With the Eye of a Painter and the Insight of a Psychologist, Yasmine Rafii Captures Life’s Patterns Through a Stream of Consciousness, Transforming Them into Powerful Street Photography.
An Exclusive Interview with Pure Street Photography
Uncover an intimate conversation where Rafii reveals her omnivorous, non-dogmatic, and exploratory approach to photography, highlighting how her work is guided by observation rather than strict categorization.
Interview by Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao
18/03/2025
(c) Yasmine Rafii
(c) Yasmine Rafii
We would love to know more about you! Who you are and where you're from? When did you start street photography?
I was born in Tehran, Iran and emigrated to the U.S. in time for high school. My academic background includes studying painting at the California College of Arts, and exhibiting in small group shows in the Bay Area as I finished graduate studies in clinical psychology and art therapy. After a decade working in the business world, I returned to the arts and started a company writing and illustrating greeting cards. I self-published under the title Y Art Works. Around the same time, UNICEF commissioned three different series of small paintings for their line of notecards; Digital Stock, one of the earliest publishers of digital imagery, commissioned work for a CD of painterly effects called Conceptual Backgrounds; and I landed my first design client. I began working with a camera about 10 years ago and I keep a daily visual diary with a focus on my immediate environment, the subtleties of light and intimate moments of ordinary life.
What inspired you to become a street photographer?
My interest is in photographing life. It can be outside on the street, or indoors, in nature and even in the world of the imagination. I started out life as an abstract painter but the urge to make images—any kind of images—tugs at me daily. Photography is my current obsession.
How would you describe your work in terms of style and/or approach?
My process is stream of consciousness—being drawn to scenes where the basic elements of art coalesce into a pleasing gestalt. The image within the frame is more than anything a psychological space of shadow and light. There is the reality of the scene and there is the mood that it evokes. The elements of our visual world seemly organize themselves into patterns that reoccur over and over. I think the scenes that stop me are often a subliminal recognition of patterns I have seen before. So longing and nostalgia are reoccurring themes.
(c) Yasmine Rafii
(c) Yasmine Rafii
What is your photography routine like? Do you photograph every day?
I take my camera with me every time I leave the house. I may not make a photograph every day, but there is the possibility of a photograph every day.
What camera or mobile device do you use for photography? Do you shoot digitally, on film, or a mix of both?
I have a full-frame Canon EOS R8 and a Fuji XT 5 for travel, each with a couple of lenses. I am not big on gear. Two bodies and a few lenses are more than enough for me. It’s not about the tools we use, it’s about the seeing.
What challenges do you face when photographing on the street?
The biggest challenge for me is patience. It is easy to find engaging backdrops, it is much harder to wait for the right scene to unfold in that space. Waiting for the actors to walk on the set, so to speak. I don’t mind if people notice me, and I will gladly walk away if someone objects.
Do you ever wonder what happens to the people in your photos?
My assumption and wish is for them to have a good life, to be happy in their skin, and not to let photographers ruin their day.
(c) Yasmine Rafii
(c) Yasmine Rafii
(c) Yasmine Rafii
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception people have about street photography?
No matter what you photograph or where, you must be aware of composition and light. I think it is easy for the public to think street photography is not “serious art”. That it is the result of cheap voyeuristic tendencies and preying on the vulnerabilities of unsuspecting people. The ubiquity of phone cameras and social media have flooded the world with imagery whose one-second lifespans compete for our attention but have no staying power and dilute the strength of photography in general. That everyone is a photographer is both wonderful and boring.
But life happens on the street and if you are interested in life, the street is a legitimate place to practice making images. Whether it is “art” or not is more a function of strong composition and the effective use of shadow, light, and color to tell a story and convey a feeling or mood that has staying power.
What are your favourite elements to capture in a street photograph? (light, colour, composition, human interaction, etc.)
I am an omnivorous image-maker. It is all good.
What is your take on social media influence on street photography?
It has made photography in general much more popular, so there is more of an audience for all kinds of photography, which is a good thing even if a lot of the imagery is derivative and copy-cattish.
Are your prints available for purchase? If so, where can art buyers and collectors contact you to purchase them?
Prints are available on request.
(c) Yasmine Rafii
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?
Advice is cheap, so it often goes unheeded. But if I were in the advice-giving business, I would say the most important thing is to practice your seeing and be deliberate with the feeling or mood you intend to convey.
A huge thank you to Yasmine Rafii for sharing his incredible journey.
In Frame : Yasmine Rafii