Composition relates to the specific material qualities: content, colour, and spatial organization of the image. It is these characteristic that help to define the genre of the image. The majority of street photographs share the same type of characteristics: usually black and white, film, close-up snapshot and so on. "The composition of the image is usually reduced to questions of its cultural context (Rose 21)." The interpretation of the image depends on paying attention to its visual and special structure.
The use of color, as well as space, plays an important role. Many images are in black and white, which tend to simplify the noise in the image. However, sometimes a particular color may be highlighted or an image may be washed out. This draw attention to that subject and gives an intended meaning or feel to the image that may have otherwise not been achieved. Color can also be used to add stress or break up a picture providing a tension to the viewer.