(This blog post first appeared on February 27, 2012)

There are 3 genres of photography that I’m drawn to which have one thing in common, specifically, they all involve photographs “with people”. One genre is street photography. Recently a treasure trove of compelling street photographs by an unknown and deceased photographer came to light. The photographers name is Vivian Maier. She began photographing in the 1950s and continued into the 1990s. Street photographs tend to be candid. The subjects most often are not aware of the photographer. Other masters of this genre whose work I’ve admired include Henri Cartier-Bresson and Willy Ronis.

A second genre that often involves photographing people is social documentary photography. This typically involves photographs from projects which depict social conditions of unempowered people. These projects are often driven by a desire to motivate sociopolitical changes in society that will result in improved conditions for the afflicted subjects of the photographs. The photographs of Dorothea Lange and Jacob Riis provide well known exemplars of social documentary photography.

A third genre of photography “with people” is environmental portraiture. The subjects of photographs in this genre are people encountered in their natural environment. Often the background of the photograph is intended to communicate something about the essence of the person who is the subject of the photograph. The photograph’s subjects are often posed. Phil Borges and Suzi Moore McGregor are contemporary photographers who make compelling environmental portraits.

I’m currently turning my attention to a project that I’ve titled, With People. This title reflects the blurring of the line between the three genres. Some photographs in the project belong clearly to one or another of these genres. For others, however, the particular genre is less clear.

Upon viewing Custom Ride, Florence, a viewer might conclude that it is an example of a candid scene characteristic of street photography. In reality, however, it is more of an environmental portrait. The man on the bike saw that I wanted a photograph. He performed a U-turn to allow me to make this photograph. His U-turn attracted the attention of the onlookers. The photograph is not candid, which is a characteristic of most street photographs, but it does have a subject and, of course, his dog, in their natural environment, which, of course, is the style of environmental portraiture. There is much more to be said about With People going forward.

The With People project will be revealed gradually in the months and years ahead.

Your reflections about and/or preferences for these three genres of photography, and about the photographers who were mentioned, are invited here. I’d like to know what you think!