We’ve invited three photographers working in the street photography genre to share one image they consider among their best. From split-second decisions to carefully crafted compositions, they reveal the thinking, technique and experience behind the shot, offering insight into not just how the image was made, but why it matters.
Dimpy Bhalotia
Dimpy Bhalotia is an award-winning photographer and creative director based between London and Mumbai. She is internationally recognised for her distinctive approach to street photography, portraiture and documentary work. Dimpy is also the founder and curator of Pure Street Photography®, an internationally respected platform dedicated exclusively to street photography.
Instagram @dimpy.bhalotia
“Flying Boys” captures a day to day activity of young boys living in Varanasi, India. These boys were jumping off a man-made ghat into the river to beat the heat during the Indian summer. It is pure, honest, and full of life. I chose this frame because it represents everything I look for in photography. Spontaneity, movement, emotion, and a moment that cannot be repeated.
I noticed the rhythm and began observing their movement carefully. I waited for the perfect alignment where all three boys happened to jump almost together, appearing layered in space. Right after this moment, they disappeared instantly into the water. The scene returned to normal within seconds, but this very moment did not repeat. The three boys never jumped again in such beautifully layered sync, which is why this photograph feels even more fleeting and special.
The most important decision was choosing the angle. I decided to shoot from a very low angle so the sky became a clean background. This removed distractions and allowed the bodies to form graphic shapes. I also waited for layering. I did not want just one person jumping. I wanted a visual rhythm with multiple figures suspended in space.
This photograph was made on an iPhone X using purely natural light. I exposed for the sky, which simplified the scene and emphasised form, gesture, and motion. I was standing and bending at a very low angle, so I could not always see when they were going to jump. I relied on hearing their running footsteps and excited voices, which helped me predict that they were about to leap off the ghat into the river. Even a fraction of a second earlier or later, and the composition would not work.
Nick Turpin
Nick Turpin is an internationally renowned Street Photographer who started his career with The Independent Newspaper in London at the age of 20, he is now one of just a handful of photographers worldwide who shoot commissioned Street Photography for Advertising, Design and Editorial clients. In 2000 Nick founded the influential in-public Street Photographers group that played a significant role in the contemporary resurgence of interest in the approach.
Instagram @the_nick_turpin
This picture was shot in the financial district during the Covid Lockdown in 2020, the city was empty, billions of pounds worth of real estate was just sitting, humming away to itself completely devoid of people, with the exception of a few maintenance and security staff.
I wanted to record this event, this time, the architecture juxtaposed with the few sparse figures passing through the square mile. I had been a street photographer for over 30 years, candidly observing life with a small camera in the traditional way. But I had recently felt a duty to move the genre on, to not work in the ‘traditional’ way.
And this project that I called Exodus, became the first series that I shot with handheld tilt shift lenses, that I usually used for my architecture and interiors clients. I wanted to ‘cross pollinate’ street photography with the ways that I worked in my commercial work. You will see that this scene has perfect geometry, the perspective is controlled by the tilt shift lens that lets me look up and down without tilting the cameras sensor.
I glimpsed this scene as I passed the end of the street and new immediately that it was significant, a single figure lean’t against a window lit by Edward Hopper’s lighting man.
There was a feeling of beautiful melancholy with a lovely colour palette. I took a frame, moved closer, took a second frame and kept going until I felt the composition was working. This picture was shot on a Canon 5DSR with a 24mm TSE lens, the cameras big sensor gave me lots of detail and the lens allowed me to render the architecture in a controlled but cinematic way.
When you come across a ready made picture like this, the challenge is to record it as quickly as possible before the elements pass away, that’s why I took my first frame from a distance and then tried to improve upon it. The image is significant because it marks a turning point in the way that I record the public realm, it took courage to separate myself from the traditional way of working and I have gone on to work with many different approaches on the street since. I also love photographs that reference fine art or history. I carry a mental encyclopaedia of fine art in my head with me and a lot of my pictures echo famous paintings or artistic styles.
Danny Jackson
Danny Jackson is an Essex-based photographer with a skill for capturing the unique and often humorous moments of everyday life. His work has been featured in exhibitions and publications throughout the United Kingdom and abroad. Danny is a founding member of Street Badass, starting the Facebook Group in 2022 and has interviewed hundreds of photographers on Street Badass live.
Instagram @_barksey
I’ve been shooting Purim, the joyous Jewish holiday in Stamford Hill, for the last five years. Stamford Hill in North London is home to one of the largest orthodox Hasidic Jewish communities in Europe, and Purim is something to behold. The vibe on the street is electric and chaotic, with people busying themselves taking gifts to neighbours and getting the children ready for the day.
One of the reasons I love photographing this festival is the costumes the children wear, some taking months to put together. This is not like Halloween or a children’s themed party, this is on a whole different level. I have taken around 80 portraits over the past five years in the “Children of Stamford Hill” series.
Sometimes photographs just appear in front of you, it’s a rare occurrence where you literally just have to click. This happened during Purim in 2024. First, I saw the boy sitting in his Noddy costume, I looked up to ask the parents but then I saw the bigger picture. You see Purim is enjoyed by the whole family, and although the Hasidic families are close knit, they live quite separately. The men are told to drink to excess, and give to charity during the day. The Hasidic women are the organisers, often spending months of preparation on the children’s costumes and always looking on.
Expanding out and looking at the bigger picture really made the photo for me. This photo seemed to encompass the three roles really well, showing the family separate but together in celebration.
The photo was taken on a Nikon D750 with a Sigma 50mm art lens. I believe it was shot at around 2.8 which I had to change from my normal 1.8 which I was using for the Children of Stamford Hill project.
Related reading:
- The elusive Vivian Maier continues to intrigue with her iconic street photography – but who was she really?
- The world’s best cities for street photography – in pictures
- The next thing I knew I was being chased down the street – has social media killed the art of street photography?
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