I'm beginning to worry about the well-being of Street Photography, it appears to be under attack from all directions. I appreciate that both sides of the pond appear to be embracing change at any cost but surely the lunatics have not taken over the SP asylum, have they ?
The first thing I noticed on my Twitter feed this week is that some Japanese manufacture had introduced a new letter or number to a previous model number and togs seemed to be conflicted between feelings of enticement, excitement and inadequacy !
The second thing I noticed this week was a article in the Guardian promoting the work of female photographers, apparently SP has been dominated by the "male gaze" for longer than is good for the art form so a woman only group has been set up to right this wrong. I was more than a little surprised to find out that my SP sisters were feeling less than equal in the Street Photography community so I set about seeking a male only tog group but came up empty handed, it appeared that all the groups I found embraced equality and diversity. I did find one group that was only open to those who believed in the creative qualities of Hobnob biscuits but even they allowed Bourbon fans to join.
All in all as I sit here I'm feeling as if the Street Photography world is becoming more selective than ever before, I'm starting to feel anxious, if I don't buy this camera that has a new improved model number or start treating female togs in a more positive way I'll be doomed to a life of Luddite or sexist accusations.
The cynical side of me believes that the problem with open photo groups is that they are not unique and that's not helpful if your seeking to create a USP to sell a few prints, I hope it works for those involved but I worry about the long term cost of disingenuous divisions.
The way I see it is very simple, there are only 2 types of Street Photographs, those I like and those I don't ! I care not one jot about the sex, sexuality ,race or nationality of the author and just for the record I care even less about camera kit and have no understanding of the excitement created by the launch of a new bit of Japanese tech.
It would appear that marketing is at the root of all things smelly this week as I can't believe that the latest Japanese offering or a photo group that excludes others is either needed or necessary ?
Those of you who have made it to the end of this piece have probably already guessed what the smell is,
Keep it real !
