on 13th October 2020 , wish I had spoken at the bus stop , I have hazy memories of Chris and his house mates attending the Disco upstairs in The Scrogg , I could be wrong , they were great nights after all …

Rest in peace Mr K …

I wanted to write this piece last year but could not find the words then , one way and another , the bloke at the bus stop changed my life … .

All words and picture rights David Barrett , 2021 .

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is coming to a end, hopefully ? It can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

He is based in the South West of England .

You Never Know ?

Photographers should always understand “WHY” they are photographing whatever they are photographing !

The sentence above sounds perfectly reasonable, if not essential but we should be aware that the context , motivation , value of making photographs is not always fixed in stone , it is probably identified and understood at the time of capture by the author but that might not be the context that the work is viewed within at a later date ?

Time changes photographs is the mantra of the many who view photographs within a historic context , a more considered view would suggest that photographs never change but the social conditions, societal values, ethics and people who view them do !

I never imagined that the views that I captured for my Another Day Off project would become records of a a pre-pandemic twenty first century lifestyle , at the time of capture these views represented a country and population that shared social space with a collective smile on its face , that’s not now !!!

The layers of meaning and interpretation of any photograph can run deep, pictures can only be valued by the response they provoke within the viewer and that will not be consistent or reliable as a measure of importance ?

The first sentence of this blog could / should arguably read “What they are photographing” instead of “WHY” they are photographing as what we think we are photographing is dependent on influences outside the frame ?

Herd-no121-blog500.jpg

The picture above has been selected deliberately, it is ambiguous and without explanation or caption , what is going on ?

A , Scene of a accident , 2005 .

B , Preservation of a crime scene , 2010

C , A Childhood themed sculpture , 2017

D, 2020

You have probably already created your own narrative for this image and your reasoning is probably correct , strangely your current mindset knew that this image was created during the pandemic era and represented an attempt to keep children safe from a deadly contagion !

Who would have thought , the purpose of this capture was communicated by the year of capture only ?

Paranoia or 2020 hindsight …

Things will never be the same again ….

Lifes a shoot !

Sunday started with a trip to the re-cycle depot , I’ve been defering the “Plastic Bottle” chore forever and a day , today was the day !

My good re-cycling deed was rewarded with the first “photo -op” of the day , it wasn’t a masterpiece but it made me smile , a bit of Dutch tilt and fill flash ensured the first shot of the day was in the can. I’ve no idea how this escaping doll scenario came about or who set it up but it got me off to a unexpected start !

NS-no269-500-26-09-21_edited-1.jpg

I knew that my next task was a big ask , I stick twenty quids worth of fuel in my car every Sunday and have done since Adam was a lad , like most folk in the UK I was unable to access fuel at my nearest petrol station last Sunday , thankfully I didn’t have to go too far to find a Petrol Station with fuel and a £20 max limit !

I made a few pictures of the “No Fuel” signs for my files , adopting the Dutch tilt again and beginning to think that the current climate of national chaos might inspire a State Of Britain sequel , in fact it might just be another chapter , the UK mayhem is a continuous phenomenon !

Not to worry , large coffee portions were available ?

Not to worry , large coffee portions were available ?

I had planned to go into town and look for a few Street shots today but my fuel insecurity led me to take a peaceful walk along a local river instead , I couldn’t justify the thirty mile round trip for a short Street Photography session !

I hadn’t walked this bit of the tidal River Severn for years , it was the perfect antidote for the uncertainty of my everyday life , this was all about the walk and my thoughts, rather than the photography, although I was accompanied by my camera .

I was taken by the erratic movement of the reeds as they danced in the wind , calling out to be photographed !

I was without my tripod but that didn’t stop me trying to capture the movement in the landscape with a slow exposure , hand holding a 1 / 15 th of a second shutter speed would have been a big ask for me back in the day but modern cameras possess various “Anti-shake” technologies that make shots like the one bellow possible , it’s all “Sorcery” to me …

This view reflected my mood perfectly …

This view reflected my mood perfectly …

As I walked back towards my car and the madness of my everyday I thought about the times when I had made this walk with my Old English Sheepdog , they were better days, definitely happier days …

I spotted a leaf that reminded me of Matt Stewarts “Smiling” Leaf , I couldn’t resist making a personal version of this Street Photography classic , I noticed that my “Smiling” leaf appeared to be suffering from a busted lip , probably caused by a punch up at the petrol station , typical …

Same old , same old …

Back to the chaos tomorrow , it will all kick off again …

It’s all becoming a bit tedious really , I wonder if that doll managed to escape …

Smile with a busted lip , 2021

Smile with a busted lip , 2021

David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is coming to a end, hopefully ? It can be seen by clicking above .   

The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy the print of the month , other Prints, Walks & More …

He is based in the South West of England .

All British , Apple Pie !

Although things don’t appear to change very much from day to day , the truth is that everything is changing all of the time !

Changing skylines and lifestyles are always great subjects for photography over time but subtle cultural change can be more difficult to detect photographically .

I revisited a view this week that I had always interpreted as a cultural indicator , I saw the irony and accuracy of this view immediately back in 2015 , it became a important part of my State Of Britain project . I found this British Parliment picture hanging on a New York themed wall in a local café during the Pre-Trump era , the symbolism of this picture always jarred with me , probably because it represented a uncomfortable truth ?

