A Photo Day at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport

Like most people in my surrounding area, I have been to this airport so many times, but most of the time it’s been rushed and hectic. I finally had a day planned to just go and do some photography in and around the airport. If you are new to this site or my photography, I have a long history, or passion for, photographically documenting “aviation” in one form or another (see my Aviation Stories Portfolio over here). You can also see my Street Photography Portfolio here.

Some day I’ve always planned on making a non-hurried trip to Atlanta Hartsfield to do some “street photography,” or people watching with a camera if you prefer, and to see some of the canopy construction updates, and to check out some of the great exhibits the AirportArt program is working on like the Evelyn Quinones exhibit. That day ended up being this week.

On a side note, if you are unfamiliar with street photography in general here are two good articles explaining a little about this genre of photography; What is Street Photography by Eric Kim, and What is Street Photography by James Maher, or just see Wikipedia who also hits the highlights.

In brief, it’s capturing the reality of life as it happens in candid (spontaneous) images in public places. It’s always been one of my favorite studies in photography. I have studied it for years through the work of great photographers in the field like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Susan Sontag, Vivian Maier, and so many actively producing photographers like Eric Kim, Frederik Trovatten, a ton of YouTube shooters out there. I am fascinated by how difficult it is to do well, but when it comes together it’s amazing. That said, this may not be your cup of tea, and that’s fine. I love the reality of it, the realness of it, the fact that it’s far less polished, and sometimes more unpredictable than other forms of photography.

The images below are a selection of my time in Atlanta this week. My way of shooting in public comes from a highly introverted personality that would prefer not to bother anyone, or be seen. So I generally try to blend in and be as unobtrusive as possible. Luckily, today, 99.999% of people are on their cell phones and completely oblivious to my existence, which is fine with me.

Below is a mixture of fine art type work and gritty grainy street. It all depends on the lighting and the situation at the time. I love the dad with the pacifier in his mouth… that’s reality of a busy dad. Happy Father’s Day.

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