Street Photography and the Poetic Image

Alex Webb, Rebecca Norris Webb, 2014

It’s one of those books you’ve got to re-read every couple of months. It’s a quick two-hour read, but is very dense and, dare I say it, poetic. A couple of great ideas jumped straight out of it and caused a lightbulb moment for me, while most of the book is more conceptual and needs a bit more attention and consideration. I’ve read this book three times and only started to appreciate it on a third go.

My impression is that a beginner photographer might be left with mixed yet opposite feelings. Something like “well, that was obvious” and “I don’t understand any of these.” After returning to this book again and again, I started to sympathize with the content — both on an intellectual and emotional levels — something I didn’t expect while reading a book about street photography. And that moment of connection was delightful.

Buy this book, read it. If it seems trivial or “too up there,” return to it in six months. Do this until it clicks, because when it does, it’s great. I love it.