Street Photography and communicative simplicity

Many believe that street photography should only propose images with complex compositions at certain levels. But many of the best photos of all time are characterized by being simple, straight to the point, because we remember them most.

Man walks in Eje Central, Mexico City

The photo you see consists of two visual messages: the man walking in front and the people walking in the background. Basically this is the photograph. Only later will the gaze rest on the building, on the arched doors and windows arranged two by two.

By referring to The Gestalt law of proximity states that the objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups. As we know the Gestalt principles of visual perception affirm that our brains create structure by default. In this image the archs give us also the principle of similarity: when things appear to be similar to each other, we group them together.

Another Gestalt law principle is about the focal point: it states that whatever stands out visually will capture and hold the viewer’s attention first. While the common fate pronciple states that Humans tend to perceive elements moving in the same direction as being more related than elements that are stationary or that move in different directions. The people in the background will be recognized as groups.

As observers we can understand how the line of passers-by in the background becomes essential for the success of the photo. In fact, it is the people in the background that determine a dynamism in the image. Without those people the photo would have been absolutely weaker and more banal. In fact, I photographed waiting for the subject in the foreground but with the intention of showing that movement of people in the background. It is not uncommon for what I see in the background to be the reason for my decision to take a photo.