Though more and more of us are opting for smartphone "photography", there are those few who realize that letting go of the camera strap has immense creative consequences.
Take the Beirut Street Photographers, more commonly known as "BSP". The group consists of six managerial members and a whole lot of participating ones. Members interact on social platforms, sharing their photographs and giving feedback on others'.
Whether you consider yourself a professional photographer or are just starting out - BSP is open to all. You can become a member by joining them on their outings, or by simply submitting your own photographs to their Facebook page. Last year, BSP traveled on a photo-outing all the way to Nepal!
I chatted with BSP on their motto, activities and goals. The photos that accompany the interview are some BSP photos of the week (SPOWs) featured on their website.
"السيرفيس" by Farah Al Hashim |
Bananapook: Can you tell us a little bit about how BSP came to life?
BSP: BSP came to life in November 2010 following a workshop led by street photographers Eric Kim and Thomas Leuthard. It was through this workshop that Loryne Atoui, who was also involved in its organization, met other photographers also passionate about street photography but lacking a specific outlet for it here in Lebanon.
Soon-after
creating a Facebook group for BSP, the community began to organically develop
with Mher Krikorian, Rita Kamel and Nareg Der Boghossian joining Loryne to
bring BSP's activities to life. A few months later, Imad Haddad and Soha
Menassa also joined the team. It's the spirit of "for the community, by
the community" that drives the work we do and the passion we do it with.
Two
months following BSP's creation, we held our first photo-trip and it was to
Tripoli. Around 20 people joined us which was in itself a great indicator of
the interest developing in the genre. Monthly trips around Lebanon and within
the capital helped us meet other like-minded photographers and grow as a
community. It was also the perfect chance to rediscover different parts of our
country while also learning a lot from each other through informal exchange.
Since
then, we've developed our monthly activities, also introducing new ones
alongside them such as our "Zoom-In" panel discussions series with
experts on topics of interest to the community, workshops with international
street photographers and taken our travels abroad with an annual trip to a new
country (Istanbul, Turkey in 2011 and Nepal in 2012).
"Wet weather gear" by Ruth Moucharafieh |
B: In your opinion, what makes the “perfect” street photograph?
BSP: There's
no such thing as a "perfect" street photograph. It's very subjective,
as it is with any art. No two people will react the same towards one shot. Even
when we select our Street Photograph of the Week (SPOW) for a specific theme,
there's always a debate among the team and rarely is the vote 100% unanimous.
However,
there are several factors that can contribute to getting as close to a
"perfect" street photograph as possible - factors such as
composition, technique, perspective and timing (capturing a "decisive
moment") combined with originality, creative juxtapositions and
story-telling. You want to be able to get into the photographer's shoes (so to
speak) in that moment and experience it through their eyes, or at least take
something away from it, be it in the form of a giggle, a message, a question or
a lesson.
It's
also very important that a shot is completely candid with no interference from
the photographer. The better a photographer becomes at becoming
"invisible" while shooting (without being creepy), the more
interesting the captures actually become. That's the essence of good street
photography.
B: Between the social networks you use, which have you found to be the most useful in connecting the street photography community?
BSP: From
the start, Facebook has been our main platform for connecting and interacting
with the community. It was our first step into launching the community so
there's no denying the power of social media in helping us grow and reach more
people.
We
also have a Flickr group and use Twitter, but we've found that Facebook allows
us to communicate more easily with a larger audience and promote our events.
Plus, EVERYONE is on it so even someone who doesn't take photographs but is
interested in the genre can see what we're up to.
Social
media has also helped us meet photographers from around the World who not only
follow our activities online but also take part in our weekly themes via the
Facebook page itself. We try to keep the page as engaging as possible on a
daily basis so it becomes more of a platform than just a static page for
one-way communication (like just to post an announcement, for example).
Some themes are more popular than others, naturally. It's really hard to predict which theme will generate the most participation so we try to get creative with them each time and hope for the best.
Emilie Houwat |
B: Was there a “theme of the week” that particularly caused controversy, or an increase in hype?
BSP: Controversy? No, not really.Some themes are more popular than others, naturally. It's really hard to predict which theme will generate the most participation so we try to get creative with them each time and hope for the best.
We
try to encourage our community to actually go out and shoot with these themes
in mind as a way of training their eye but sometimes it's tricky during the
week especially if the weather is not on your side.
The
most popular themes to date have been "Public Transport" and
"Umbrella(s)" with more than 45 entries each. It makes choosing a
SPOW that much harder when you have so many great shots (but we're not
complaining - we love when this happens!).
Fadi Bou Karam |
B: How does the Beirut street photographers’ community compare to those in other countries?
In
Europe and the States, the communities (or collectives) have been around for
much longer and are more established in the genre than we are here so they are
a great frame of reference for studying and understanding the genre better.
Each community tends to take their own approach to the genre and it differs
from group to group. It's important to always know and follow the works of
others, regardless of where in the world they are from, to keep growing your
aesthetic.
At
the same time, we want to encourage the development of a unique approach to
street photography in Lebanon as our streets contain their own characters,
their own life and their own stories to tell. A street photograph taken in
Berlin can never be the same as a street photograph taken in Bourj Hammoud
regardless of how closely you try to mimic the composition.
What
helps differentiate BSP from other communities, we believe, is our approach.
We're an open community and everyone is welcomed and encouraged to take part in
our activities. You don't need to have a DSLR to go out shooting on the streets
so long as you have a camera and the drive to do it.
We're
also constantly adapting to the needs of our community, which is why, for
example, we launched our "Zoom In" panel discussion series last year
and the "Train Your Eye" outings focusing on projects while
shooting.
In
the past two years, there's been a growing interest in street photography in
the Middle East even though the region is has challenges for this form
of photography. Fortunately, new groups are forming and it's exciting to know
we've become a frame of reference for a few of them that have formed in
neighboring countries.
B: Does BSP have any upcoming events this year?
BSP: Yes - we have a few things coming up, including a photography exhibition we're preparing for as we speak, our third "Zoom-In" panel, an international trip to a new country and a few more surprises that we'll be revealing soon.All images on Bananapook are copyrighted material and all rights are reserved to the respective artists.