Essay On Urban Photography

Many photographers represent urban photography as a way of visually displaying issues in their society. Ernst Hass does this through his photographs of the streets in New York, Chicago and Conoco. Through his photographs, he highlights both positives and negatives of different places and societies. Further, Hass uses composition, lighting, mood, and camera techniques to create visually spectacular image. In these photographs, Hass also captures urban life, social, cultural issues and rhythm.

Haas’ visually compelling photograph, ‘Route 66’ is created through the combination of several photographic techniques and elements. The photograph gives the viewer an image of a busy street of Conoco, commenting on the endless, almost symmetric street signs for various businesses along the road. When first looking at the photograph, the viewers eyes are drawn from the foreground of the photo to the horizon line; taking the …show more content…
The photograph gives a view into a street of shops and parked cars that have criss-crossed shadows placed on them from the bridge above. The street is neither bare or crowded, the photo is also in black and white. Hass uses the rule of thirds to draw attention to a taxi, strategically placed in the third quarter of the photograph. Further, he has used a low aperture to accentuate the shadows in the image, highlighting the geometric shapes that are created. Through this, the photographer reflects the streets even balance between dark, light, crowded and empty. Further this idea is emphasised by the use of a fast shutter speed that captures the moment as if it is frozen in time and the high angle that gives the viewer a unique view of the street, placing them into the position of a spectator. The photograph uses light, composition and camera settings to create a visually stunning image as well as a way to effectively reflect the streets balance of light and