Call me stupid, but I’ve never been able to really understand what street photography means. Is it random pictures of strangers? Urban pictures? People living their daily lives? What defines a good photo in that category? For example, a good wildlife photo is one that shows an up close view of an animal in it’s environment, a good landscape photo brings out the beauty of a landscape with an attempt to make it look grand and dramatic. What sort of general criteria is there for street photography since it’s all the hype now
This. There aren’t any thoughts behind most of Instagram street photo.
Is it a question of evolution? The good photographers maybe initially were trying to be unplanned and somewhat random, but end up developing styles and themes that are theirs. This is due to introspective and attention to what they capture.
People set out on instagram with the goal of being cool and edgy which is not focused on the art. They never get to a point where the art is developed because they are not humble enough as the street photography is more about them than anything else.