The World Atlas of Street Photography - Not for the Purist

Street Photography is more a state of mind rather than a location. As the founder of the  international street photography group “in-public”, Nick Turpin writes “I go to the busiest, public places to discover something very personal and private. It is and inescapable truth that the resulting photographs are as much about my inner state as they are about the external world they were made in.”

The Thames & Hudson and Yale University Press recently published book 'TheWorld Atlas of Street Photography' is more than likely going to leave purists of the genre unimpressed.

In their publicity for the book Thames & Hudson state it includes “classic documentary street photography as well as images of urban landscapes, portraits and staged performances.” How it differs from the purist’s agenda can be seen in these two images.

However it may make taking photographs on the streets a little bit safer in this world of constant surveillance and increased public paranoia. No longer will street photographers have to wear the billboard T-shirt “I’m a photographer, not a terrorist,” a move that could well return the anonymity craved by genre’s purists.