Oddities of Life

Street photography is all about the street…It might take hours and miles to hit the pavement and find that one photo that says, you did good. While you can do street photography in any town, I surely find a difference in the definition of ‘any town’. IE….Tucson AZ is not nearly as doable as Philadelphia PA.

So the other day in Philadelphia I walked for 4-5 hours and put in 10 miles. I did the same the next day too. All told I came out with one roll of film or 36+ images to review. Not a lot, but I don’t press the shutter just to press the shutter. Although I must admit the ‘sound’ of the shutter on my OM2 is ridiculously addicting. I think someone should make a ‘white noise’ sound of that shutter being pressed to get people to sleep. It is ‘that’ gratifying!

So….I ended up with 38 images and of those, I elected to scan 27 images so not a bad ‘hit rate.” Out of those 27 possibles, I feel I really enjoyed 4-5 images. So pretty good, for film or digital or anything. Given that I take my time and set up a shot or, I see a shot in the making, …..I plan ahead. I am constantly roaming with purpose and not just snapping with ease. I want impact….I want uniqueness. I want my style in my images.

I shot my OM2…..with Arista 400 EDU. If you read my blogs you will see that thru the years I manage to shoot many types of film as each type brings with it a flair, a purpose…. And Arista is no different although you still have to take the basic attributes of that film (you get to know this thru time and experience with each) and transfer your skill and your ‘want’ out of each image so it matches the style of the film.

Below is an example….. I like this image. It is crusty, …rough and ready….odd….unique, different and has flavor.

Here is another example of what I enjoy seeing….

The latter is a reflection…. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time for the foreground to shine thru and overpower the background of the van.

Now….experiment on your own. Find your style…..it doesn’t make a difference as to what your style is, ….just find it. It might takes years and within those years and miles and rolls of film, your style will most likely evolve. There is no one right style….just yours. Enjoy it….and learn from it. Grow and adapt and change and experiment as life is all about that.

More on "Street"

in previous blogs I have spoken to several things that make for better ‘street work’…. One of them being ‘choosing the correct gear’ (camera and lens), while the other is access. So read a few blogs behind this one.

Another ‘street’ element to take into account is “Time’….

The same can be said for just about any venture one does for pleasure or work, but having the time and spending the time in the field is critical. If you are not ‘out there’, you won’t capture any images. That seems pretty basic. But surprisingly I see many people who want to be street photographers but rarely spend time in the field. Most lately, and one that directly relates to me is that I have a local meet-up group here in Tucson and soon-to-be in Philadelphia, and although multiple folks belong to the group and perhaps comment on photos, or post one or two of their own, rarely do they actually go ‘in the field’…

Without going into the field, essentially there is no growth opportunity. How can you get the hang of choosing the right gear etc, or….gaining access to a situation; if you are not on the street frequently. Being on the street allows me to see if the camera I brought along is worthy of what I am trying to capture. Or, the lens I have…. I know for a fact that when I go into a ‘parade’ situation or busy streets, that many times it is best to have at least a 50mm lens, and sometimes a 75-85mm. How did I figure that out? I know the way I prefer to shoot; I know what I am trying to capture….and by trial and error, I fknow my optimum focal length depending on the situation.

Without being on the street frequently and putting my time in, how do I learn how to gain access to some very tricky situations? How to shoot in a dark alley and be safe? How to be around groups of people at night? How to shoot pretty girls and not offend them? How to shoot candid shots and less reliance upon posed shots? All of that begins with and ends with; yes…you guess it….putting the ‘time in’ your photography and learning what there is that needs to be learned.

So time….such an easy thing. Now, I also hear photographers who tell me that they are burned out and don’t feel like going into the streets. Well, perhaps….. Perhaps also that street photography isn’t for you. Or, perhaps they fail to realize that it isn’t always easy to build up motivation to ‘put in your time’. I suffer from that as we all do. This isn’t any different from a painter, or sculpture or any artist at work. Sometimes you don’t want to put in the time. I get it….but I also know that when those unmotivated days show up, the only way to get around them is simply to take camera+ lens + film and go out on the streets. Admittedly it is easy for me to do this while in Philly since my condo there is downtown, as opposed to getting into a car and driving to your destination. Still though…..ask yourself. Do you want to be a good street photographer and if the answer is yes, well….you know what is required of you.