Street photography, a genre of photography that records everyday life in a public place. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose in mind, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments which might otherwise go unnoticed. Encyclopaedia Britannica has an interesting overview here which takes you briefly through the history of Street photography and some of the more well-known proponents of the art.
Established in April 2014, London Street was one of the London Region's first micro-groups. It aims to provide an opportunity for those interested in Street photography as described above to practice and learn more about the genre with like-minded members.
The group normally meets monthly and is open to all: experienced and inexperienced street photographers, RPS Members and non-Members. Our events are normally free but occasionally we visit an Exhibition or Event which has an entry fee, or we might engage a well-known Street photographer to put on a walk or a talk for us: in these cases, we advertise the cost well in advance.
So what do we do?
Photowalks take place on a regular basis on the second Saturday of each month, when a maximum of 16 people, meet to explore and discover people in different parts of London. The walks are usually 2-3 miles on a pre-planned route, which is handed out at the beginning of the walk. Our events will sometimes coincide with a London event (such as the Lord Mayor's Show), which may therefore be incorporated into our session.
Exhibitions: in 2019 we held an Exhibition of Street Photography in the Upstairs Gallery at Hanbury Street, London E1, when 40 London Region photographers each had one picture on display for four weeks. To gather the pictures we ran a small project over a period of three months, during which time participants were invited to take pictures and upload their best four to a dropbox. These were then shared at a group meeting, when those present voted for their favourite picture from each set of four, to form the Exhibition.
Occasional walks with external experts. About once a year, we like to run an event such as a photowalk or lecture with an expert street photographer, for example: this is at extra charge but is usually enjoyable and educational. Sometimes companies such as Olympus will invite us to try out their new kit and will organise a photowalk for us: always very enjoyable!
All our events, walks, exhibitions and projects are displayed on the RPS London Events page on the website.
Communications. In addition to the London Region FB page and Flickr Group, we have a London Street Flickr Group: here and a London Street FB page: here. To receive our Monthly Events mailing and occasional 'Street' News, please sign up here