Paul Russell: Why Most Street Photography Online Looks Mediocre

Paul Russell joins Eyeshot 50mm to talk about street photography, humor, gear culture, social media, and his new Eyeshot book The Secret Lives of Humans. In this conversation, he questions the rise of mediocre street photography online, defends the value of candid public moments in the age of AI.Paul Russell reflects on what makes a street photograph meaningful: not obvious irony, not gear obsession, not social media visibility, but timing, observation, subtle humor, and the ability to recognize the unusual within everyday life. His work looks at people almost like a form of natural history — a study of humans in public space, caught in gestures, rituals, habits, and strange social choreography."The Secret Lives of Humans", his new monograph with Eyeshot, reads like a BBC nature documentary where the species on screen is our own. Pre-order open until 30 June 2026.