How to make Street Photography part of YOUR life
Ignore the lovely stock image above—I never have, and never will, shoot film. Life’s too short. I’m an analogue man, but film is a bridge too far. I don’t care about grain; I care about results.
And frankly, no photo lab on Earth should be subjected to my outtakes.
I know it’s hard to believe, but even I can be utterly shit—and most of the time, I am. Out of the hundreds of thousands of shots I’ve taken, only a few carefully chosen ones create the illusion that there’s anything more than a hack behind the camera—and, in this case, the keyboard.
It’s 4 AM on a Sunday, and I’m still drying off from the start of monsoon season in the UK—otherwise known as autumn (that’s “fall” for the Americans).
Archive is a Four Letter Word
Yesterday morning I’d been attempting to sort through my archive before abandoning the safety of the house for the tyranny of a biblical storm.
What I discovered, going through the archive, is that I don’t have as many good photos as I thought. Maybe it’s the effect of seeing them all together in one great JPEG soup, where the lasting impression is mediocrity and even the good images sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Proper curation would probably give me a clearer perspective. But whether there are any good ones or not is irrelevant—and it’s not a question that will be answered now, maybe not for another 20 years. Such is the nature of street and documentary photography.
Finding Time to Shoot
The reason I have so many isn’t about being good, great, bad, indifferent, or just lucky—it’s because I somehow found the time.
Whether it was eight-hour walks under blazing Barcelona sunshine or twenty stolen minutes on a rainy winter night in Manchester, on the way to meet friends, I was out with a camera.
That’s how you give yourself a chance to get something worthwhile—and, more importantly, how you learn the skills so that when a memorable moment does fall into your lap, you won’t be found wanting.
And that’s often how it goes: sat in a café or loitering outside Greggs, scarfing a sausage roll with greedy abandon. That’s when something extraordinary might happen—and it’s nice to have both a camera and the skills to immortalise it.
A lot of people I’ve spoken to over the years complain they just don’t have time for street photography. I sympathise, but I can’t quite relate—I’ve always managed to find time, and you can too.
Your Pixel Catcher (aka Camera) and How to Carry It
All you need is a manbag, a handbag, or simply a pocket—and we’ve all got something of that nature, I reckon.
I’ve had big cameras, small cameras, and everything in between. The trick is simple: carry the damn thing, and you’ll use it.
Personally, I prefer a small rucksack—nothing too bulky. It suits me, because I hate having stuff in my pockets. Even if I didn’t have a camera, I’d probably have a bag anyway, with my keys, a book, some cash, maybe a scarf or hat—whatever.
And if you’re not a bag person, then get a Ricoh GR and build it a little Pagoda in your pocket.
There’s No Perfect Time To Shoot
The thing with photowalks is they don’t have to last for hours. You don’t need to trudge through rain or wait for golden hour to head out when you’d rather be watching the new series of whatever. The street is a cruel mistress; it doesn’t wait for golden hour to reveal its secrets.
Especially in a city like mine, where the sun barely shows for half the year—it’s either take pictures or don’t. Shit or get off the pot, as they say.
How I Keep Practicing
I have a few strategies to help me get out on the street and give myself a chance of snapping a decent photo now and then. For starters, I like being outside—that’s always a good start.
I’ve got the aforementioned manbag, with my camera safely tucked away inside.
And I live close to a major city. For those who don’t, I’ll cover that another time.
I’m often in the city—used to be for work, which is when I really built up my library, and now mostly on weekends.
Whenever I’m meeting friends, I try to get there a little early: twenty minutes, half an hour, whatever free time I have. I’ll do a quick photowalk before meeting them, or sometimes, after seeing them, I’ll take the long way to the tram stop.
I go to a photography club every couple of weeks, so I know that for an hour or two every fortnight I’ll definitely be taking photos—and it all adds up.
Sometimes it’s more fun this way. We’ve all gone out on solo photowalks for hours, only to come home with diddly squat.
With these smaller walks, there’s less pressure, less expectation.
And to frame it another way, I’d rather do seven one hour photowalks in a week than one seven hour photowalk each week. Consistency is important and the brain often learns better this way. No one learns a musical instrument by practicing once a week, for example.
Obligatory Conclusion
Anyway, that’s how I find time for street photography. All those little minutes add up, skills develop, and before you know it, you’ve built a decent archive of photos.
It’s as easy—or as hard—as you make it. Good luck!
some recent shots (below)
