Beautiful Street Art
Colorful street art at the East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany.
Street art illustrates all manner of social, political and environmental themes.
What I love most about street art is how it opens up previously derelict areas, such as city laneways, and brings them back to life attracting locals and tourists alike.
Street art has had a lot to do with the revival of inner city neighborhoods and districts in cities all around the world. I’m totally supportive of that policy.
I really enjoy photographing visually dynamic street art and look to photograph street art whenever I travel.
Street scene depicted at the East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany.
Amazing Street Art At The East Side Gallery
One of the best areas I’ve visited for street art is the East Side Gallery in Berlin.
The East Side Gallery, situated parallel to the river Spree marked the actual border between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
The East Side Gallery displays a large amount of street art that explores a significant time of change for the people of Germany.
Many of the works on display showcase the hopes of the artists in question for a better future.
This 1,316 meter section of the former Berlin Wall is situated right next to the busy Mühlenstraße. It’s a wonderful place to explore and photograph.
During my visit I was surprised that most of the street art was behind a thick wire barricade.
I think the barricade is used as a way of protecting these beautiful works of art from tagging and other forms of vandalism.
Unlike a lot of other street art the works at the East Side Gallery are historically important and need to be protected.
Nonetheless, I desperately wanted to document some of this art work and, where possible, making images that explored my own, personal response to the images on display.
Fortunately there was just enough room for me to poke my lens through the wire and make my photos.
Thank goodness because I’d walked a long way, in sweltering mid 30C temperatures, to reach the East Side Gallery.
It would have been extremely disappointing not to have been able to photograph some of the splendid art showcased.
My visit was right at the end of a strenuous European adventure. I was worn out, tired and, given the temperature, probably a little dehydrated.
What’s more I’d been managing severely blistered feet and I was in considerable discomfort.
But life’s not always easy and I’m so glad I persisted.
I’m really thankful I had the opportunity to visit and photograph the East Side Gallery.
I hope my photos will help preserve some of the fantastic street art from this wonderful and historically important site.
Street art showing two soldiers in gas masks firing a machine gun.
Melbourne Street Art | Unusual And Unexpected
The street art above was a favorite of mine for a number of years.
I found it in a secluded part of Centre Place (which I believe was commonly referred to as Soup Alley during the 1980's) in Melbourne, Australia.
The notion of, what I assume are, two WWI soldiers in gas masks surrounded by what I believe to be ballet dancers is both surreal and beautiful.
I’d often take photography students to this site to photograph the street art under low light conditions. It was always a challenging and fun experience.
For my own photo I thought it was important to keep the message as pure as possible. As a consequence I decided to render the original image into black and white.
That decision helped to emphasize the lines and shapes that are dominant in this particular composition.
Melbourne has become a great place for street art. If you’re in or close to the city you’ll want to check out these locations:
Hosier Lane
Rutledge Lane
Cocker Alley
Croft Alley
Centre Place
AC/DC Lane
Duckboard Place
Caledonian Lane
A luminous piece of street art at Hosier Lane in Melbourne.
Hosier Lane Street Art
Hosier Lane is one of Melbourne’s most famous street art sites.
Because of it’s relatively large size and position in the CBD it’s also probably Melbourne’s most popular.
The art changes frequently in Hosier Lane, which is one of the reasons it's such a fun place to visit, again and again.
I made the above photo with my Sony a7r II camera set to ISO 800 at a shutter speed of 1/250 second and an aperture of f/4.
Unfortunately there’s a lot of tagging going on in Hosier Lane these days.
I think that’s a pity as some of the work produced, particularly the portraits, is stunning.
Covering that work with tagging is, to my way of thinking, extremely regrettable.
Saying otherwise makes no sense to me.
There’s just no need to lose ourselves in overly philosophical discussions on the nature of beauty, freedom of expression or the difference between street art and graffiti.
Vandalism is vandalism and there are commonly accepted norms of behavior that need to be adhered to.
