Proposal for Final Project

 Final Street Photography Project Proposal

For my final street photography project, I plan to create a series of portraits inspired by the visual and symbolic structure of a deck of cards. My goal is to photograph people in public spaces and represent them as “Kings,” “Queens,” and “Jacks,” using real individuals to embody the personality, presence, and stories behind each card. Rather than using costumes or props, I want the portraits to feel natural and rooted in the everyday environment, allowing the character of each subject to emerge through expression, posture, and context.

Subject Matter and Concept
The project focuses on capturing strangers in the city whose energy, style, or attitude naturally evokes the archetypes found in a deck of cards. A “King” might be someone who carries themselves with authority or wisdom; a “Queen” might show strength, elegance, or resilience; a “Jack” might feel youthful, bold, or in motion. By connecting street portraits to these familiar card roles, I want to explore how symbolic identities exist in real life and how people embody power, vulnerability, and individuality in public spaces.

Methods and Techniques
I will use a combination of two classic street photography approaches:

• Sitting and waiting: choosing a specific location—such as a busy corner, bus stop, or open plaza—and observing until someone steps into the scene who fits the character I’m trying to capture.

• Hunting: actively walking through the city and searching for faces, gestures, or interactions that intuitively match the card archetypes.

I will rely on natural light, candid expression, and tight framing to create strong, intimate portraits. I want the photos to feel immediate and authentic, so I will avoid staged posing whenever possible. When appropriate, I may briefly interact with the person to ask for a portrait, especially if I want eye contact or a more intentional expression.

Locations
I plan to make my photographs in active urban areas—streets, sidewalks, markets, and transit hubs. These spaces offer a wide variety of people, moods, and interactions. The movement and diversity of the street will help me find subjects who naturally embody the different “roles” of the deck.

What the Project Explores and Why
This project explores identity, symbolism, and the subtle stories behind the human face. By mapping everyday people onto the structure of a deck of cards, I hope to show how ordinary individuals can feel iconic, powerful, or archetypal when photographed with attention and intention. I am interested in how photography can elevate daily life into something symbolic, and how viewers might see themselves—or the people they know—in these archetypes.

The idea is significant to me because I’ve always been drawn to the way street photography turns chance encounters into meaningful images. The card-deck concept gives those encounters a structure that helps me think more deeply about who I choose to photograph and why. I believe viewers may find the project engaging because it blends something familiar (playing cards) with something unpredictable (strangers on the street). Each portrait becomes both a character and a real person.

Challenges and How I Will Address Them

• Finding subjects who fit the archetypes: I may need to spend extra time observing, walking, and waiting. Patience will be essential.

• Approaching people for portraits: Some individuals may not want their photo taken. I will be respectful, ask politely when needed, and move on if they decline.

• Maintaining consistency across the series: To create a cohesive “deck,” I will pay attention to lighting, framing, and color so that the images feel unified even though they come from different locations.

• Balancing candid and intentional shots: I will experiment with both and choose whichever best conveys the personality of each “card.”

Overall, my project aims to blend street photography with symbolic storytelling, using the structure of a deck of cards to highlight the character and individuality found in everyday street encounters. Through patience, observation, and intuition, I hope to create a series that feels both personal and universal, inviting viewers to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.