EVERYBODY STREET REFLECTION

When watching Everybody Street, I really liked the way it was formatted. I liked how every photographer had a chance to really speak about why they take the photos that they do and that we got to see these photos. I think that these photographers take to street photography rather than studio because there's a sense of realness that can't be achieved in the studio. The majority of people who were photographed were just random people off of the street. It gives a sense of connectedness and community that you can't feel unless it was taken without a lot of planning. One of the photographers mentioned that he won't photograph people that are too stylish or too put together because he wants to make people look like characters and not the other way around. I thought this was really powerful because street photography really shows the state of humanity as it is. I really connected with Jamal Shabazzs' photography because he understands consent and it shows in his work. He talked about how he learned to ask people for their permission. He even got criticism for this because his photos are too "posed". But I think this element of knowing the camera is there almost gives another element of comfort from the subjects. A lot of the photographers were focused on not letting people know the camera was there, which is understandable. But I started thinking about the element of privacy and how some of these photographers were profiting off of vulnerable groups in their work. I think that the comfort Jamal gives his subjects is what makes his work stand out.