Someone once told me that most street art only exists in still photographs. His name is Doug and he is Fifth Wall Street Art. I went to London in 2013. I signed up for a street art tour and Doug was our tour guide for the day. As we were walking around, Doug mentions that it’s important to take pictures of everything you want to remember. Because in less than 24 hours, it’s very likely that the art will be taken down and painted over. I thought he was kidding. Doug showed me some street art photography on his phone. He pointed to a wall and showed me a picture. There it was. A freshly painted wall. Underneath it was an amazing image of two brothers holding each other.Street art photography is super important to the survival of street art in general.
Street art photography is more than graffiti
When some think of street art, some think of graffiti on a wall or the side of a train. When I think about street art, I think about sculptures and signs. You look at the work that Bansky has done lately, it’s been more than just spray paint on a wall. He’s created life-size art that is in 3D. Here’s an example. The song is “Don’t Fear The Reaper”. Everything that Banksy has done has been ripped off the wall or destroyed. Proving my point that street art photography is the only thing keeping the art form alive. The only way that you get to see this is through a telephoto lens.
Street art photography of my own
I have two post that you can view on my blog that are about street art. One is a post that shows most of the street art that Doug showed us on our tour. The other post shows all the street art I witnessed in Detroit. Not to beat the point in anymore, but most of the art in Detroit is ripped down even faster than it is in London. I think it has to do with the fact that street art in London is created by some famous artists. Street art photography can make anyone famous. That’s what I love about photography. Sure, you get some street credit when you paint something awesome on a wall and everyone can see it. In the street art community, you can’t have a portfolio of your work, unless it’s in the form of photography. Again, proving my point that street art photography is a huge game changer in the grand aspect of things.