New York City, Staten Island Ferry
“Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.”
— Walker Evans
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Be aware for sure, but this piece of advice from one of street photography’s most iconic heroes is problematic. “Stare, pry, eavesdrop” – these are loaded terms that rightfully make people feel uncomfortable.
On a recent ferry crossing to Staten Island, I saw a man blatantly and invasively staring at a woman. In fact, he never took his eyes off her the entire length of the trip. She in turn avoided eye contact with him by staring straight ahead.
The hypocrisy was striking. Through his dress, a skullcap and fringes of his
undergarment, the tzitzit, he was signaling that he was a pious, modest, observant, religious Orthodox Jew who respects women and their modesty.
That she was a mom was obvious. Even if one didn’t see her children, it was written in flagrant red on her T shirt.
I did my share of staring, but they were so intent on theirs, they did not notice. The truth is that street photography is voyeuristic. A good street photographer attempts to be unobtrusive.