If you're walking 'round think'n that the world owes you something cause
You're here…
Is Street Photography (like Golf) a good walk spoiled ?
Lets be clear I’m not talking about walking down a road with a camera hanging around your neck and a head full of emptiness, no, no, no, ! The mindset of the walk I’m describing here is a full on mental engagement with your surroundings that is curious, receptive, respectful & reactive ! This walk with a camera involves preparation of kit and mind . This walk should be physically and mentally challenging !
What sort of thoughts should pass through the mind of a engaged long distance walking Street Photographer ?
I find that a positive, optimistic and happy mindset is a great start to a “Street” shoot but a photographer is going to need a bit more than blind optimism and happiness to succeed ! A tool box full of compositional know how and kit familiarity is a prerequisite , these basics will get you in the game but won’t sustain your photo shoot for long , more mental substance and nourishment will be needed in the long term .
Where does the “Substance & Nourishment” come from ?
Indeed ! Where does the soul of your Street Photography come from , hopefully from you & your life , not from the tinternet or your recent photo book purchase, these sources will help you to acquire the building blocks you need to improve your ability to express yourself on the street but ultimately the visual solutions and subjects you select should come from deep inside of you , they should be meaningful to you .
Street Photography should be a personal vision of your world, not necessarily “The World” as we can only hope to reflect bite sized bits of our lives with wit and wisdom , the pursuit of a generic street style is best avoided, pursue a real connection with your surroundings and the work that your everyday environment inspires. This is your life, this will be YOUR work !
Don’t try too hard to show how something looks, instead invest your time finding a way to show how you feel about the scenario in front of you . Picture making should be personal , even though you are behind the camera you should be present in every capture !
The road that leads to meaningful “Street” captures is littered with failure on many levels , this failure should be embraced as a bi-product of learning not a reward of ineptitude , no one said it was easy !
My personal view is that Art is the best form of nourishment to feed your Street Photography , the real free thinkers are artists , photographers are obsessed with rules,regulations and self imposed shackles .
When all fails follow the light, great light is the cornerstone of great photography, above all, respect your own ideas and thoughts , explore them !
Don’t be afraid to walk alone & work hard .
Respect Yourself
If you disrespect anybody that you run in to
How in the world do you think anybody's s'posed to respect you
If you don't give a heck 'bout the man with the bible in his hand
Just get out the way, and let the gentleman do his thing
You the kind of gentleman that want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy, it's a brand new day
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you're walking 'round think'n that the world owes you something cause
You're here…
Until next time , keep it real !