Canon EYA: Street

This is part of my written entries about the Canon EOS Youth Ambassador 2017 programme. To read more from this please click on the 'CANON EYA' tag on the left bar of this website :) To be updated on the next batch for this programme, please follow the Canon official instagram and facebook page.

Our street photography workshop was conducted on the last week of the EOS youth ambassador program. At 8am we were all gathered (a little sleepy but excited) at the Heritage House at Petaling Street for the briefing. The place is such a gem! I felt like I was transported to a little cafe and a mini museum in Melaka. We had our session on the first floor of the building, where they displayed a collection of antique furniture, delicate ceremonial dresses, old instruments, and the like.

When we finally settled down on the wooden floor boards and benches, we were given the brief by Mr Fazry Ismail. He's the Malaysian Chief Photographer for the European Pressphoto, and, as I found out, a very chill guy! He shared his journey with us as a photojournalist, and how it's a job that requires full commitment and passion. It was my first in-depth dive into the world of street photography. Prior to this, my only experience with street photography were snaps I'd taken on roads/alleys/streets throughout my travels - I'd never really stop to think about it as a particular branch of imaging.

What I learned that day was this: that street photography has no rules, except for one- that it has to capture the street, or the essence of the street. What it isn't, is the imaging of portraits, or photos within a building, without any external context. It's a very wild and vague way to describe the branch, but I guess, like the subject itself, it's very fluid. Mr Fazry showed us a few works from his portfolio, and how he emphasises the play of light and shadow, textures, and shape to compose extraordinary scapes. That day we were given 3 hours, and a task to submit 3 images and present them in front of the group. We all headed out in different directions, and I got to go on my photowalk with Suzan!

I rarely spend time around Kuala Lumpur, and mostly because of the metropolitan traffic jams. But there's something so charming about long walks in the grittier parts of the city, the parts that tourists often see, and the underbelly of it that comes alive at night. That day was thankfully not sweltering hot, and we began our journey through the closed markets just off Petaling Street, winding our way to Pudu Station, across the river from Masjid Jamek, passing by Central Market to Pasar Seni station, a quick lunch at Texas Chicken before wrapping up. Along the way we met taxi drivers sleeping, international construction workers, people selling phones, shoemakers, even stopped at a cultural performance. A lot of them were more than happy to greet us and allow us to photograph them!

A key aspect of street photography is the keen art of observation; in noticing the details, facial expressions, actions, and the movements that are happening, even in the smallest spaces. Another important aspect was communicating with your subject: these strangers on the street, and how to greet them, introduce yourself kindly, and respecting their personal space and time. As we presented each of our photos, Mr Fazry explained, critiqued and commented on how we could approve our work. A big takeaway from the presentation session was also in providing a similar mood within the series of photos - in tone, colour and feel. One final additional thing, in understanding the story behind the scene.