City streets are the real Runways

The first images to exemplify street photography were those produced by French photographer Charles Negre, who used his camera to document architecture as well as shops, labourers, traveling musicians, peddlers, and unusual street types in the 1850s. Because of the comparatively primitive technology available to him and the long exposure time required, he struggled to capture the hustle and bustle of the Paris streets. He experimented with a series of photographic methods, attempting to find one that would allow him to capture movement without a blur, and he found some success with the calotype, patented in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot.

The calotype could capture an image in one minute, a stunning efficiency when compared with the 15 to 30 minutes required for a daguerreotype. Some of Negres photographs were staged to evoke action, and some occasionally included accidents—a blur of a figure moving across the composition. Those accidents serve as some of the earliest examples of movement captured in the still image, an expression of the energy of the street.

 Street photography as its own genre originated as an offshoot of photojournalism. In fact, many early street photographers started out as photojournalists or fashion photographers and often continued to perform those roles for a living while they pursued their art during their off-hours. Kertész was working in Paris beginning in 1925, and by 1928 he was using a Leica, a handheld lightweight camera that offered both mobility and greater anonymity. His street scenes of Paris sometimes captured people at close range in a manner not seen previously, exhibiting his bold risk taking and strong intuition about the camera’s capabilities.

The “street” approach to style and fashion is often based on individualism, rather than focusing solely on current fashion trends. Using street style methods, individuals demonstrate their multiple, negotiated identities, in addition to utilizing subcultural and intersecting styles or trends. This, in itself, is a performance, as it creates a space where identities can be explored through the act(ion) of dress. The New York times, pointed street style out as a keen catalogue of ordinary people’s clothing. Also, he mentioned that streets tell a great deal about fashion and people, if you listen. According to him the best fashion show is coming to life every day on the streets.