Notes from the Street- Anthony Lam.

For this week I have chosen the theme of photographing Urban Surroundings. So why not choose an artist that soleley focuses on street photography? Anthony Lam has published a short photo series about the Bangladeshi community and the young people involved being a local youth worker and a photographer.

He explained in this book that the involvement with this group of youths came about through taking photos at 'rave events' they organised between 1989 and 1992. He then carries on to explain that this interested him into looking at these young mens lives and developing a more in depth body of work that shows their perceptions of the streets and how they choose to live.

In this book it contains a consistent amount of quotes fixed on each page next to the image in which Lam has picked from the recorded interviews. These quotes are part of a negotiation and consent in the ways all these young men wish to be represented as they make their lifestyle on the street.

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Here are a few quotes that i found inspirational and strong from the book as i read it:

I think the reason why I am inspired by these individuals quotes is because it shows how they have found themselves and founded their identity through doing something that they love and makes them feel free without caring what other people think. They finally get to have their say instead of people judging them by how they look and where their from.

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I handpicked a few substantial images that I judged as the strongest and most inciting throughout this series in the book. The themes of these photographs are as follows- Social, Street style and Pride.

The first image I gave the theme of social because to me it's like they always stick in groups or pairs as they are a secure community who likes to stick together when times get hard. The second reason as to why i named it social is because they are clearly on the phone to somebody, maybe someone from back home where they have immigrated from and they are keeping in touch. The reason I really do love this photograph and it is my favourite is because it's taken from the angle of the car window as if somebody is waiting for them in the car, maybe another one of their group and it really does show a view at their angle of things and not just asking them to pose.

The second image on the left is an element of street style and what they found to be the look at that time. Which certainly did add to the identities of the youths that came from that association. Style is incredibly important in any community, town, etc. It justifies who you are to most people as eyewitnessing and judging is the first thing that happens when you see someone in the street.

The third photograph I chose is more posed for the reason that to me it shows pride (of not being afraid to show who you are) and being proud to be from the heritage you are. Making the best from being in a different town, city, association that you are used to. You can clearly see that the man is proud and loves the way he looks just by how he holds himself and how he is standing.