BEYOND THE LENS

urban photography is the art of capturing the moment in an urban environment as well as the beauty of overlooked, everyday objects. it is an intriguing art to study because it balances human relationships with streets, buildings, bridges, cars, lights and sounds a.k.a— the urban landscape.  urban photography is commonly referred to as "street photography” when human elements are involved, capturing a spontaneous moment of the human condition; as if the unscripted, raw human emotions were suspended in time.

 

there is much to be learned from the art of urban photography. to start, one must learn to develop an artistic instinct and ability to see an opportunity to take a photo before it presents itself. an example is to see a couple sitting quietly on a park bench and intuitively being able to capture the moment when they look at one another—unplanned and unscripted. another lesson urban photography teaches is how to bring out the beauty in everything. it requires an artistic hand to make a bunch of weeds and a fire hydrant and turn it into something beautiful. lastly, street photographers learn how to work with their environment, not against it. they take the lighting that the sun provides on that given day and work with it, capturing a beautifully lit photo without asking the sun to change its angle. they work with the positions of buildings to find the best vantage point to focus on, instead of requesting that the building relocate itself for convenience. these skills can be applied to life beyond the lens - to develop professional instincts, to bring out the beauty in all things, and work with what one is given rather than wishing for something more.