This blog is part of a series and accompanying introduction to a street photography event that will happen on June 19, 2015 in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. For more information visit Street Photography and the Summer Solstice on Facebook.

When people think of portraiture, what generally comes to mind are classically inspired–almost painterly–uncluttered images with a pleasant, soft or out of focus background. Needless to say, this is in stark contrast to the chaotic and tumbling beauty of street photography. Yet, even contemporary street portraiture has been reduced to headshots with a long lens, the results being more about headshots than something that illustrates the personality of the individual. Much of this can been found in the plethora of “Humans of…” street projects all over the web. And there’s nothing wrong with that approach, but I find it a useful challenge to take to the streets with a short lens like a 28mm or even 24mm and look for impromptu opportunities to strike up conversations and capture not just the person, but the surrounding environment as well–a narrative, if you will! Although such wide lenses force you to get that much closer to your subject to fill the frame, and therefore resulting in more barreling due to the inherent complex distortion, used carefully, you can create some compelling images–sometimes leaving the viewer to inquire more about what happened just after the shot was taken.

Below are several photographs taken with both the 28mm and 24mm lenses. Some more candid than others. Several photos include quotes stemming from my conversations with those I photographed. What lead to them, I leave that for you to decipher.

“I used to model for Esquire Magazine!” 24mm

“If you’re going to take my picture, at least let me do a sexy pose for you!” 24mm.

Father and Daughter. 28mm.

Drum Circle. 24mm.

Visiting from Wisconsin. 28mm.

All images © Joe Longobardi. All Rights Reserved.

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