While you might think it’s your right to tag quality artwork in a public space, I do not think you have a right to spoil the beauty of the site and of individual street art through your gesture of juvenile defiance.
There’s an important line in Star Trek where Spock says to Kirk that, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
The moral theory that’s expressed in that line is known as utilitarianism. The concept being that everyone should try to serve the greater good for the greater number of people.
For the most part I believe that to be both fair and reasonable.
In this particular context it would follow that you should not deface beautiful artwork because, as a result of doing so, you’d negatively impact on the experience most folks would have when visiting that site.
Again, it’s a simple concept that I believe is fair and reasonable.
That’s my opinion, though I’m always happy to hear other points of view when they’re reasonably expressed.
Street art sites like Hosier Lane have been given over to artists as places where they can produce and display their talents in a safe environment.
But it’s also a site where beautiful street art can be appreciated by all manner of people, locals and tourists alike.
Needless to say, while it’s a public place, Hosier Lane is also a major tourist site.
The local council has a vested interest in protecting Hosier Lane as it contributes to the experience of many thousands of tourists visiting Melbourne each year.
The perception formed in the minds of those tourists is a critical factor in Melbourne continuing to benefit from tourism into the future.
I wonder how many of those people who tag great street art are capable of producing quality street art themselves?
I don’t know the answer, but I suspect many who tag aren’t particularly great artists.
Colorful street art through wire in La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Street Art In Vibrant La Boca
La Boca is an edgy tourist neighborhood in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
It’s a colorful and vibrant part of town with loads of opportunities for great street photography.
Just keep your eyes open, particularly if you’re toting a camera and traveling alone, as the La Boca is also known for petty theft.
Check out this previous post for a detailed description of street photography in the La Boca and San Telmo neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.
Young woman and street art in inner city Melbourne, Australia.
Street Art Backgrounds For Portraits
The above image was made, in the few seconds available to me, near the end of a private photography course I was running in inner city Melbourne.
At such events my job is to help others make photos but, on this occasion, I managed to make a few quick images at days end.
This photo allowed me to incorporate an element of street art into the background of this fashion based portrait.
It’s a pretty basic image, though I do love the light on the model’s face and the juxtaposition of her face and clothing with those of the three men depicted on the wall behind her.
The warm and cool color contrasts within the image are also quite striking.
This Angel in Fitzroy, Melbourne is a beautiful example of street art.
Angel Street Art
Whether it’s the concept of an angel or images of angels I’m a fan. In fact I think they’re glorious.
I was fortunate to discover this particular artwork on a wall outside the Brunswick Street Oval in North Fitzroy, an inner city suburb of Melbourne.
Perhaps what I like most about this image is the way the artist has imbued this mythical figure with a strong human presence.
That notion was very strong in my mind when I made the photo, in camera, and also during processing of the image on the desktop.
When it comes to photographing street art I’m particularly drawn to faces, whether those of actual people or mythological figures.
I can appreciate the geometric patterns and colors in a lot of street art. However, I’m most drawn to the humanity explored in a beautifully painted face, whether that be on a canvas or an alley wall.
Beautifully crafted mural on the Brim Solos in Brim, Australia.
Photographing the Brim Silos
The Brim Silos site is located just out of the tiny town of Brim in the Wimmera region of Victoria. This beautifully crafted mural is famous throughout Australia.
I discovered this extraordinary art work, part of a large group of portraits, while exploring some of the regions towns on a long drive home from a gig I played in the town of Cowangie in the far west of Victoria.
My photo features a section of the larger work painted on these massive grain solos. I love the way the painted figures merge with the underlying texture of the grain solos.
The Human Condition is a major theme in my own photography. No wonder I love the street art featured on the Brim Silo so much.
Whether you’re out and about in the city or driving through a small country town I encourage you to do a bit of research and seek out local street art sites.
It’s just such a buzz to discover and photograph these often surprising and beautiful sites.