Extreme Street Photography (ESP)

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About Extreme Street Photography (ESP)

Please Read it Through:

A subtitle to the “Extreme Street Photography” (ESP) name is “odd juxtapositions.” When looking at the masters of this form, one is always struck by the humor or the horror or both; how the participants, willing or not, often are captured in ways that illustrate this unique vision. More often than not, people or their affects/effects are the subject of these photographs. Street photography is a different way of seeing.

The photographer is an active participant in creation of the image. He must insinuate himself into the scene by the interaction of his self with the groups and images he collects. Such image creation can be learned. ESP is best at close range. When photographing others, you should almost be able to reach out and touch them. The work should be energetic with feeling or the lack of it. It's helpful to have a clearly defined subject.

If you look closely at the work of the masters of the form you should see what we mean. The image is conceived in a spit second with one's heart first, and one's mind and the camera second. This is done through intuition. This is why telephoto images generally don't apply to form.

Please Note: portraiture taken on the street is not street photography; it is street portraiture. Please find another group for it. There must be some interaction between subject and background or other subjects. Also, extreme street photography is not overtly political; it resides more easily in subtlety or ambiguity, in the existential theater of our public lives. If your post doesn't fall within the above or the guidelines below it may be deleted.

Guidelines: Send your best stuff. Images should evoke a strong sense of interest & or emotion. Post two or less images per week. Your post should evoke the following impression: Exceeding the ordinary, usual or expected, existing in a very high degree (from Merriam-Webster.)

Read the first paragraphs again if needed. Posts should include an animated or simulated figure. Ask yourself if the image is free from unintentional blur; or has blur been used effectively. No shots of buildings or streets. Moderate crops are ok. Images with areas of selective color or images with borders, or watermarks may be deleted.

This is a curated group.

Posting and membership to ESP is contingent on intelligent and respectful dialog with its members. If you choose to post to discussions, you can make your point without pointless disrespect. Ignoring this by posting meritless/disrespectful dialog to ESP discussions or members pools may result in banning of that profile from ESP. Such action is at the discretion of the ESP admins.

If you are new to the form, look into the book, Bystander (Joel Meyerowitz, Colin Westerbeck, 2001) Public libraries often have this title. See the reviews and description and/or
read this site.
If you're still not sure about what we're searching for, please have a look at our Selected Works Slideshows. We are more based on a certain style than on quality issues.




Group Icon by courtesy of local_man, thanks a lot!