A street photographer can speak in different ways

I have always reiterated that street photography is not just one. There is no single way to tell the street. And I never thought it should be pigeonholed into strict rules. The thing, in fact, is very personal. In my opinion the only thing that really matters is that photography is able to document the human condition. And with this focus, the approach can clearly be multi-faceted with different visions that change depending on what we want to tell.

Heart - Mexico City, 2021

So here is that the image above makes sense. Torn billboards are something that attracts me. And not just me. I think this research that I started by photographing in black and white can continue in color as well.

The not unique approach to street photography made me live the documentary film by Cheryl Dunn Everybody Street peacefully. While those who want to imprison street photography in certain creative patterns have criticized the film, I was able to understand that it is rather the way of defining the street photographer that makes clear the sense of the approach with which Cheryl made it.

In that movie you can different photographers, anyone with their personal vision and approach. You can see those making more contextualized portraits, documentary works, urban landscape…the important factor to determinate who is a street photographer is clarified when the movie starts from Joel Meyerowitz: there are photographers choosing to work in a studio and other ones on the streets.

If my focus is to provide documentation of what happens on the street then I will not limit myself to genre labels or constraints. This is what I explain also to my students: don’t limit yourfelf. Push the boundaries. The important is to find your inner voice, what is interesting to you, and show it to the world through your images.