Street Photography: Statement of Intent

Photo by fredrik.axling on Instagram.

The title of my project will be “Hutong Alleys.” I want my viewers to experience the culture through these photos, with an emphasis on the one-of-a-kind lifestyle and traditions that originate from the Hutongs. One of my biggest goals in this trip is to tell a story through my images. I plan to use natural lighting to my advantage, finding areas and angles that emphasize both shadow contrast and the contrast between warm and cool colours.

I plan to document the unique blend of history, culture, and daily life in the Hutongs. My focus would be on the people who live there–civilians, workers, the elderly and the young. I will also document the local culture of the Hutongs, including their unique food, architecture, traditional clothing, and more. One of my main points of inspiration will be the works of Rammy Narula, a Thai photographer behind the Platform 10 album. Narula often uses bold, clashing colours to draw the eye to important details in busy scenes. Use of colour contrast like that will also bring light to my subject, achieving the goal of a clear focal point I want in my images. Narula’s photos are also intended to serve as an emotional escape, with a strong emphasis on the expressive intent in photography.  I am also drawn to capturing and preserving raw emotion and telling the story behind the images. 

When we arrive at the hutongs, I want to focus on fishing moment. For example, I could wait in front of a brick wall with my camera positioned to capture a figure wearing bright clothing as they pass by. Using this technique, I can set up a ‘scene’ for myself and more easily achieve the contrast that would make my subjects pop and add both energy and emotion to my photos. Another technique that I want to experiment with is getting close to the subject with my camera. I want to focus on close-ups to capture raw, unposed emotion. I could do this by capturing people in the middle of conversations or at street food vendors. I also want to work on capturing eye contact. The concept feels engaging to me, and it brings out more life in my images. One of the largest conveyers of emotion is through the eyes and the face. Having eye contact with the camera will more clearly capture the feeling of the image. For example, if a child makes eye contact with the camera while I am photographing them, the portrayal of emotion would be clearer.