Bystander: A History of Street Photography

by Colin Westerbeck, Joel Meyerowitz

In this book, the authors explore and discuss the development of one of the most interesting and dynamic of photographic genres. Hailed as a landmark work when it was first published in 1994, Bystander is widely regarded by street photographers as the "bible" of street photography.

It covers an incredible array of talent, from the unknowns of the late 19th century to the acknowledged masters of the 20th, such as Atget, Stieglitz, Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, Kertesz, Frank, Arbus, Winogrand, and Levitt to name just a few.

In this new and fully revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art, Art and Photography

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 16, 1994

Reviews

[Tom Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The key for all of these guys was to find a really ugly old lady or a really ugly little kid. Once you got your hands on of them you were going to be all right.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history that helps to place street photography into a firm historical tradition and sketch out some rough ethos of the artform. As an amateur street photographer myself, it really helps to give some context and guidance for what I attempt to do.

[Zhuo Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not read the text completely. It is too dense for me at the moment. I might go back to read it sometimes later. Yet, I LOVE all the photos.

[Jeremy Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The images stand on their own. But this book is mostly dense text trying to put the images into scholarly context or something.

[M E L I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for my Bachelor’s thesis and there are some notes I want to share:
As my interest in Street Photography goes beyond the confines of uni work, I was very excited to not only purchase and own this gem of a book but also have the freedom to roam in it as I see fit.
The range of photographs selected was exhaustive and beautiful. Yet I did feel like some photographers were missing.

On the writing: It was very repetitive and I felt like in a lot of things they could have just come to a point and not talk so much about details around it.
Additionally, information on photographers after the 1960s was significantly missing, I wished there had been a section on more contemporary works too.

And finally the most interesting photographers to me: Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander were only talked about during the interview part, which I found disappointing. It was obviously very interesting to read about these legendary figures directly from Meyerowitz’s experiences, yet I wish there was a more exhaustive section on their work. Similarly, Diane Arbus and Vivian Maier are names I wished to see more.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading and especially scanning all the beautiful photographs and I am delighted to add this huge book into my collection!

[Edward M · Rating 5 out of 5]

required reading for any street photographer, or anyone interested in the genre.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough historical analysis, more anecdotal - but enjoyable all the same