At the end of 2025, the book ‘Street Photography To Dare & To Do’ published. For this book, the author conducted extensive research into the photographic styles of renowned street photographers. The findings revealed the following insights:
• A photographic style is a combination of six specific style elements.
• Every street photographer can be described using these six style elements.
• Famous street photographers stand out because they innovated photographic language with one or more of these style elements.
Based on this research, the author makes a bold promise: by understanding the six style elements, you can improve your own photographic style. “You can think of your photographic signature as a cocktail of one or more style elements, combined in specific proportions. If you change the combination, you create a different photographic result. The clearer the choices you make as a photographer, the more visible your unique style becomes.”
For this research, Michiel van Mens studied monographs of street photographers from World War II to the present. Photo books curated by street photographers themselves provided valuable insights into their work and the way they want their images to be viewed. “The question I wanted to answer was not: What makes a photo beautiful, good, or enjoyable? Nor was it: What is the composition of one famous photo? Instead, I asked: If I line up all the photos by a specific street photographer and analyze them, what do they have in common? Over time, I began to see patterns. These eventually led to the six style elements.”
Michiel van Mens selected 15 street photographers with distinctive styles and created profiles for each of them based on the six elements. From this, he developed a “how-to” guide to help readers learn to shoot in the style of these photographers. The key idea is: by imitating their styles, you’ll discover what suits you and what doesn’t. This will help you make deliberate choices to refine your own photographic style.
What is the power of a ‘photographic signature’?
This book helps you recognize the style of famous street photographers. Often, just a few key features make them unique. The book invites you to experiment with these features yourself. For example, if you try to take photos in the style of Ed van der Elsken, you will naturally discover which techniques work for you and which don’t. This way, you not only gain insight into your own style but also learn how to improve your signature.
Having your own photographic signature has many benefits. Here are a few examples:
• You take street photos that truly match your personal style.
• Your photos stand out from the mainstream images on Instagram.
• You rely less on luck and chance.
• You become aware of which style elements suit you and which habits or clichés limit you.
• You can create the photos you envision more deliberately.
• You can work on improving your photography in a focused way.
How is this book structured?
Street photography is different from documentary photography, photojournalism, or nature photography. This book starts with a clear explanation of what street photography is and how it compares to other genres.
The book covers the profiles of 15 famous street photographers, mainly active from after World War II until today. Some of the photographers included are: Garry Winogrand, Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Joel Meyerowitz, Saul Leiter, William Klein, Ed van der Elsken, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Martin Parr, Alex Webb, Helen Levitt, Fred Herzog, Vivian Maier, and Cartier-Bresson. Some photographers build on the work of those before them, while others create their own unique style. Many learned street photography through practice and experimentation, while some studied at art academies—though not all finished their studies before becoming professionals.
Each profile is about 2000 words long and starts with a short biography of the photographer. This is followed by a practical explanation of their style and approach. Each profile ends with a ‘how-to’ section, giving concrete steps or tips to try their techniques yourself. For example, you can follow the instructions to shoot in Martin Parr’s style and come home with some great photos.
After reading about these 15 photographers, you will see how they have influenced each other. With this new knowledge, you can start experimenting on the street, developing your own preferences and style. This will help shape your unique photographic signature.
This book provides practical tips and a method that acts like a ‘navigator,’ guiding you to take the street photos you imagine. The motto is: You can take the perfect street photo today!
Who This Book Is For
It’s no surprise that many amateur and (semi-)professional photographers are drawn to street photography. It’s easy to see why: it seems so simple. Street photography doesn’t require a client, and the costs (unless you’re using analog film) are minimal. You can hang a camera over your shoulder, close the door behind you, walk down the street, and start shooting. In short, anyone can do it. But then…?
This book is for those who want to head out with a camera better prepared. It’s also for students in photography programs who want to quickly learn more about the genre of street photography.
My goal is to write a book that readers will experience as a practical workbook. I want everyone to be able to read and understand this book on street photography. For this reason, I keep the sentences short and simple. My writing style is intended to directly engage the reader, as if I am explaining things in person.
The book is aimed at the following target groups:
• Students at colleges and universities who are taking a photography minor.
• Secondary school students participating in courses and workshops at various photography museums in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• Students at photography and art academies in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• Amateurs and semi-professionals who are members of photography clubs in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Initially, the book will be published in Dutch. Later, we will assess whether there is interest in a version in other languages. If so, the rights holders will be contacted again.