Daniel Kashi, Grand Winner of the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026, Celebrated for Moving Between Reality and the Surreal Without Being Bound by a Single Way of Seeing
An Exclusive Interview with Pure Street Photography
Discover how picking up a camera again in 2017 opened an unexpected world for Daniel, leading from Flickr’s street photography community to hours spent studying the masters, and beginning a photographic education he still considers unfinished.
Interview by Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao
6/10/2026
(c) Daniel Kashi
(c) Daniel Kashi
Congratulations on being awarded Grand Winner at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026, Daniel! How does it feel to see your photograph go from an award submission to an internationally recognised winning image, receive worldwide press coverage from The Guardian to Forbes, and now be exhibited in Jaipur, India, in November 2026?
It's honestly mind blowing. I wish I could travel to Jaipur, not at least to see the other wonderful photographs.
(c) Daniel Kashi (France), Grand Winner, “Chantilly June 2025”
We would love to know more about you! Who you are and where you're from? When did you start street photography?
I grew up in Germany (Stuttgart) where I spent my formative years playing theater and voicing radio plays, doing poetry slam and playing in bands. After completing my alternative service at an anti-authoritarian daycare center, I moved to Berlin and studied literature and philosophy there. From there I went to the U.S. for my PhD which I am now finally and way to late about to finish. In the meantime I had become a father of my fantastic now 5 year old daughter, had moved back to Berlin, and am now with my French partner in Paris.
During all that time I on and off owned cameras but wasn't very seriously about taking pictures. I remember, though, my brother telling me at a very young age: "You need to capture a moment!", which always stayed with me. Around 2017 I wanted start photographing again, mostly to capture friends and family, and so I bought beginner DSLR, opened a flickr account (I know I am old) and discovered a vivid street photography scene there that immediately captured my enthusiasm. But I first had to learn how to actually use a camera outside of program mode. It was also on flickr that I first learned about the older and younger masters of street photography. I spent hours in the library looking at the old masters, and once I had found them I spent hours on flickr searching through group archives such as HCSP and Street Fight.
What inspired you to become a street photographer?
I guess I already answered parts of this in the previous question. What captures my attention in Street photography is the beautiful spectrum from sometimes uncompromising documentary approaches, to the playful, dreamy, surrealist transformations of everyday life.
How would you describe your work in terms of style and/or approach?
I don't think I can. Maybe one could say I haven't found my style yet, but I enjoy various ways of shooting and rendering reality equally, so I am not sure I want to settle on one. That said, I am also still very much learning. Lately I've been trying more and more to let the context in which I am shooting determine style and approach.
(c) Daniel Kashi
(c) Daniel Kashi
What is your photography routine like? Do you photograph every day?
I wish I could. Before becoming a dad I would make sure to go out at least on a weekly basis. Now, it's irregular. Sometimes I don't shoot for a month or more and then I have a week off where I get to go out every day. But I also carry my camera for family events and gatherings.
What camera or mobile device do you use for photography? Do you shoot digitally, on film, or a mix of both?
I started on a Canon Rebel (500D), and switched for many years to a Fuji X-T1 (which I love!). Recently I have upgraded to an X-T4, because my X-T1 pretty much started falling apart. I never had more than one camera and two lenses. But I am now thinking of getting a smaller compact camera to carry around all the time.
What challenges do you face when photographing on the street?
Not many anymore to be honest. In Germany people are very suspicious of cameras in public, so I had to get good at de-escalating situations with charm and a smile. Here in Paris people don't seem to give ... care too much. The challenges I face are mostly photo related. Which angle, where to position myself, composing quickly etc. I mostly don't try to hide what I am doing too much, because more often than not it hinders me to take the photo the way I want to take it.
Do you ever wonder what happens to the people in your photos?
Depending on the photo. There is a few characters that I've captured that I am a bit in love with, so yes I wonder about their lives.
(c) Daniel Kashi
(c) Daniel Kashi
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception people have about street photography?
That it's aggressive and disrespectful.
What are your favourite elements to capture in a street photograph? (light, colour, composition, human interaction, etc.)
The human element is definitely very important to me. I am very much at home in crowds, but ideally I want all of these things to converge. Purely formal photographs interest me less however. But I also wouldn't necessarily favor an interesting moment badly composed over a boring moment well composed. It really depends.
What is your take on social media influence on street photography?
I am child of social media. I think it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing because without it the radical democratization of photography wouldn't have been possible. Platforms like flickr were catalysts for the revival of Street photography and today effectively function like vast and priceless archives of that history.
But—and we all know this—algorithms, such as those on Instagram, tend to promote standardized content. The fast pace that social media requires, is harmful to quality and photographic practice. The medium at which most of us are looking at images (small cell phone screens) doesn't do the art form justice and also influences which photographs are deemed successful. That's one reason why I think Flickr is still the place to be – it's slower and you can look at images full screen. Maybe Schaller's Iris thing will develop into a good alternative.
Social media allows us to see a lot of very good photography without having to buy expansive photo books. Even though I believe that books are the best medium for photography, one shouldn't underestimate the benefits of having unlimited access to fantastic photographers and beautifully curated online galleries.
Are your prints available for purchase? If so, where can art buyers and collectors contact you to purchase them?
If anyone is interested they can have a look on my website and contact me on Instagram. https://danielkashi.github.io/Daniel-Kashi-Portfolio/#top
(c) Daniel Kashi
(c) Daniel Kashi
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?
Nothing they haven't heard before. Look at photo books, browse through flickr archives, shoot a lot, and have fun doing it.
In Frame : Daniel Kashi