Windsor street photographer captures candid moments on downtown streets

As often as he can, Ryan Seguin goes hunting for photos on the streets of downtown Windsor. 

With a camera in hand, the 37-year-old wanders the streets looking for interesting moments and people. 

The images are a glimpse into Windsor life: people who are commuting, putting on lipstick, fixing their car or using a payphone. 

"It just happens in the moment," he said.

"That's usually how most shots are, you see something, you feel something, you press the button." 

Since taking up street photography a little over a year ago, Seguin has snapped some compelling shots of people in the city — though if you were to ask him, you might get a different response.

"I still don't feel like I've taken a good photo yet," he said. "I feel like I'm getting better though." 

For Seguin, being in the right place at the right time matters, but so does blending into the background so he can catch an authentic scene. He wants his photos to have soul, to evoke feeling, but also to keep people asking questions. 

'Have to know how to disappear'

Nancy Barr is the James Pearson Duffy Curator of Photography and department head of prints, drawings and photographs at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

She says street photography is hard to jump into. The photography style was popular from the 1920s to 1980s, but then fell off. 

Barr says that's because people on the streets weren't as open to randomly having their photo taken and became more suspicious of cameras. 

"Going out on the street with a camera is very tough. I mean you have to know how to disappear or you have to know how to engage people really well," she said.

She says there is also the ethical concern of taking photos of people without them knowing and then using those photos as a statement about a particular city or culture. 

Despite the challenges, Barr says it's a very important art form. 

"I think you get to experience a little bit of a place that you're not necessarily from and get a sense for the way the streets look ... the way the people behave on the streets," she said. 

"Doing every day things that most people would just not really see, so those every day experiences that kind of define human experiences at large are a way for you to understand that specific culture." 

She says with good street photography you can get the "flavour of a city" you've never been to before. And looking back, the photos can serve as a record of what a place looked or felt like during a certain period. 

Reflecting on the photos he's taken, Seguin says he's seen a lot of despair in downtown Windsor. 

"Most people you see around here, they're unhappy, they're miserable, most of them are experiencing homelessness," he said. 

"I think that's what stands out the most, like we need help."