Street Photography is ultimately a solitary activity. Our best work happens when we are in a state of flow. On the street, us, the subject and the camera.
Yet improvement, growth, happens over time and with input from the outside. We should be studying the works of others, reading about their thoughts and experiences. We should be learning about tools and techniques both new and old; the exposure systems, sunny 16, rangefinders, zone focus.
But eventually what we really need is feedback from others who are unbiased. That can help us place our work along the spectrum of quality and subgenre. Who can help us find projects, hone our voice. Who can make the entire process a little less solitary.
We will use regular meetings to critique one another's work with the goal of helping one another grow, not simply as an opportunity to tear someone down or lavish praise.
Wide ranging discussion with topics from film vs digital, b&w vs color, candid vs posed, art or documentary. Everyone will remain open minded and ready to consider something new. We may bring in speakers to discuss topics where they have expertise.
Photo walks will be scheduled to explore locations, venues, times of day, or techniques. These will likely be open to non-members as well.
Our new Chicago Street Photography Facebook group (I know) is where you can sign up to receive notices when we do photo walks or other events, as well as put up images for critique and to take part in group discussions. I also put together a little guide to the city, if you want to learn more about photography in Chicago in general.