Street Fashion Photography in New York

You can find the details of the event here.

Fashion shapes everyday life.

Some people follow it.

Some create it.

And some could not care less.

New York has plenty of all three.

Last year, I happened to be dressed unusually “normally” by my standards when a professional photographer photographed me in the street.

His girlfriend approached me afterwards because they liked the image so much that they wanted permission to use it — and offered to send it to me too.

Of course I said yes, although the whole situation surprised me.

What could be a more interesting challenge for a fashion photographer than drawing inspiration directly from real life?

Photographing people in the street.

Approaching them afterwards.

Introducing yourself to complete strangers.

And then discovering whether they like the photograph or not.

During the past week, I decided to try exactly that.

I photographed fashion in the streets and in shop windows.

I photographed a great many people.

Nobody refused to be photographed.

Naturally, fewer people were comfortable giving permission for their image to be used publicly here.

My goal was to show that almost anybody can become the subject of a magazine-style photograph within a few seconds, even when the photographer has virtually no control over the scene while it is happening.

In those moments, the photographer does not construct the situation.

They simply become part of it.

Of course, making fashion photographs is easier when the professional photographer works as part of a full production team and mainly needs to collaborate with the other specialists.

But there comes a point when that is no longer enough.

Everybody wants to become better at their profession.

That is where psychology begins to matter.

Once the technical knowledge is already there, the next level is refining perception, intuition and instinct.

For me, it took a surprising amount of courage to walk through America with a large camera, photograph complete strangers and then approach them to ask whether I could share their image with the world.

It was exciting.

A challenge.

And a valuable experience.

After all, I had no idea whom I had photographed.

Who might receive the picture.

Who might eventually see it.

Or through whom I might unexpectedly introduce myself to somebody new. :)

But enough talking.

Let’s see the final result.

I divided the photographs into two categories, but you can view them together by clicking the image below.

Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem

For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.