Is shooting nothing better than shooting anything ?
This question is really about shot selection, is something always better than nothing ?
I suspect the answer lies somewhere between the two positions , shooting nothing happens for various reasons but I’m not sure shooting any old thing in a visual litter picking fashion is any better ?
Making heaps of captures while shooting in a machine gun fashion might throw up “A Moment” of significance now and then but its not the most reliable of approaches despite it being great fun , having said that being too precious about pulling the trigger is not without its problems !
I often shoot with great freedom following lean periods , its a form of loosening up and taking the pressure off , relying on a subconscious playful instinctive approach definitely helps me when I’m not seeing it !
New photographers will definitely benefit from shooting lots of pictures , every failure is a learning opportunity and every success , a step forward , big shoots will tether you to your computer for longer periods too , that might be a good thing in the early days as the edit is a very important learning opportunity but its not how I get my kicks !
As each year passes I become harder to please photographically, I want good light and interesting moments, in short I want to be surprised by my own life and pictures , these surprises come in various shapes and forms , the ordinary is only interesting to me as a photographer if it is extraordinary in some way !
My Street Photography is for me , the pictures are the real motivation for me not the act of photographing , photography becomes more demanding over time, not because of age but because you have to keep pushing the envelope and looking deeper !
My personal target is six good visual surprises a year , they don’t always come but its fun looking !
It all comes down to what rings your bell , bland subjects and lighting tend to create boring pictures, you just have to keep the faith and believe that “Better” is just around the corner , if you’ve looked , walked and really engaged with your chosen location there is not much more you can do , its the bad days that make the good days good !
Street Photography can often be about managing personal expectations , the best photographers adapt to the conditions that exist, rather than hide behind the “Bad Light” excuse , every kind of light is good for something , the challenge is to match the conditions with the right subject , doing the right thing in the right place at the right time , simple ?
Remember , life, the universe and everything needs to align for great “Street” pics , that doesn’t happen everyday !
Having read this back it makes me wonder how any of us ever shoot anything at all , if you’ve set your personal expectation bar high enough, its definitely okay to come back with nowt !
every kind of light is good for something…
David Barrett shot the pandemic crisis during 2020, The Testing Times project is in progress and can be seen by clicking above .
The State Of Britain series is complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....
Check out the new UK Street Shop on this site to buy Prints, Guided Walks & More …
He is based in the South West of England .