The Reduction of Identity: How consent changes everything in street photography

Street photography as a genre is known for being quick, capturing a brief moment in public. Bruce Gilden (b. 1945) is a famous American street photographer based in New York, and known for his up-close flash photos, taken without the consent of the subject. Vivian Maier (1926-2009) is a mysterious figure, none of her street photographs were published during her lifetime which leaves many questions about her intent. Although Gilden and Maier are very different artists separated by time, both provide insight into the lack of control of a subject in their chosen genre. While the photos taken by Gilden and Maier depict the physical likeness of a person, I will argue that they are not portraits aimed at capturing a person’s likeness and identity. The distinction between street photography and portraiture lies in the subject’s ability to curate or exert control over how they are portrayed. By examining this disparity, I will show that when consent is not given, the resulting reduction becomes a potent manifestation of powerlessness, as the subject’s identity is distilled into an image that may fail to accurately reflect their sense of self; thus, the photograph separates the identity of a person from their physical likeness. This presentation is an exploration of how photography can neglect identity to focus on a particular moment in time.