So you have just gone through last month's archive, and while you did flag a few excellent shots (you are a seasoned street photographer), you can't identify a single one that stands out. Sad to say, but welcome to the harsh reality of street photography.
This is the feeling I got when reviewing the roughly 500 pictures I took while in Bangkok. Not that I don't like these pictures, but I thought that few of them, if any, could be classified as "book worthy". A bit frustrated and discouraged, it led me to reflect on the work of Robert Frank, and the effort it took him to produce one of the best ever street photography book, that is "The Americans".
The cover of Robert Frank's book; The Americans
Back in the 50's, Robert Frank went on a 24 months road trip across America and shot a whooping 28'000 exposures with his Leica. Remember it was film days, so at 36 shots a roll, it corresponds basically to an average of a roll a day. Now, guess how many of these 28'000 shots made it to "The Americans" ? 83 pictures, yes, only a picture for every 9 days of his trip. Or in other words and converted to a ratio, 0.3% of his pictures made the final cut. Yet, was the remaining 99.7% of Frank's shots crap ? Probably not, but they did not make it to the book. A two years long trip, purely dedicated to photography, led to a 83 pictures book.
Coming back to the discouragement that led me into these thoughts, I am now eleven months into this trip and I have taken roughly 20'000 street photographs, that is about 60 shots a day on average. By applying Robert's Frank "book worthy" factor of 0.3% to my current archive, that would mean that I have potentially 60 pictures that could make it into a "good" book (I am no Robert Frank). Do I have them ? I am not even sure.
Evidently, this is just a mental exercise since the ratio will vary based on the photographer's talent, goals and shooting method, but it does lead me to the main point of this article : great street photography is extremely difficult to produce, whatever your name and skill. And ultimately, only a lot of time, dedication, and … crap, will translate into a body of work that one can be proud of. And maybe publish.
… to be continued, more on "book-worthiness" in the next article.
One of my favorite shots this year, taken in La Havana, yet is it book worthy ?
The shot from La Havana is definitely book worthy !
<i>(I love it)</i>
Merci pour votre argument.Tous les photographes qui font du STREET ont la meme probleme.C'est refraichissant de voir une telle dose de modestie,a quelqun de votre talent…Chapeau!
Nowadays when it's so easy to shoot, download and share thousands of pics without analyzing at all, it's a value to have the capacity and willingness to let photos sleep and think about them. And continously ask yourself to be a better photographer everyday educating the eye.
So good that you don't relax in the digital easyness.
About the Havana photo, it is not one of your best but it is a very good one when describing Cuba without all the topic photos we all have seen many times. I will add it to your 'best' around the world book.
Courage, you are on the right track, you definitely are! It is the artist's lot to toil and then be eaten by selfdoubt at times. You are your own worst critic and that is one of the signs of a true craftsman and artist.
Good luck,
Merisi
thats the eternal doubt, isnt it?! is our work good enough?!
relating to your photo, its good one: good colors, good mood, nice caracter but i think somethings missing, to be book-worthy, altough i dont really know what… i think u have better ones… cheers…
The La Havana is definately book worthy. The hue compliments the implied "blues" of the gentleman. Excellent photo!
There isa large book about Robert Frank "The Americans", with i think all the contact shoots.Robert shot very well, not 99.7% crap! When you are back in Europe, order the book. It is a must for any street shooter.
There is no comparison with what you are doing and Rbert Frank. He worked in B/W. Film which has finite exposures, Film though has way better tolerances of exposure and contrasts. Digital is different. It is immediate.Digital photography promises us more than we ever would want and delivers less than we ever had.
The time RF spent printing and choosing. He have to choose quickly. When back in a base/home whatever print contact sheets, they can even be larger than regular 35mm sheets. 1' x 1.5" 24×36. Look at them, place on wall. If you have not printed reqularly, you don't really know what you have!
i always prefer my next photos. The ones yet to happen. Good Luck.
we all have these moments. on average you are doing good. stay the course.
Yanick,
Stats don't help as well as others subjectivity. I am pretty sure that among your shots you have probably some good ones. But for me the best ones should be the shots you have done with heart and which translate exactly what your felt at the moment.
The exhausted taxi driver in Calcutta is among the tops.
