What do your photographs say about you and your life ?
Its a simple question but I can hear your silence from miles away, its deafening !
The truth is that most of us are happy to pick up our cameras and rush out the door in the hope that something will turn up and we will get lucky. This approach is not rare and can be seen repeatedly on many SP web sites. I'm sure that we all accept that Street Photography for all its faults and interpretations of definition is at the very least a form of communication, this could be emotional, factual and hopefully creative, in short it is a alternative to using words as a descriptive form. In fact a photo is worth a thousand words, allegedly !
I see many SP efforts that are worth far fewer words but we'll not go there, now lets change the medium, take a look at how you might approach sending a text message and look at the decision process involved.
Who is it for ?
What do I need to communicate ?
Does the recipient read the same language as I write ?
The parallels between the two acts of picture making and texting are clear, the worry is that sending a text for most is so familiar that we accept the thought process above but often give less planning and consideration to the images we make on the streets. Would you send a text to a friend that said "Random Unremarkable Stranger" , no ! The value of the statement and images of this subject are not unrelated, they are of equal value.
The point I'm trying to make here is that we should engage with our photographic equipment in the same way we would a computer keyboard ,learn the rules of the medium , decide what you want to say and don't share your message until it says what you need to say, simple .
The next sentence relies on luck ,hope & serendipity . Djkfhieugfagj jgsrajj hjds ,,hgedfcvbgh hffsfgcbnvcvgdbk ! Those who are able to read the above message should carry on shooting without thought for form, structure and content , the rest of us might want to develop a more thoughtful approach to our Street Photography captures.
This blog was written on the back of a fruitless Street Photography session yesterday.
Enjoy the Easter break and keep it real .
