The notion of a “street portrait” may appear somewhat oxymoronic. After all, portraits are usually taken in either the photographer’s studio or the subject’s home. The street seems an unnatural place for a formal portrait.

But the street portrait lies at the intersection of the two great genres of photography: the fine art image and the documentary image. As for the former: there is the art and craft of the photographer engaging the subject. As for the latter: there is the wider world of the street and the city that threatens to undermine, at any moment, the delicate interaction between photographer and subject. It is tension between these two forces that defines the street portrait. The best street portraits thrive on this tension.

A great street portrait often combines disparate foreground and background elements. The foreground is usually the human subject. The background is the subject’s world. The background often enriches our understanding of the subject or, in the alternative, stands as a stark reminder of the alienation of the subject from her or his world.

Street portrait photography usually entails some engagement between photographer and subject. The proof of the engagement is often the subject’s eye contact with the photographer (and, ultimately, the viewer). As a general rule (but with some exceptions), I would classify the image as a conventional street photograph rather than as a street portrait if there is no tell-tale eye contact.