Bon courage
Xtof
I think you're missing the point of Frank's work. If he had spent twice as long on his trip, he probably would have still created a book containing the same number of photographs. Why? Because it's more than just a collection of images that stand in isolation to one another. It's a tightly edited piece of work that has a complex narrative structure to it. Adding an extra 75 images would have only diminished its message.
Had Frank simply published a book of his "best" images, then I doubt it would have the same power that it does. There are a fair number of shots that probably don't work so well on their own, but when they're viewed as part of the overall sequence, they are indespensible.
Imo, a good photographer knows that even their "best" images are crap if they either don't add anything to the series or get in the way of the point they're trying to make.
Thank you for all the valuable input. So the general impression is the Cuba shot could make it in a book. Will see ;)
A reminder before I comment : I try to write articles that are thought-provoking, and often use the second degree when making statements. I hope it goes through well, but understand that sometimes that some provocative statements might not be understood well.
@Jason, of course that Robert Frank did not shoot 99.7% of crap. It is crap in the sense that it won't be seen and was not considered as part of the book. I have seen a lot of contact sheets in magazines of online, I am always surprised by the large number of exposures of a same scene (up to a full roll sometimes). You know that it is often a very small detail that makes a shot go from average to exceptional and it is buried into many exposures. Well, out of that roll if one is exceptional, the rest is crap in comparison, it will never be printed, or deleted.
Thanks for your insights on some aspects I did not consider such as the selection process which differs a lot from digital.
@Andrew, I am sure you noticed the "to be continued, more on book-worthiness" sentence at the end of my article. Well your comment anticipates it and is a good preview of some of the topics to come. You are fully correct, but again, the 99.7% crap was to be taken in the second degree. A book of 83 pictures was the lone output of a 24 months trip. Or in other words, out of the thousands pictures we take, only a very little part will actually be good enough, not in absolute terms but in terms of the final output of his project; the book. That was my point.
Sadly only a few pix of what we take, snatch, capture make it to the light. That which we choose should be the cream of the crop but only if it is in the context of our direction. i can easily find 83 pix. Putting 83 pix together as a cohesive statement, very difficult.
Robert Frank set out on a mission. To discover "America and it's Inhabitents or perhaps show what was wrong with America? The hatred of his book, seems to reflect, if the latter, he succeeded! Strangely i think he felt his own alienation in that vast country. Lonliness, people adrift, lost in this vast emptiness of life. None of the photos truly shows much "closeness" except one or two.
i like his photographs. i thought they were truthful and accurate. Sadly Americans ONLY want a positive image of themselves. Today the US accepts less than ideal pix, but seldom are these published.
Your set of pix are delightful.The magic of India shines thru. i think a book may be possible. Many here would love one..
'Book worthy' is a relative term. A book of single images will require that each image is powerful in itself. But if you have a story to tell then selected images may not always be aesthetically good but must be successful in conveying your message and taking your story forward. Eugene Smith took 17000 pics for his Pittsburgh project of which only about 170 were published in his book Dream Project. They are not all 'amazing' stand alone images but together they paint an emotional picture of Smith's vision of Pittsburgh. BTW the LaHavana image is lovely!
That is a better rate at 99% crap only ;) Fully agree with you on your book comment.
See you soon !
Looking forward to your book Yanick – think a book of 60 images would look incredible! Find a publisher :)
Thanks Eric. I am not sure that there are many publishers up for 60 images books. Will see. Cheers.
In the end, it really is about putting in the time, isn't it?
A big part of it, but also having a style and vision IMO.
Shoot for your pleasure and forget the rest. If you have "it" the pictures will come naturally if not you had the adventure of a life time and your memories will remain foreever along with your images.
Sorry but is a win-win situation for you. So keep on shooting, follow your heart, enjoy and the rest will come.
A.
PS: BTW great photo from Havana.You love it that is the important thing. Shoot for yourself.
Thanks Antonio.
I always shoot what I like. I shoot for memories and document a time. If they can serve other people, now or in the future, better.
Cheers.
Well… it´s sad. A real masterpiece called crap!
On The Americans what you see is what you get – a real photograph. Instead of thounsands of filters, like that "havana" pic.
Cheers and sorry about my english
Hi Bruno, I think you need to improve your English because I never wrote that the Americans was crap. To the opposite, one of the best photography book ever.
As for filters, the Havana one is as much a filter as the B&W film used by Frank. Both are equally respectable as long as they serve one's vision and creativity. Sorry, but B&W is also a filter.
Cheers.