Why Street Photography?

Z
Jul 2, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Jul 3, 2020

I remember having a pretty strong opinion about street photography before I started documenting the streets. I first thought street photography was about a random person, taking random photos of random people doing random things … little did I know how wrong I was, and how street photography would become a large part of my life.

I started my professional photography journey in a studio. Where we always planned everything to the T before any shoot. In an environment where everything costs, the models, hair & make up artists, studio spaces, props, lights and equipment. At times, an hour of overtime could be the difference between making a profit or breaking even. We tried our best to keep uncertainties to the absolute minimum.

I love all types of photography, but in hindsight, I unconsciously leaned towards photography that involved some sort of planning, what time will the sun come out, what’s the weather forecast going to be, how will the shadows fall onto the scene, where would be the best location to capture these combinations. There was always a formula, and a plan to execute.

But just like cooking, when you have cooked the same recipe a thousand times, shit starts to taste the same ... and as any chef would do, you'd try to change it up, make it different, make it better.

But what do you do when the clients keep going back to the original recipe because it's safe and it works with their customers?

So ... why “Street Photography?”

The irony was, what I thought I loved about the “in-control” nature of studio photography eventually got to me. Every studio photographer out there would know, 80% is about the prep whilst 20% is about the actual shooting.

I might get into more detail of it one day ...

But long story short, the 80% got the better of me, it became routine, a mundane routine.

It started to get in the way of what I actually loved doing. It drained me … The endless cycle of pre-shoot briefings, castings, meetings, it was all eating away at me bit by bit. I needed something to get myself out of the rut, needed something to bring back the purity of photography into my life.

Back to basics.

I once had a mentor who would remind me, “if you feel something isn’t working, try doing the complete opposite, get a taste of the flip side, only then will you truly realise what you really cared about in what you do.”

So, one day, completely “unplanned” …

I put on a set of headphones, playlist on shuffle, chose a direction and started walking with my little Olympus EP1. I also set a habit for myself which I still use today.

I would use a 4gig card in my cameras, I wouldn’t allow myself to peek into the photos until my card was full and, this limitation gave me a finite time to every session.

At the time, I thought this would create the closest feeling I could to shooting film, without having to shoot film. Which still is what I considered to be the purest form of photography, the most basic.

I remember feeling a little lost on my first few photo walks. The feeling of not knowing what I was “supposed” to snap, what the right etiquette was, have people staring at me whilst I was trying to capture a shot was intimidating as hell.

But at the same time, it was completely liberating, I was spending time with myself, to my own thoughts, doing what I love, for no other purpose than just to do it ... it felt “free” …

It wasn't until my 4th or 5th walk; something happened that completely changed the way I viewed the streets.

My headphones ran out of batteries!

I had forgotten to charge it after my previous walk and It was right at the start of my walk too!

I had those over-ear bluetooth headset that sat on top of the ears, which meant I could hear everything when the music was off.

When the batteries died, I simply left it on, clipped on my ears, I just didn’t have any pockets big enough to store them. I walked around like I usually would for the rest of my 4gig card that day.

Now, I could hear everything that was going on, but people thought I was listening to music, they didn't care about me. I found myself unconsciously listening to all the random conversations, complaints, chit chats that was going on all around me. I found myself involved in their conversations, involved in their lives, like some sort of sick reality show.

I got to admit, it felt a little stalker-ish, but weirdly ... I also felt a sense of connection that I never had with street photography.

It was that day, I truly fell into a passion for documenting the streets. I still didn’t know exactly what street photography was, but I got even more intrigued when I realised what my connection to the streets were.

THE PEOPLE'S STORIES.

I am so thankful that I am able to share moments in time where; the people and the place falls together in that split second, I get to listen, share, sometimes even a laugh with them. At the end of the day, I get to keep these memories on to share with the community.

These are some of the stories that connected with me on my first few photo walks, some would make me stay longer than others, but these moments will live on forever, amongst the millions of little stories that are lost at the same time.

My methods may not be considered as the purest of photography, but it gets close to being one of the RAWEST and most GENUINE forms I get to explore daily.

These photos were never intended to be showcased or shared on social media. It started as a form of meditation or self-exploration, but It really is funny how things work out in life sometimes. Street Photography has become a discipline that I hold dear to my daily life now.

It has become a way for me to connect with the streets and the people in the community. I go everywhere with a camera now, I shoot where ever I go and it just feels so right!

Like me, if you feel ever feel intimidated taking photos of strangers, just remember this ...

Be Honest, Be Open ... Start with a smile and share what you are doing, 10 out of 10 times, you will find that people's reaction to your honesty would bring a smile to your face.

Inspiration(s) for ‘your’ streets come from different things, but your inspirations can only be found on the streets. Everybody's connection will be different as what matters to me may not matter to you ... but these connections will become your 'Style' and will naturally define the look of your images.

The stronger the connection you have with whats important to you, the louder your image will be heard.