A diehard Perthling, Kyle Attwood is out capturing the city on any given Saturday. He’s a documentarian as much as a stylist, and his commitment to his art puts him among Perth’s best street photographers, if not most prolific.

I got the chance to ask Kyle a few questions about his style, shooting, and favourite shots.

As an introduction, what’s your most popular shot, and what’s the story behind it?

The most popular would probably be The Lady With The Icecream. It’s not actually one of my personal favourites, but it’s definitely the photo that gets the most comments and reactions.

The story behind it is pretty simple. I had stopped in at Irohas to drop off some film and they loaned me a new lens to try. I was wandering around afterwards and found a festival happening in Forrest Place. I was trying to finish the roll so I could return the lens and drop the test roll back.

I saw the lady standing there holding an ice cream and took the photo. At the time it felt like a fairly ordinary moment. It was only when I got the scans back that I noticed the young girl in the background looking at the ice cream. Her expression completely changes the image and makes the shot.

What about a personal favourite with a great story behind it?

That’s a tricky one. I’m still figuring out what I do and don’t like in my work, so choosing a favourite is difficult. There are a lot of photos I like, but a favourite is a different thing altogether.

One that stands out goes back to 2023, when I had just started getting back into street photography and was heading into the city most weekends. I was standing in a laneway in the CBD watching a patch of light spilling onto the street, waiting for someone to walk through it.

I couldn’t see who was coming, so I just had to wait and hope the moment would work. Eventually this gentleman stepped into the light. He had one hand in his pocket and a cigarette in his mouth, and the smoke caught the light as he walked through the frame.

It’s not really the style of street photography I shoot much anymore, but the photo still means a lot to me. It was one of the moments early on where I realised what could happen just by being out there with a camera.

You famously hate Perth’s stigma as a boring city, what’s your advice to other Perth street photographers trying to find a good way to shoot it?

I do, it frustrates me. Perth gets labelled as a boring city, but I think that reputation mostly comes from people not actually spending time in it. When people stop going into the CBD because they think nothing is happening, it creates a cycle where things feel quieter than they are.

In reality there is almost always something going on. Events, cultural celebrations and small gatherings pop up regularly. By simply being in the city often I have stumbled across things I never would have known about otherwise.

My advice to other Perth street photographers is to embrace the mundane and pay attention to small details. Not everything has to be a big moment. Look for the little signs of life, gestures, humour, objects left behind, stickers on poles, strange things people have attached to walls.

If you spend enough time walking and observing, Perth reveals a lot more than its reputation suggests.

What are some underrated spots to shoot in Perth?

With Perth it’s important to remember that street photography doesn’t have to mean the CBD. Head down to Fremantle, across to Scarborough, or out to places like Guildford and Bassendean. They all have their own character and often host events throughout the year that bring people into the area, so there are usually interesting moments happening and things to be seen.

Even within the CBD, step off the main streets and explore the laneways. A good example is Howard Lane. I photographed that lane over a couple of years when people had been sticking small pieces of artwork to the walls with silicone. One day I walked back through and they were all gone. They had been removed so the walls could be freshly painted.

Walking the same streets repeatedly and noticing those small changes is one of the things I enjoy most about photographing Perth.

What about some Perth contemporary street photographers that you love?

I can’t answer this one without mentioning my good friend Bryan Chong. We’re usually out shooting together most weekends. We work in a similar style and have developed a nice rhythm on the street, moving around each other and often capturing different moments from the same situation.

Another photographer I admire is David Juggles. His street portraits really bring out the personality of the people he photographs, and his candid street images often feel like you’re right there in the middle of the moment.

Kirsty Greenland is another. The way she uses light and contrast in her work is really distinctive and engaging.

We’re fortunate to have a lot of great street photographers in Perth and I could easily turn this answer into a long list, but I’ll leave that for you to publish a “top Perth street photographers” list at some point haha.

You can find more of Kyle’s work on his Instagram, @kyleattwoodphoto, and website www.kyleattwood.com