I was delighted to notice that the “Aspirational” , US , New York themed décor had vanished this week , I wondered what had motivated the décor change , was it driven by recent national or international events ?

I wasn’t that impressed by the new bare brick wall paper , although it did cover over the cracks and maintain the cultural barometer vibe , a stripped back lifestyle is quickly becoming a UK uncomfortable truth too !

I’d have been happier with a Clown or Circus themed wall covering or maybe a doomsday movie theme would have been appropriate , I’ll stop there !

As I contemplated the actual State of Britain and how it related to my State Of Britain photographic project I ordered a Hot Dog and Coca-Cola , I couldn’t face the thought of the “All British Apple Pie” with or without cream !

Ironically the waitress asked me to switch the lights off as I left …

No problem , I said…

No problem …

What does your wallpaper choice reveal …

Café View , 2015

Café View , 2015

Café View , 2021

Café View , 2021

Strange !!!

Is your Street Photography a conversation with the urban environment ?

As I write this I have just returned from one of my least productive Street Shoots ever , hopeless , never got going , wasn’t seeing it whatsoever !

I put my watch in for repair did some banking, bought a few bits, bla bla bla ….

Easy to see why the photo thing didn’t happen, this was a shopping trip with a camera bag not a photo-shoot, my inner photo radar took the day off but the photo gods were in good form and decided to have a little laugh at my expense !

I had no sooner thought to myself “This shoot is a waste of time , what is the point “ ? and I noticed the best bit of light and shadow I’d seen all day , I didn’t read the graphics on the well lit shop window , I just looked deep into the derelict shop to check out the well defined shadowy patterns being created by the late afternoon sun.

Knock me down with a feather , I couldn’t believe my eyes , the light , shop and shadows conspired to reply to my rhetorical question !

I don’t expect answers from my locations ?

Okay, okay I’ve got the message , “Wellbeing” that’s the point , I won’t complain again …

Got my watch back same day though …

Never underestimate the health benefits of Street Photography , even on the bad days !

Never underestimate the health benefits of Street Photography , even on the bad days !

Play Time , return to zero !

Nothing wrong with knowing what you want as a photographer !

Nothing wrong with wanting nothing .

In fact if I had to identify three important areas of development for photographers it would be ..

Mindset

Mindset

Mindset

Approach

That’s four , your right ! I was so busy developing my mindset I lost count !

I have been so focused on my projects during the last six years that I had almost lost the fun element within my photography , having firmly developed project ideas, aims and objectives will help you “SEE” pics that you might otherwise miss but the discipline of a blinkered project driven mindset can become a burden, especially if a playful butterfly approach is your default setting !

Anxiety … , Sept 2021

Anxiety … , Sept 2021

The total creative freedom of seeing everything , shooting everything and being everything can become overwhelming, it can also become a bit random , especially if you value consistency and coherence ?

Empty your mind and be free , return to zero , conceptually .

I am currently shooting with a level of freedom that takes me back to my student days and I like it !

Some shoots are work and others are play, knowing the difference is important , a happy playful mindset is not a waste of time, it can deliver big smiles , literally …

Its nice to smile again , all work and no play ……

Smile , Sept 2021

Smile , Sept 2021

You never walk alone , apparently !

My photo-walks are almost always me, myself and I but a recent shoot has helped me realise that I rarely walk alone !

You can never un-see something that you have seen , the imagery you consume lives deeply in your subconscious for ages and can often turn up to your Street shoots uninvited, that’s usually okay but when your photo book influences turn up wholesale in one three hour shoot you have to acknowledge a problem !

William , Elliot and Stephen are good photo-walk companions and valued inhabitants of my bookshelves but I don’t want them living rent free in my head , photo-shoots or portfolio !

I could be suffering from a photo-book overdose , if I had never seen the work of Eggleston , Erwitt and Shore would I still of made the pics below ?

All of the pictures below are genuine “Original” responses to my surroundings or so I thought at the time of capture , they were not intended to be tributes to my heroes but …

White Hat and clouds , Aug 2021 .

White Hat and clouds , Aug 2021 .

Dog Shoes , Aug 2021

Dog Shoes , Aug 2021

Cyclops Smile , Aug 2021

Cyclops Smile , Aug 2021

These pictures are a sobering reminder that we all walk in the foot prints of giants and carry a shed load of influences wherever we go , Street Photography is difficult enough but finding our own “originality” is the ultimate challenge !

Those who shoot for themselves should have fun and enjoy the SP journey but if you have aspirations for your work to inhabit bookshelves alongside serious photographers you need to bring a big bottle of uniqueness to the next Street Photography party !

The first step in developing a original approach is to understand where you are now and create a vision of where you want to be, the same old , same old is just that …

You don’t need to invent the wheel but you might need to modify it !

All this outside influence stuff has made me think that we should be more careful about the photo books we read , garbage in, garbage out ,… thankfully, the opposite must also be true ?

Who will subconsciously gatecrash your photo- walk this weekend ?

Keep it real and stay safe ..

This one is original , I think …

This one is original , I think …

Perfection versus Groove !

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 ?

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…