QUIET CONVERSATION

“I am sort of a spy..”—-Vivian Maier

By MICHAEL PERKINS

THERE IS AN IRISH STREET PHOTOGRAPHER that I occasionally see on a favorite photo-sharing site that may be the most unabashed eavesdropper I’ver ever encountered. He only shoots with a telephoto, always from a very long and safe distance, and his entire output consists of unposed candids of passersby. He finds them in shoppes, at fairs and markets, waiting on buses, whatever. The images usually show the complete upper bodies of his subjects, but often they are merely headshots. His passion is the unguarded moment, the sudden revelation of humanity when the mask of civilization slips a tad. In this he is not unique; many street shooters focus on such studies. However, it is nearly 100% of his output, and, since he posts so frequently, the viewer is liable to witness many hits among his misses.

Now, I leave it to you to discern the ethics of merely spying on passersby in pursuit of some kind of enlightenment. I myself give in to the urge now and then (as seen here), and I regularly argue whether this qualifies me as investigator or sneak-thief. Perhaps a bit of both. Shooting on the fly while a human interaction is ongoing certainly records the complete gamut of emotion, and that in itself can be hypnotic. But why? Is our understanding of our own secret selves somehow enhanced by looking over the shoulder of others’ lives? There have been enough debates about this one aspect of street work to fill up the Library of Congress.

Sometimes it’s a single shot that seems revelatory. Other times, as seen here, a sequence of shots may have a certain allure. Shooting in burst mode can be a bit like making a very short movie and viewing it a frame at a time on a film editor, like the ancient Movieola editors. And then there is the question every photographer must answer. Is more really more, and, if so, more of what? I find I tire when a shooter’s work is totally composed of random candids. I would feel either stuck or lazy or both if that was all I shot, but everyone to their own style. I do recognize that other people’s lives are occasionally fascinating, but I have still to explain why that is.