Stories From the Street
Out of all the photos I take and the genres of photography street photography is by far my favourite. It’s hard to explain why because, in reality, they are never the most dramatic nor are they necessarily the most interesting. However, for some reason, it’s the genre of photography that I find the most captivating and, at times the most challenging.
This blog is where I’ll share some of the images I’ve collected from city streets — along with the small observations or feelings that came with them. They may not be grand stories, but they are real people and the emotion behind them is also real.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you see something here that makes you pause, think and reflect.
Capturing people doing every day things, on the face of it, can seem quite mundane. On the contrary I feel like it’s the most captivating genre of photography. Everyone is so busy these days, head-down trying to get somewhere to do something that they probably don’t want to do. It’s easy to not pay attention to 99% of what’s going on around you. Taking a second to lift your head up and notice the world around you is fast becoming a skill that very few of us seem to practice these days.
When you take a step back, take a moment, pause for second and see what the rest of the world looks like, you realise that practically everyone you pass in the street, even though you don’t know them, has a an equally difficult life as yours. We all have bills, responsibilities, commitments and concerns, yet the natural behaviour is see yours as the most important.
Even though I very rarely speak to the people I capture on the street, I can’t help but wonder who they are, why they are there, what their life is all about. The real poetry of street photography is that, if you capture the moment right, you get to make up your own narrative and story as to who that person is and why, in that fleeting moment have your paths crossed.
The most challenging part of street photography is not getting spotted. When I’m out on the street for the sole purpose of taking photos, I’m on high alert to the environment around me. I can see thousands of scenes that would tell an amazing story—if captured correctly. Sometimes, however, you just have to let a moment pass, as it would be too obvious to the subject what you’re doing. I’ve developed a few techniques over the years to cover my tracks when I think I’ve been spotted—like bringing my camera down from my face and looking into the distance, way past the subject, to give the impression I was photographing something behind them.
The best photos are the ones where you capture an everyday moment. Taking a photo in a café of two people deep in conversation only works if it’s just that. If you were to ask permission, the moment is no longer real and lacks any emotion. This means getting creative to get the shot. Setting the timer and holding the camera by your side, pointing it at the subject, is one way to do it.
I love this photo. I have no idea who these people are. Perhaps an estranged father and son meeting for the first time in years. Work colleagues figuring out their next business move. Long-lost friends reminiscing about the old days. Does it matter? Not one bit. That’s the art. It could be anything. It could be nothing. You don’t know—and you don’t need to know. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.
If you think that you are taking too many photos when you are out on the street, then you probably aren’t. As the saying goes, “Skills can be practiced, never mastered” and the same is true with street photography
Getting comfortable with walking around a busy town or city and pointing your camera towards innocent people just going about their day-to-day is more difficult than you might think. However, like most things, the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.
To be any good at street photography, you have to get over the fear that comes with pointing and shooting at an unsuspecting subject. I’ve seen plenty of street photographers approach people on the street and ask for their blessing to take their photo. The issue I have with this is that they are only showing you the people that say “OK” to this versus the countless unpolite (or worse) declines and looks of fear they probably get.
The best moments are the most natural. The ones that paint a picture of everyday life. The ones that capture a moment in time. The ones that make you look twice. The ones that stir an emotion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Capturing the day to day, the everyday, is beauty to me.