Photographer Research - Beat Streuli

Beat Streuli 

Beat Streuli is a visual artist from Switzerland, and works with both photography and video. His work has been exhibited internationally. Streuli is a street photographer, however within this field he focuses on portraiture. His street portraiture has documented many people anonymously across the world, such as in NYC and Tokyo. To do this, he shoots close-up portraits with a telephoto lens, of strangers walking in the street, in their cars, in restaurants etc. Pretty much anywhere in a public setting. Streuli's work has captured the naturalness of every day life, and the busy lifestyle of these anonymous strangers. These images, although the subject is anonymous, tell a story about society and how busy people are that they do not notice their photo is being taken. His images show natural, genuine expressions and emotions from the strangers. Not only does Streuli photograph people in close proximity, but he also shoots photos of signs and coloured walls/cars that are also very close up. Most of his images are zoomed in to the point that only the person's face is in the frame, however he has shot other images whereby we can see the person's entire body or the street and public that surrounds them. Not only does Strueli photograph single portraits, but also some of his photographs contain more than one person. I have visited Beat Streuli's website and looked through most of his work and have selected a few which really caught my eye. 

This photograph is from Streuli's shoot in Chennai 2010. I chose this photo because of the model's headscarf, as this makes the image have religious meaning and connotation. But it also relates to my 'identity' topic, as we cannot actually see the woman's face. Also, I like the vibrancy of the pink and yellow in her scarf, but that it also coincidentally matched the colour of the Scooter in the background. This is even more noticeable because the woman and the Scooter are the only subjects in the shot that are in focus, as Streuli has used depth of field, so that the background - and therefore the silver car, is blurred. This image caught my eye because of the colour - and I also like that the woman is on her phone, so therefore not looking at the camera, this gives the shot a modern feel, even though it was taken 5/6 years ago. 

This photo is from New York City in 2010. The main thing that attracted me to this image is the expression on the man's face. Clearly, he is on the phone and from his facial expression and body language we can tell he is annoyed about something. I like that this photo has captured this because it tells a story about him, and therefore creates questions about what he was talking about and who he was talking too. The photo would not have so much significance if Streuli hadn't captured his arm/hand in the shot as well. I also like that due to where the man was standing; the background is quite plain, which allows us to focus on the main subject. Again, Streuli has used depth of field to blur the background just slightly, although it's almost unnoticeable because of how plain the background of the window is. 

This photo is from Streuli's Tokyo shoot in 2005. I chose this image because there is more than one subject - as there is the woman, and her daughter. I like that this image is quite close-up so we can see the emotion within the mothers face, whereby she looks quite worried, and in contrast, her daughter is looking away at something that has amazed her. The mother looks as though she is looking directly into the camera lens. I also like this image because although Streuli has used depth of field to make the background blurry, we can still see people in the background such as the man on the left with his arms crossed. We can still see this man quite clearly so it is almost like it was staged that way, so that he is part of the photo as well. Compared to the other images I have chosen, this is the busiest as it has a lot of people in it, however I like this because it represents where it was taken. Just as all the photos Streuli has taken in all different countries, each photo represents the country and culture that it was shot in. 

This photo was shot in St. Petersburg in 2011. I chose this photo because it is quite abnormal and comical. In this image, we can see a woman carrying a cat, which is quite strange considering she is out in a public street. Again, Streuli has used depth of field to create a blurred background, even though the background is quite plain as it is just a wall and a gate. However, because of the dullness of the background, it emphasizes the colours of the woman's outfit. Her hoodie, trousers and bag are brightly coloured with pinks, purples and greens. I also like that Streuli has captured the woman's natural expression, whereby she looks slightly confused and frustrated. Again, this image tells an interesting - albeit strange story. I particularly like that the woman isn't in the center of the image, but solely covers the right side of the frame. 

Beat Streuli influenced this image as I have focused on one person in a public place. By doing this, I am able to show a normal person drinking coffee at a cafe, in a natural location setting. I like this image because the model isn't looking at the camera, which evidently shows that it was not a staged image and is natural. I also like how ordinary and normal the concept is, yet the bright colours of the models clothing make it more interesting and vibrant. 

Beast Streuli also influenced this image, as I wanted to emulate the images he has shot of people talking on their phones or using their phones. Here, in this image I have captured my model using their phone to take photos. I like this image because we cannot see what he is taking a photo of, which leaves mystery, but we can see him in action. I also like that the background is rather plain but it is still obvious that he is on holiday through the sand on the floor and his clothing.

  

In summary, Beat Streuli has inspired my shoots for my upcoming project as I find his work extremely interesting. I like the idea of shooting portraits of strangers - as the images become so natural and genuine, and almost personal - yet the actual person stays anonymous. However, the only way I would be able to mimic Streuli's work is if I took photographs with my phone or in a very busy street so that nobody would notice I was taking photographs of them, I do like the idea of doing this though as it makes the photos feel less structured and professional and instead, more accidental. Although I cannot travel the world, I plan to travel to different places such as Brighton, London and on my holiday in Spain, whereby I will shoot photographs of people in these places, and try to catch the atmosphere of the place within these images.