Documentary Street Photography with Harvey Stein
Learn how to document your environment and its people with renowned street photographer Harvey Stein
Learn how to document your environment and its people
The street photographer is often considered one of our best resources for defining the mood and culture of a city. In this six-session, remote learning course, participants will be asked to document various locations in their local environment and the people who populate it. The course will address ways to make strong images that “take the pulse” of their local areas.
Topics discussed include: what it means to photograph strangers and strategies to approach them, methods of overcoming shyness, and ways of controlling light and exposure in the street. Which lenses and cameras are best for street shooting, various lighting situations faced by the street photographer, and ways of posing and interacting with people will also be covered.
The workshop will consist of short lectures, demonstrations, image presentations, critiques, and assignments to photograph various local areas and events where people congregate.
Students will be encouraged to use their intuition to explore areas both familiar and unfamiliar to them to expand their world view, and to participate in the drama of the ordinary. The objective is to make photographs that are personally meaningful and that increase each participant’s understanding of street life and public social behavior.
Photo ©Harvey Stein 2011
Topics discussed include: what it means to photograph strangers and strategies to approach them, methods of overcoming shyness, and ways of controlling light and exposure in the street. Which lenses and cameras are best for street shooting, various lighting situations faced by the street photographer, and ways of posing and interacting with people will also be covered.
The workshop will consist of short lectures, demonstrations, image presentations, critiques, and assignments to photograph various local areas and events where people congregate.
Students will be encouraged to use their intuition to explore areas both familiar and unfamiliar to them to expand their world view, and to participate in the drama of the ordinary. The objective is to make photographs that are personally meaningful and that increase each participant’s understanding of street life and public social behavior.
Photo ©Harvey Stein 2011
Meet Your Instructor
Harvey Stein
Harvey Stein is a professional photographer, teacher, lecturer, author and curator based in New York City. He currently teaches at the International Center of Photography and has taught in several undergraduate and graduate photography programs.
Stein frequently lecturers on photography both in the United States and abroad. He was the Director of Photography at Umbrella Arts Gallery, located in the East Village of Manhattan from 2009 to 2019 until it lost its lease and closed. He has curated 66 exhibits since 2007. His photographs have been widely exhibited in the United States and Europe-89 one-person and over 165 group shows to date. His images are in more than 57 permanent collections including the George Eastman Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Bibliotheque Nationale.
He has had nine books of his photographs published, including Coney Island 40 Years (2011) and his two recent books, Mexico Between Life and Death (2018) and Then and There: Mardi Gras 1979 (2020). His work is represented by Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York City. See Harvey’s work on his website www.harveysteinphoto.com and @stein.harvey on Instagram.
Stein frequently lecturers on photography both in the United States and abroad. He was the Director of Photography at Umbrella Arts Gallery, located in the East Village of Manhattan from 2009 to 2019 until it lost its lease and closed. He has curated 66 exhibits since 2007. His photographs have been widely exhibited in the United States and Europe-89 one-person and over 165 group shows to date. His images are in more than 57 permanent collections including the George Eastman Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Bibliotheque Nationale.
He has had nine books of his photographs published, including Coney Island 40 Years (2011) and his two recent books, Mexico Between Life and Death (2018) and Then and There: Mardi Gras 1979 (2020). His work is represented by Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York City. See Harvey’s work on his website www.harveysteinphoto.com and @stein.harvey on Instagram.
Partial Curriculum & Schedule
Live remote course via Zoom
Begins Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT
There will be five shooting assignments; critiques and discussion of the photographs made for the assignments will be an integral part of most class meetings.
The class will meet live via Zoom each Tuesday from 1:00 - 4:00 PM EDT for six weeks. Course session: May 25, 2021 - June 29, 2021
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MAY 25 - SESSION 1 - Introductions and some philosophies. Reasons for doing street photography and the problems to overcome. Rhythms and patterns of the street.
- JUNE 1 - SESSION 2 - Techniques of street photography---making the street work for you.
- JUNE 8 - SESSION 3 - Portraiture in the street. Using the street environment as an integral part of the photograph. Confrontational vs. candid approaches on the street. Photographing street events.
- JUNE 15 - SESSION 4 - Flash on the street-conventional and non-conventional approaches.
- JUNE 22 - SESSION 5 - Issues of street photography: developing a personal style; the personal document; gaining access; the single image vs. a body of work
- JUNE 29 - SESSION 6 - Guest photographer. Final thoughts, critiques, discussions.
The class will meet live via Zoom each Tuesday from 1:00 - 4:00 PM EDT for six weeks. Course session: May 25, 2021 - June 29, 2021