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ALBERTO J. ÁLVAREZ

Serial Photographer
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STREET LIFE - Varanasi, India

December 7, 2021

Street photography can take place in any given urban environment, and as such, it is common that any passerby or the whole of them, will be key elements for the composition of this type of images. The key feature for any given urban place is the human impact, this being result of the human infrastructure, as houses or street elements, the human imposed order of things, but overall the human activity and interaction that takes place in urban environments. Thus, the subject of this type of photography is the sum of obvious elements such as buildings, people, vehicles, animals, etc. as well as their genuine interactions and movement. All  these aspects create a whole which is the experience of the unique environment in any city, street, boulevard, or park, any person being able to be open and focus to observe would be able to experience.

Unexpected events, fast pace scenes, crowds, traffic and visual obstacles are definitely features to be aware of when intending to take this type of photography. Urban places differ a lot within each other. Not all the urban spaces present the same level of dynamism or activity. Some urban places have stronger and more genuine and unique personality than others, the essence of this type of photography can be captured in any urban place. Cities like London, New York, Shanghai provide extremely high amount of opportunities for impactful images, due to the high diversity of inhabitants they have, their high population density,

but be aware that also smaller cities, remote towns may offer an experience in which the personality and candor of the place may be so strong, breathable and sensorial that may be an extremely rewarding experience to capture with the camera. 

Due to the lack of control one may have to predict when certain scenes may occur in urban photography, or when the right combination of elements will appear in front of our eyes, I recommend to keep the camera in an auto or prioritised mode / semi manual (A or S) can be a good idea to avoid missing a great shot instead of Manual mode. Technical quality may not be the main goal of this type of photography, but rather the ability to react soon and take the shoot at the right moment. It is also good to be aware, specially when traveling to exotic,  foreign or alien places that people are probably performing their day to day activities, and may not perceive the same interest of what they do or where they are, as one may do, so they may not expect to be photographed, they may be surprised, or they may come and ask you just out of curiosity why you are taking pictures. No matter what, be respectful, and do not obstacle the activities performed, traffic, or the way of passerbies. In general, the less you interfere, and the less your presence is noticed in the urban scene, the more spontaneous will be. 

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