An Introduction to the Dark Side of Street Photography

[nadimpr]

The world of street photography is one of brutality. The inhabitants of which are often distorted, hostile, or outright monstrous.

This is a genre that lends itself to imperfections. Techniques of of the grotesque such as: the blurred shutter speeds of Antoine D'Agata and Daido Moriyama, silhouettes of Bernd Schaefers, dutch angles of Anders Peterson, and the distorted wide lenses of Jacob Aue Sobol, all work to blur the line between reality and a world of nightmares.



Street Photography is the opposite of Landscape Photography---the former being as volatile as the latter is serene. Traditionally, the beauty of nature requires a tripod and crystal clear resolution. Conversely, images of the city are amplified by rawness and the lo-fi grit that 35mm is famous for.

Perhaps shooting on film has been a favorite of street photographers for decades because of the drama it adds. Not just any stock of film though... for those that dare into the dark side, the only real option is Tri-X. A grainy, high contrast film that makes the images appear as if they'd been dragged through a cave of shadows and fear. The texture, shadow and latitude of the film renders animals into demons and people into ghosts. The stills become visual fossils, postcards from the edge.

While nothing beats the feeling of film, its aesthetic can be mimicked with the proper editing.

One can still achieve the Tri-X look through experimenting with various softwares such as Alien Skin's Exposure X or creating your own presets in Lightroom. Some modern cameras even offer presets that mimic this style. If you're a novice in street photography, or you're simply looking for a new way to approach the craft, the Tri-X concept is a worthy technique to consider.

Source: https://www.nyip.edu/photo-articles/archive/an-introduction-to-the-dark-side-of-street-photography