Street Photography: Pictorial vs. Symbolic Approach

Street Photography: Pictorial vs. Symbolic Approach

As a street photographer, you've heard about the pictorial vs. symbolic debate. Your images look different with these two methods and your viewers interpret them differently. Take a look at street photography and see what makes it so unique.

The Pictorial Approach to Capturing Reality

A pictorial approach to street photography shows reality in its most authentic form. You're trying to find beauty in everyday scenes and freeze those brief moments that tell a story.

The Decisive Moment Master: Henri Cartier-Bresson

It's unthinkable to talk about street photography without Henri Cartier-Bresson. A lot of this approach can be summed up by his "decisive moment" philosophy. The key to Cartier-Bresson's work was capturing that moment when everything comes together.

"Photography to me means recognizing an event's significance in a fraction of a second." - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Pictorial Shots: Tech Options

You might lean towards:

• To capture crisp details, you need fast shutter speeds

• To highlight your subjects, use large apertures (f/2.8 - f/5.6)

• Keep it authentic with light editing

The Symbolic Method: A Closer Look

On the other hand, street photography uses metaphors and abstract concepts to convey deeper meanings. Documenting reality is less important than sparking emotions.

Raw Realism by Daido Moriyama

Through high-contrast, grainy black and white photos, Daido Moriyama captures the raw energy of urban life. Often, his photos look like vivid dreams, making it hard to tell reality from perception.

Symbolic Shots: Tech Options

For a symbolic approach, try:

• Apertures smaller than f/8 or f/16 to add depth and layers

• Slow shutter speeds for blurring motion and showing time passing

• Increase contrast, graininess, or other symbolic elements after the shoot

Philosophical divide: The Big Picture

How you choose between pictorial and symbolic methods shows your worldview.

The difference between pictorial and symbolic street photography

Pictorial: Captures the world as it is, believing that reality without changes speaks volumes

Symbolic: Uses images to express deeper ideas

The Development of These Methods

When photography first came out, photographers used pictorial approaches to capture reality. With photography's growth, symbolism became more prevalent, allowing photographers to express complex emotions and thoughts.

The Viewer's Perspective

What's the impact of these styles on viewer engagement?

Pictorial shots often bring back memories or connect to specific moments. They encourage viewers to picture themselves in the scene.

Viewers are encouraged to dig deeper with symbolic images, sparking a variety of interpretations.

The Art of Mixing Styles

Despite discussing these as different approaches, many street photographers now combine them. It's all about understanding how each method works and using them smartly.

The images here show my approach to street photography, which has always been a combination of both approaches.

Pictorial Approach: Image 1 : Monochrome image of a fishmonger stuffing her pouch with money. An instant of joy was captured. She's separated from the background by a shallow depth of field. I took this from a wooden boat parked alongside the kelong.

Symbolic Approach: Image 2: A helmet and tubes. COVID-19 restriction was lifted when this picture was taken.During one of my early photo walks, I wanted to take a symbolic picture of a hospitalized worker. The aluminum frame resembled a hospital bed, and the tubes were the respiratory tubes. Heavy editing to highlight contrast.

Pictorial Approach: Image 3: Monochrome image of a teenager crafting. This story is about teenagers learning a craft at an orphanage in Cambodia. Focused on the boy while waiting to freeze the moment when the hammer blocked his face with the widest aperture f/1.4. Basically to give him privacy and a sense of when the mallet is about to strike the tool he's holding.

Symbolic Approach: Image 4: A discarded chair symbolises the modern workplace with a computer chair. It takes a cultural and contemporary perspective to interpret Image 4. This image wouldn't get more appreciation if you showed it to remote villagers.

Pictorial Approach: Image 5: A monochrome image of a house moving in Cambodia. Simple picture with a message.

Symbolic Approach: Image 6: An abandoned sofa surrounded by colourful painted houses offers a different emotional impact. The place appears disconnected at first, but the vibrancy of the picture says something else. My imagination dreams up people dancing on the streets late at night.

Find what works for you

No matter what type of street photo you take, whether it's Cartier-Bresson's clean shots or Moriyama's heavy symbols, just be yourself. Give both a try and see what works.