"There is an elusive nature in street photography in finding "the decisive moment" in public places, candid, fleeting moments, and with or without people."
Patricia Merlino
The core of my work is street photography. I learned the technique of street photography from one of America’s contemporary masters-Costa Manos. Part of the new experience of being a street photographer was in defining myself and where I would "be" a street photographer.
I decided to embark on a ten-year project and photograph an event I loved from my youth. An annual commitment would keep me shooting since I stopped taking any images for too many years. Thus, my "Carnival Project" was set.Being a street photographer is a challenge and a thrill. I have to find a way to blend in and be able to recognize a potential image within seconds. Within those few seconds, I must compose my shot without being noticed by those I am photographing. I rely on my senses, emotion, and when I see a moment of humanity, I feel it within, and then I make my shot.
I like to work with shadows especially shadows cast by people. Some years the light is good and the shadows cast are perfect. Some years there are no shadows and I have to concentrate on a different angle. You will notice that I do not have people looking into my camera. That's the mark of a street photographer. The moment people look into your camera is the moment you have lost your shot. I do not pose people. All shots are purely candid. My subjects are totally unaware that I have photographed them.
Is this legal? Yes, in the United States, in public places, this is legal.I shoot in RAW format and process my images in Photoshop. My street photography is minimally cropped and mostly not cropped at all. I think it's important to get the right composition when the photo is shot. To me, cropping and image manipulation takes the purity of the moment out of street photography.