Why Everyone Should be a Street Photographer
Boredom, the inescapable party pooper of life. Just when you think you have escaped him, you take your eyes off the game and he appears once again to suck the fun from your existence.
Boredom is like the loud chewer at dinner time, for a while, you can politely ignore him but after a while that incessant chopsing and gum slapping becomes deafening. Before long it becomes so unbearable, everything from the table cloth to the cutlery becomes a viable option for a gruesome exit, not great.
If boredom was simply a lone wolf who announced his arrival at every turn this wouldn't be an issue but he doesn't. He has an entourage of smooth talking companions ready to lure you in. Routine, familiarity and comfort are all great folks to have around, like old friends they are easy to talk to, make you feel at ease but the moment you lose focus they have peeled off into the crowd and old boredom has stepped in, ready to drone on relentlessly about congestion charges or the benefits of refinancing.
You might think this is reserved for the 99% who don’t have helicopters and yachts to scoot about in but not so. Money can, of course, be super helpful in holding off the humdrum but sooner or later that unwelcome guest, quietly sifting through your CD collection will gravitate towards you.
Fear not, however, there is a solution, a handy friend ready to divert that looming foe, and their name… street photography.
This unassuming Samaritan is the perfect solution and here’s why:
Our brains, ever the fastidious sorts are like the librarians of our lives. They like nothing more than to arrange every happening into neat little departments. Every time we have a new experience a brand new department is set up. The first time you saw a puppy, your first ice cream, first kiss, holiday, skydive. Each first comes with its own little zone and once again the brain has another little room to furnish, it’s what keeps us ticking over. The problem is, every time we do the same thing, it stops being unique, it loses that new car smell and before you know it, boredom once again has tapped you on the shoulder to ask what grout you used to do the bathroom.
The essence of street photography comes from being able to notice the moments beyond the norm, the unique firsts. To witness those fleeting disruptions to the conveyor belt of life as they unfold and be ready with a camera.
People, objects, light, physics, and geometry are constantly conspiring to let fly these one-off's but so often we are so busy with our lives we miss them. It seems counterproductive to think it but allowing yourself to do nothing can often be the most productive thing. The wonderful thing with street photography is it lends purpose to that nothing, an excuse not check your emails whilst waiting for that bus or a reason to not take a book to the park.
It’s amazing how quickly these moments can emerge and the more you capture them, the more you notice and it grows from there. Before long your mind is knocking up small towns of never before’s and maiden moments. You’ll find bits to behold in even the most mundane of circumstance and that nasal tone of boredom will be squeezed out by more worthy companions like wonder and curiosity.
Even if you are not a photographer it doesn't matter. The godfather of street photography Henri Cartier-Bresson famously said: “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” Technique is simply applying a set of rules, all can be learned. The beauty of street photography is bearing witness to the wonder of life around you and if you are lucky capturing that in a way that conveys that moment to everyone else. If you fail to capture that moment in print who cares, it just means that moment was just for you.
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