Street Humourism

In the harm's way he certainly is.

Bear with me for coining the word "humourism" for there is no better choice to describe the topic of today.

Street humourism refers to the quality of those street shots which gives off a sense of humour. To me, the most valuable aspect of street shots is spontaneity. The photographer stumbles across a scene which can make a good photo and take it. There should not be any premeditation in the shot except for the final image the photographer visualises in his mind.

The Kungfu fanatics are giving the passer-by a physical knock on the head and a kick in the back.

This valuable aspect also applies to street humourism. In operation, the photographer takes a creative interpretation of a common scene which the viewers come across so very often that they don't even think of seeing it in such a novel angle. So, the secret is to do the shot "as is". The photographer is not supposed to add, say, a prop or arrange someone doing the trick in the shot. Such premeditation will show itself somehow in the final image. Maybe it will not show but the humour is lost. Keep practising likewise and we are surely not going to see the first-rate works of street humourism from that very photographer.

Ouch! Don't pull my hair!

Humour is not a joke, or not just a joke. Humour is more subtle but lingering in taste, like a sip of some vintage wine. It works best when the subject is obvious and related to the daily routines but has gone unnoticed to the viewers. Mixing such subjects of different themes in the same image achieves an even better humourous effect.

The secret is there. Next, practising your photographer's eye with a camera on the street. The more you observe and feel, the bigger the improvement you will see in your shots.