Finding Purpose in Street Photography

All of us have a story. But how is it written? A literal book has been carefully reviewed and edited, and by the time we hold it in our hands, the story is set in stone, finished. Similarly, sometimes when people set out on a path in life, find success and focus, it can feel like their story is finished, the path ahead seemingly set in stone.

Amy Touchette’s path certainly seemed clearly defined. A lover of literature, writing, and art from a young age, she went to college, then got a graduate degree and became a writer, then an editor, then a managing editor. But despite her secular success, she was now thirty at a desk job managing others, and it felt empty.

At the time Amy had been working on a series of large-scale paintings of jazz musicians as a hobby, so to try to fill the void, she cut out overtime and spent her nights and weekends painting. It was a step in the right direction, but her course didn’t truly shift until a few months later, when the tragedy of 9/11 unfolded.

A Personal Wake Up Call

The violence and devastation that came with September 11th shook Amy to her core. Having been in the city at the time of the attack, and with a little brother sent off to Afghanistan not long after, the fear surrounding that traumatic event impacted Amy directly. It made her realize life is short, and that she needed to figure out how to have a more meaningful life as soon as possible. For Amy, that meant finding a way to connect with people that wasn’t available through the insular nature of writing and painting.

It wasn’t long before Amy enrolled in a course at the International Center of Photography (ICP) with iconic street photographer Jeff Mermelstein. The more she learned about and practiced street photography, the more she was drawn in by the medium. Amy says, “It’s not just photography, it’s real life. At the core, it’s an investigation of the human race, and that’s an endless topic.” Plus, the art of gaining someone’s trust on the street was incredibly meaningful to her. It was one way of alleviating the pain of 9/11.

So, in an epic plot twist, Amy dropped her full-time job and started working as a freelance writer so she could transition to a life as a photographer. All the while, she took course after course at ICP, later working as a teacher assistant. And the rest is history. Turns out, it’s never too late to make revisions and add new chapters to your story.

Today, Amy is a firm believer in the value of street photography, teaching it herself now at ICP. “Street photography is a visual portrayal of humanity that plays a crucial role in amassing our history,” she says. “It reminds us where we came from.” This is reflected in Amy’s photos, which celebrate who and where we are now.

A Dual Approach to Street Photography

Over the years, Amy has developed two distinct ways of approaching the streets. On the one hand, Amy makes street portraiture, posed, collaborative portraits with her Rolleiflex camera. This is a slower kind of street photography. It involves walking around, talking to people, earning their trust by being trustworthy and trusting, and making their portrait. Meeting people, piercing the surface just a little, is just as important to Amy as creating a candid documentation of society. Those brief connections are a poignant way to learn about people and herself, she told us.

“I feel like cameras, especially in street photography, add to the dynamic of the exchange. They’re kind of like another person on the street with you, and they have personalities. I like the twin lens reflex personality. It’s cool, it’s vintage, it’s different, it really adds something.” – Amy on using a Rolleiflex

On the other hand, Amy likes to do something a little more Winogrand-esque too. Setting conversations aside, in 2012 Amy started “Street Dailies,” an ongoing series of candid, unposed portraits of strangers made with her iPhone, which she publishes regularly on Instagram. Amy usually takes a discreet approach to these photos but she had an interesting story to share about what happened on one occasion when she opted for a bolder tactic:

“In my experience, if I see a photo on the street when I’m out photographing candidly, it’s too late; the opportunity has passed. I need to anticipate them instead, so I’m ready when they transpire. But because there’s so little to lose, I would still chase after a photo if I saw one, and never, in all my years, did I do so with any success. So much so, I finally had a talk with myself to stop chasing photos because it never, ever worked, and to just enjoy the sight of them instead.

“A few months later, I was sitting outside a cafe in Paris in 2021 (you can see my table in the background on the right) when suddenly this fantastic woman in purple walked past me. In Paris, it’s rare to come across a person who is really doing their own thing appearance-wise, in my experience, and she clearly stood out. Despite my pact with myself to stop chasing photos that have already passed me by, my body flung out of my seat (thankfully my brain didn’t intervene with its pessimism) and quickly walked after her, passing her by ten feet or so, so I could then make an about-face and walk toward her, hopefully in a way that wasn’t too obvious or jarring.

