What Did I Come Here For?

There are a lot of reviews of street photography on YouTube as we close out 2025.

If you take the time to look at some of the “best of 2025” videos one thing becomes very very obvious.

There is a lot of “bad” street photography out there.

So what is so bad about it?

For the most part, while often pretty (as many shots are taken by photographers when on vacation) the images pertain only to the photographer.

In other words the images are snapshots and there’s nothing wrong with snapshots but I would suggest these images rarely if ever rise to the level of art.

I too am guilty of shooting bad images. Case in point was our recent holiday trip to Montreal where – 10 to -20 C temperatures drove us into steamy quaint bars and very expensive but exquisite restaurants and afternoons reading in our hotel room.

We did very little shooting on the streets as most of our attention was focused on not falling on icy and snow covered sidewalks and on staying warm.

There is a second observation that can be made when we look at the very best street photography.

It’s that gear and even place is much less important than vision or feelings.

Much of the best of modern street photography often is shot in grainy contrasty black and white film using simple point-and-shoot cameras or vintage 35mm film DSLRs. Often out of focus or oddly cropped these images stand out for the reason that they move the viewer.

Case in point is a video from the Developing Tank site titled “Scars, Death, & WWII: Japan’s Most Foundational Female Photographer“.

In 2026 there will continue to be lots of street photography walks in my hometown of Toronto, Ont. Our groups range from a handful of dedicated shooters (especially in winter) to mobs of us numbering over 50.

Some walks are dedicated to film shooters and other groups don’t care what you shoot. All of the walks are organized by volunteers and are open to any one of any level of skill using any type of camera.

Consider joining us in the coming year:

Toronto Photo Walk

Toronto Film Shooters