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Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama once described street photography as capturing the alien and the unknown. A photographer goes out to the city streets, out of their comfort zone, and shows us different experiences, different people a different world.

The Street Photography subreddit is a place where enthusiasts of this art form can come together and share their work, and discuss technique, gear, or their philosophy behind shooting street. At least, that’s what their bio states. “Photos in the streets, freaks in the sheets” is how they describe themselves. So, here we have a collection of the most captivating moments shared in the group for you to lose yourself in.

Bored Panda reached out to photographer James Maher to chat about street photography. He kindly agreed to tell us what makes street photography different from other genres of photography, how to shoot the street without disrupting the moment, and what’s the future for the art form now that we’re all armed with tiny cameras in our pockets constantly. Read our conversation with him below!

#1 On The Way, Cairo

Image credits: AshrafulArefin

#2 Morning In Himalayas

Image credits: bipolar_but_not

#3 Rainy Day In Osaka

Image credits: sikkik

James Maher is a New York-based art and documentary photographer, historian, guide, writer, and educator who dabbles in studio photography. James has 20 years of experience behind the camera and agreed to share some of his expertise in street photography with us.

As a genre, street photography is full of contradictions. “[It’s] both a massively accessible and extremely difficult genre,” James explains. “It mixes documentary and poetry, searching your surroundings while looking for moments and ideas that pertain to you.”‘

“The best street photographers bleed their personalities into their photographs over the long run,” James adds. “It may seem like a genre of disparate images, and it often is when photographers first start out, but over time the work congeals to have cohesive meaning.”

#4 People Of New York

Image credits: aabywan

#5 My Top 10 Favorite Photos From 2023. All Bangkok

Image credits: AdamBirkan

#6 Should I Crop It Or Keep It As Is?

Image credits: GreenMead

James says that shooting streets involves some of the things that benefit our mental well-being. “It’s healthy, physically and mentally, walking to escape the stresses of life and actively looking and thinking is a wonderful mental exercise,” he says. “Over time, you start to recognize yourself in your photos.”

He says that the photographer’s emotions often can be visible in the photos they take. “When I’m feeling anxious, I capture more anxious photos,” he admits. “When I’m happy, my photos are happier. It is a flexible genre that allows you to ultimately take it in any direction you want.”

#7 In Light Of Recent Events

Image credits: Askedal89

#8 Snowy Night In Sapporo, Northern Japan

Image credits: Prestigious-You8779

#9 My Favorites Over The Last 6 Months

Image credits: RedditJMA

Street photography is also relatively easily accessible. “You can do it while you travel looking for spectacular moments or stick to photographing while walking around your block hundreds of times looking for interesting moments in the mundane,” James says. He alters his shooting style depending on where he is. He says he’d do more candid photographs than portraits in a busy city.

#10 Some Shots From My First Few Months Of Shooting

Image credits: Zaknotwack

#11 Timing

Image credits: MeaveMeave

#12 One Night In London

Image credits: PresuminEd74

“People are used to photographers, but I will use a small camera and prime lens so I am fast and light, and make it look like I am not noticing my subjects,” James tells Bored Panda. “Instead, [I look] above or behind them as if I am looking at the background (which I am also doing).”

#13 Another Philly Photo. One Of My Personal Favorites And Hardest To Take

Image credits: TuGuac_Shakur

#14 Good Or Not Really

Image credits: MoneyPen1931

#15 I Was Lucky Enough To Get The Perfect Reflection Line Up For This Shot After A Rainfall

Image credits: Geardupvisuals

James has more tips to seem incognito while shooting on the street. “When I capture a photograph, I often don’t take the camera away from my eye, which can tip the person off that I took their photo. Instead, he moves the camera away from them or lets them walk through as if they were in his way. “I like to stand on street corners to allow people to enter my personal space,” he adds.

#16 I Often Find Myself Shooting In Very Abstract Ways. Is It “Street?” Who Knows

Image credits: IddyBiddyChuck

#17 Sometimes, You Get Lucky

Image credits: badaimbadjokes

#18 Street Surrealism

Image credits: noelrojo

If people do notice, James doesn’t hide or deny it. “I smile, tell them what I’m doing, and if ever anyone is uncomfortable, I offer to send them the photo or delete it if they would like. And, most importantly, I walk slowly, allowing things to develop around me. It’s important to walk slow,” he shares his tips.

#19 Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

Image credits: oldmanmedium

#20 Japan

Image credits: Suspicious-Future411

#21 Zakopane

Image credits: langshot

When he’s in the quieter parts of a city, James focuses more on the environment and the background. “But when I capture people, I will often do more portraits since it is the polite thing to do,” he says. “That doesn’t mean I don’t take candids, but I am much more cautious when I do. You have to be able to adapt your shooting style to the area,” he believes.

#22 Tacoma, Washington

Image credits: Denchock

#23 I Was Told This Was A Good Street Photography Shot

Image credits: zefmiller

#24 Street Photo Series With Something Red

Image credits: Ikraaap

We also asked James whether smartphones and social media have affected street photography. He believes that it has. “For photography in general, the algorithm has made many people look for the most spectacular photos that look good on small screens, capturing photos that will capture our attention for a few seconds to click the like button before ultimately forgetting about them forever. This is boring,” James shares.

#25 I Had The Light Where I Wanted It For About 3 Minutes

Image credits: yequalsmxplusb

#26 I Started Street Photography 1 Year Ago. Here’s A Collection Of Photos That Represent Me The Best As A Photographer

Image credits: Whispersofblossom

#27 Some Photos I Took In October

Image credits: stfeyes

“There are so many subtle and mundane photographs that may not do well with the algorithm that are the most interesting photos,” James tells us. “I honestly think the single image is [gone]. We are surrounded by so many spectacular single images that it feels like there’s no point in thinking that way.”

#28 Shadow And Reflection

Image credits: neloydutta

#29 Some B&w Street Photography Shots Taken These Last Years

Image credits: Adriony

#30 Quit Photography For 4 Years And Recently Starred Shooting Again. Here’s A Few From The Archives And Recently! Hope You Enjoy

Image credits: IddyBiddyChuck

“The true power of street photography is in the series of photographs, the book, the project,” James tells us his philosophy. “This is a way to break free of the algorithm and to really send a message, to capture your area, your thoughts, and to break down the barriers between us.”

“As for photographing with a smartphone, the accessibility aspect of that for photography is absolutely wonderful. However, I prefer to use a camera because photography is my time to detach, and I just can’t do that with my phone,” he admits.

If you found James Maher’s thoughts as compelling as we did, you can find more at Glass City, where he writes a column about photography, creativity, and urbanism!