Street Photography: Document Your World

To Andrew “Fundy” Funderburg, street photography means hitting the streets with a simple camera (or even a phone) and capturing everyday life. To do it well, the photographer has to be part of the action—part of the moment. He or she must be willing to be yelled at, and brave enough to pick up that camera and point it at a stranger. And when the moment is perfect, magic happens; the viewer can see into the moment and the soul of the person in the photograph, and that split-second exposure becomes a slice of history, frozen in time. In additional to being an artform, however, street photography has the power to preserve the history of a city or neighborhood and bring its citizens together. It has the power to save the story of the time, place, and people—and sometimes even prove the value of a place that is worthy of preservation. After all, it’s not usually the people going to work in giant office buildings that give a place it’s character—it’s the bartenders, the waiters, the street vendors, the lifetime residents, and even the homeless characters that make a town truly come alive.