The late great Charlie Watts once claimed that he only “worked five years with the Rolling Stones and spent 20 years hanging around” …
I’m sure photographers reading this will be able to associate themselves with the sentiments here , the ability to “Hang Around” is an essential skill for many forms of photography including “Street” , patience is much more than a virtue within a photographic approach , it is a prerequisite , waiting , watching , thinking , visualising , seeing and capturing moments is hard work , there is much more to this “Hanging Around” malarkey than meets the casual eye , being in the right place at the right time is little more than a starting point and a romantic notion , most of the time better images can be created by awaiting better light , greater insight and improved serendipitous events , in short “Hanging Around” is good for you and your photography !
Life does throw up one off unique moments everyday but the chances of seeing them let alone photographing the best of these moments is slim but that is what makes “Street Photography” unique and devilishly challenging , when these special moments occur value them , they are the essence of Street Photography …
The “Bish , Bash , Bosh” photographic response to spontaneous serendipitous moments is the raw spirit of Street , it is the most demanding and frequently the most unreliable "modus operandi" but by far the most rewarding when all the coincidental visual elements conspire to collide and deliver “special” pictures …
Are you feeling lucky ?
Finding a balance between risk and reward within your Street approach is essential , playing long odds can deliver big rewards but slim pickings over long periods can be difficult to sustain even for the most optimistic amongst us , playing it safe can become formulaic , predictable and underwhelming , in my view the only way forward involves a approach that lives somewhere between backing “Long Shots” & relying on “Favorites” this pick & mix approach will enable a positive mindset to thrive as “reasonable” expectations are met more frequently and the jackpot hit once or twice a year …
UNITY , a picture from Durham Miners Gala , 2015 …
See the next unexposed frame within your camera as a blank canvas , a fresh start and a new opportunity , your next picture can be whatever you want it to be within reason , do you expect the perfect moment / photograph to manifest itself in front of you and just turn up ? I do , that is why I prepare to be lucky , I don’t walk around with a “never ready” camera case on my camera or a lens cap on my lens , I’m ready , I always expect good things to happen and sometimes they do ……
What can you do to improve your next picture , what are experienced togs doing that others are not , why do the same togs keep finding the best moments ? The “Best” photographers fail most frequently , they also succeed consistently because they roll the dice most , walk further , look deeper , edit harder and wait around longer …
Special “Street” moments march to the beat of their own drum , photographers need to get in touch with higher levels of anticipation , instinct and dare I say “LUCK” in order to benefit from the gifts that everyday life delivers , we can all roll the dice, take a chance and play the odds or we can await circumstances that are more favorable to success , don’t eliminate risk entirely from your mindset as that is where the magic hides but be prepared to await its arrival , in short trust your primal instincts , believe that life the universe and everything will align just for you , you just have to hang around for a few minutes , hours , days , weeks , etc , etc , etc …
It wil happen but you have recognise the “Moment” when it arrives , as ZZ Top might say “You might not see it in person but it will be there just the same” …
Do you know what your waiting for , do you know what the “Moment” looks like , that’s another blog for another day …
Keep it real …
MORE…
If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from LIMBOLAND , my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series or The Testing Times pictures , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…