10 Reasons Why I love Shooting Street Photography

1. Street Photography is a Challenge

Street photography is always a challenge. It requires skills such as timing, reaction, awareness, being able to anticipate, visualizing a scene, being brave, being sly, a little luck, and so many more to make a photo.

I always make the analogy that street photography is like fishing…some days you’ll catch a fish…but rarely you’ll catch the fish you want. Fishing requires a lot of patience and time too, just like with street photography, it takes time and patience to come across a scene on the streets and being at the right place at the right time. But once you finally see a scene you like and make a photo of it, it makes you appreciate everything that goes into street photography. The walking (sort of like a hunter on the streets), going on days, weeks, or even months without anything self satisfying.

If I were to make a good photo every time I went out, I would lose interest real quickly. I need to be challenged in everything that I do or else I get…bored.

2. Street Photography is my Creative Outlet

I was always a creative person. I just felt like I was another being from another planet. I always saw things in a real weird or strange way. Most of the time I would interpret things in a more comical sense because humor and laughter makes me feel good. So I try to find those moments when I’m out shooting.

My background is in Film/Video, I earned my Bachelor’s in Film at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I’ve always been intrigued with what art could do and in sharing stories through the lens. I don’t pursue any narration avenues anymore through film/video, it’s too stressful, you end up being more of a manager/baby sitter, especially when you have a low budget to produce films or when you’re working with a client (usually small local businesses) with little to no budget. It’s fun and a challenge to an extent but not as much as street photography.

Street photography is only up to you. How much you want to put in. It’s sort of like training at the gym to improve your health and physical physique. You can hire a trainer and have a training partner but ultimately your success and failure are based on you and you alone. In film/video there can be a lot of finger pointing, well the editor didn’t do a good job cutting this scene, the lighting was bad, the actors sucked…In street photography, nothing is staged, it’s happening in real time and in public setting. You can only blame yourself for not taking the picture, not having your camera settings correct, not being close or far enough, not editing properly, not studying other photographers, not improving one self, all of these is dependent on you.

3. Street Photography helps me Zone Out

Street photography helps me get my mind off the daily stresses….what is my family going to eat for dinner, when will i receive my rightfully deserved raise, work stuff, family stuff, the future, the past, friendships, the what if’s…our current state of our country, etc.

When I shoot, all those worries exit the door. If for some reason it doesn’t I can’t really focus on being in the moment and enjoy my photo walk and ends up being a waste of time.

4. I Enjoy Walking

I’ve always enjoyed walking as I’ve used the time to relax and meditate away from my stresses. I started walking at a young age 10 months old, my parents couldn’t afford a stroller so they made me walk everywhere. I used to walk a mile or two home all through grade school, so walking was never an issue for me. Plus it kept the body fat in check.

Nowadays, I take a walk when I can, I’ll walk on my hour lunch break with my camera. On the weekends, after work. This helps me get away from sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day or staring at my phone. If I don’t take a walk sometime within the day I get irritated and my body specifically my shoulders get real tight.

Making photos out on my walk is the bonus.

5. Street Photography helps me Appreciate the Moment

Being out and about allows me to appreciate my community, my environment, but also be aware and conscious of issues in my area (homelessness, traffic, people looking miserable because of their jobs, people glued to their phones, etc). Through my observation it helps me better understand people in their current state and also allows me to reflect on the past with the rapid changes in comparison to my own childhood.

6. I love Creating My Own Images

I love taking/making photos out in the public setting. I have something where I can call my own! I don’t work for anyone, have anyone to tell me get this or get that. I click the shutter when my eyes, heart, and soul feel something out in the streets. Once it’s capture, it can never be duplicated, it is unique to my own eyes and personal touch.

It’s very similar to remodeling your own home. From buying of the materials, getting your hands dirty all with a vision in mind. The simplicity of visualizing something that’s personal to you and making it become a reality is a great feeling. For photos, when you see that A-HA moment out in the streets and make an image out it, it’s sort of like an orgasimic feeling.

 

7. I Like to People Watch

I love to observe and see what other people do out in the public. How they act or react in certain situations. Observing how we’re all so similar but yet so far disconnected from one another. Observing how people interact in groups versus solo.

8. Street Photography is Fun

I wouldn’t continue doing street photography if it wasn’t fun. The day that I have no fun in it, is the day I’ll completely stop. I need to often remind myself that I shoot for myself and not to take this so seriously. Street photography is my medicine for stress (better than cigarettes).

9. Everyday is a New Opportunity

Everyday is a new day to conquer an opportunity in which is awaiting before us. Same applies in street photography, everyday is a new day. You can go to the same spot at the same exact time of day and you’ll always discover something new. It’ll always be different and therefore you’re money shot of an opportunity might just rain on you from the photo God’s. I shoot at the same spots time after time, I have yet to be bored or become lazy.

You don’t need to travel to a new place every year to make good photos. You can do it in your back yard or anywhere rather. That’s what makes street photography as unique as it is.

10. Keeps Me Inspired

Street photography keeps me inspired knowing that I’m documenting my surroundings, my community for the greater good of mankind. It helps me get through the day at work, it makes me have something to look forward to. I don’t shoot street to make money, I do it because it feels right, in my gut it feels good to go out and make photos.

Looking at other street photographer’s photos online and through books keep me moving. A lot of times I’m just amazed at what other people see and are able to capture, it blows me away. Creating nothing into something is very uplifting too, as we all try to do that in our everyday life through work, school, trying to make a $1 out of .15 cents.

 

I hope my 10 reasons on why I love to shoot street photography resonated with you. Ask yourself why you enjoy shooting street photography and this may lead to a bigger purpose with a more refined goal down the line.

Thanks for reading, keep shooting.

Tim