Observe is an international collective of street photographers. Established in June 2013, it brings together photographers who share the same principles, views and interests to produce projects, exhibitions, publications and events.[1][2] Although mainly focusing on street photography, it is not limited to one specific genre and its members explore various genres and methods of photographic practice.
Manifesto
Observe’s mission statement on its website reads as follows:
“OBSERVE is an international photography collective focused primarily on the practice of candid street photography. Spanning four continents we are united by a common fascination with watching and documenting the diverse humanity that surrounds us. While acknowledging that photography is at its core an individual pursuit, our membership finds benefit in mutual curation and support, discussion, and other collaborative interactions.”
In 2014, Observe was a Featured Collective at the Miami Street Photography Festival, and Chris Farling and Danielle Houghton were part of the jury for its competition.[6][7]
From 12 June to 26 July 2015, Observe held its first group exhibition at the Staedtische Galerie in Iserlohn, Germany.[8][9][10] The exhibition was linked to an international contest, themed Under Construction.[11][12][13]
Two years later, the same gallery organised its first international street photography festival in collaboration with Observe, Observations 2017.[14] The festival took place from 14–23 July and included various exhibitions at seven separate locations in Iserlohn.[15] One of the exhibitions included the finalists of the 2017 Down by the River Competition, while another included the work of Observe members.[16][17]
In September 2019, Observe was a featured collective at the Aussie Street Photography Festival in Sydney, Australia. In addition to a dedicated exhibition, four members of Observe (Danielle Houghton, Guille Ibanez, Kirstin van den Eede and Tom Young) acted as judges for the open call competition.[20]
Publications
Observations magazine with work by its members
Observations Vol.1 n°1 (2016): Personal Reflections on Photography
Observations Vol.1 n°2 (2016): Personal Reflections on Fear
Observations Vol.2 n°1 (2017): Personal Reflections on Home
Observations Vol.3 n°1 (2018): Personal Reflections on Faith
Observations Vol.4 n°1 (2019): Personal Reflections on Nostalgia
Other books
100 Great Street Photographs. Prestel, 2017. Edited by David Gibson. ISBN978-3791383132. Included work by Ronen Berka, Ilya Shtutsa, Danielle Houghton, and Tavepong Pratoomwong.[21]
Street Fight!. Observe Collective; Eyeshot, 2022. Selections of winning photographs from Observe's Flickr-based street photography competition group of the same name.[22]