“I took a few snaps, one of which happened to be this one—the split second when she looked at me—and then returned to my table at the cafe. I don’t look at the images I make until the end of the day (I try to focus just on making them while I’m out), but when I did see it, my talk with myself went out the window. Even if it is highly improbable that I would succeed, just having this one success meant it is, in fact, possible to catch a photo that seems long gone, and therefore it is always, always worth the effort. I will be chasing after images for the rest of my life.”

Amy’s Street Photography as Fine Art

Street photography as fine art can be a tough sale, but Amy has had great success in this endeavor. We asked her to tell us her secret, and she had some practical steps for photographers to follow:

Make sure you’re ready for representation. Amy says, “When you work with a gallerist, you’re entering a business relationship; a gallery is a commercial store. So you want to make sure you’re ready for all that entails.” What does it entail? Amy advises, “You want to make sure you’re organized, able to keep track of editions, print sales, and inventory. It can get confusing fast if you don’t have an Excel document or something to help you keep track. You also want to put aside time to help market your work, to keep your gallerist informed of what you’re up to (press, other exhibitions, awards, etc.), and to foster a good relationship between you and your gallerist by being communicative. This is the administrative part of being a fine art photographer, the part that has nothing to do with your artistic vision, or making photographs, or creating bodies of work, but is straight up work management stuff. Relationships differ between artists and gallerists, but a big part of being ready is having the ability to consistently take care of the business aspect of your art.”
Hone your photo series. Edit, edit, and edit some more. And no, we’re not necessarily talking about post-processing your images. We’re talking about how you build a photo series for a photobook, or for a gallerist to consider. Think about how your images interact, why they fit together (or don’t), and what story they tell. “The title of your series should be a thesis statement to some degree, the crux of your message, even if it’s put in poetic or non-literal terms,” she says. Amy recommends sticking your photos to the wall with painter’s tape to examine how they work together, moving them around to see which images are successful, which pair well together, and which don’t belong. You will need a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) set of eyes for this. It’s extremely challenging to see past the experience we had making a photo and view it like others do, who are totally cold to your backstory.
Go to portfolio reviews. Portfolio reviews have been key for Amy, but not in the way you might be thinking. Amy says the reviews are a time to get really clear about your work. In preparation, you need to decide what you’ll say about your work as a whole and yourself as the artist within a 20-minute meeting timeframe. As importantly, it’s a time to make connections with people you may want to work with in the future. Research who you’ll meet with, Amy recommends, and ask for their contact information after you’ve met. Then, keep in touch occasionally. It can take a few years to cultivate a relationship that results in representation, but Amy’s example proves that it’s worth the time and effort.

Portfolio Reviews Amy Recommends:

FotoFest (Houston, TX)
Les Rencontres d’Arles (Arles, France)
Review Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)
Photolucida (Portland, OR)
The New York Times (New York, NY)

The Magic of Street Photography

Although Amy has had success publishing photobooks and showing her work in galleries, her motivation is far from financial. When we asked Amy what she was most proud of when it came to her street photography, she told us it’s that somehow, she found “this magical, edifying medium” and was open to all it has to teach her.

Perhaps for that reason, Amy’s motivation to shoot the streets runs deep. “Aside from the hugely beneficial experience of learning how to have healthy and honest conversations with people, photographing on the street teaches you how to live. You learn how to go with the flow, confront challenges, seize moments, and work with what’s there (as opposed to lamenting what’s not),” she observes.

Besides teaching valuable life lessons, Amy believes street photography offers hope too. Amy cites a Jewish Orthodox community in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn as an example. “It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods to photograph in, because there’s so much life on the streets. What I have observed, as an outsider just walking the streets, is how deeply connected this community is. Like the old days, children play on the street, often seemingly unsupervised by adults. The older kids look out for the younger kids, whether they are related or not. And it’s super beautiful to witness. Maybe even more extraordinary, if a Jewish Orthodox kid is too young to cross the street by themselves, they wait by the curb until an adult (who they may or may not know) sees them and crosses them. I’ve seen this play out many times, and every time it moves me and fills me with hope for what humanity could be, if we could only really get that we are all in this thing together.”

Our time speaking to Amy made it clear (once again) that when it comes down to it, street photography is always about the people. When carried out thoughtfully, the way Amy practices it, street photography can teach us all how to be better at being human. Why not keep it in mind next time you set out to shoot the streets? I know I will.