fbpx Skip to content
Named Best Museum 2022 by Miami New Times

Miami Street Photography Festival 2019

December 5, 2019 - December 8, 2019
PAST

Street photography is both a practice and an ethos. To some it’s a moment in time, to others it’s a candid observation that crosses time and place. It has a rich history, but many are uneasy with the term. Street photography has no rigid rules and no real boundaries. It needs no street to be real. It need not tell the strict truth. But it reveals truth all the same. To those of us who are compelled to photograph, its almost boundless failure makes the rare success almost astonishing.

Street photographers use their keen sense of observation to capture candid, unique, and compelling moments in the everyday life of strangers—whether they are gestures, actions, or scenes, searching for what photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson termed the “Decisive Moment.” This is the split-second when an image becomes complete in its composition, when the shutter is released, and the moment is captured forever.

There is no posing involved, no manipulation of the scene, and little or no post-processing of the image. This realism has provided an accurate and insightful record of street culture throughout the world, with images portraying everything from the ugly, gritty side of life to more humorous situations. They are moments that unless captured, might otherwise go unnoticed.

Thousands of entries from participants in 76 countries competed in the 2019 Miami Street Photography Festival competition. On view were 95 images selected as finalists by an expert panel of judges.  These images represent contemporary street photography at its finest worldwide. Renown photographers, Nikos Economopoulos, Eugene Richards, Magdalena Solé and Matt Weber will select first, second, and third-place winners during the week of Art Basel. Festival attendees are invited to vote for the People’s Choice winner.

 

Miami Photo Series

HistoryMiami Museum and the Miami Street Photography Festival created the Miami Photo Series competition as homage to the festival’s host city. Participants submitted a series of 5-7 images that document a story or explore a theme inspired by life in Miami.  On display are the top three finalists, selected by award-winning photographer Maggie Steber, and J. Tomas Lopez, Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Miami.  The grand prize winner will be announced at the awards ceremony during the week of Art Basel.

Translate »