8. My DO’S and DON’TS in Street Photography
Buongiorno a tutti! I hope you are having a great Halloween weekend! :)
This morning, I woke up with the idea of writing about something different from the usual topics… Don’t worry, we will still talk photography, but from another perspective.
During our previous coffee break snaps, we talked about my tips for night street photography, how to train the eye to see more creatively, what to photograph at museums, how colors influence our mood, we practiced travel photography together and then chatted about how to recognize the best focal length for each one of us. Already a large variety of topics!!! How can today’s topic be “more different” from the others? Well, I am sure that you have noticed the common aspect that links all my blog posts: the freedom to create in any way you think is best for you, with no rules.
However, in photography as in life, each one of us has their own “inner rules” or “personal ethics” that guide our everyday actions. Ok people, I am not talking about stuff like “do not break the law”… that’s obvious ;D. I mean those small decisions to do or not do something, that we take guided by an inner sense of “I don’t do this… this does not feel good, although I could do it with no consequence”.
I discovered that although I feel completely free when I am out on the street with my camera, I have strong do’s and don’ts in me, and I stick to those without feeling limited in my creativity.
I list my most important ones, and I would really love you could write me yours in the comments!
There is no right or wrong here: it is just really interesting to see how different people reason around the same topics.
Ok, I start telling you my DO’S and DON’TS:
1. BE RESPECTFUL: this is for sure my number one rule.
Although taking the shot I want is for sure very important to me, I would never do it at the expense of the dignity of the subject of my photo. A big DON’T for me is photographing people in need, defenseless or in embarrassing situations. I see many photos on social media displaying technically wonderful images of homeless people, ill children, drunk and poor figures doing something embarrassing in the street, people with strange/funny expression of their face because they are biting a sandwich or are about to sneeze. I know, street photography is described by purists as the art of capturing candid, unposed moments in public spaces, emphasizing storytelling and focusing on a documentary-style approach to reality. Dramatic moments, embarrassing instants, weird situations perfectly fit in this definition, but not in my “photography ethics”. I would never take a photo using a difficult moment of someone else to show a powerful story, nor a shot that would ridicule an unaware subject. Top DON’T for me in my street photography.
2. CHERISH INSPIRATION, STAY AWAY FROM IMITATION: something I have never been able to do, in any aspect of my life, is copying someone else. It is something that I consider so low and so unworthy of esteem that I avoid it at all costs, even if the idea of the other person, the thing the other person bought or the way the other person lives, write, creates is absolutely amazing. What would I achieve from copying someone else? I would just show to myself an absolute lack of personality. This is even more important in art, such as photography, because creativity should come from a need to express and communicate: how can I copy someone else??? Does it mean that I do not have anything original and personal to say and I need to use the voice of someone else? Copycat is a BIG DON’T.
Inspiration is something different thought: it is s BIG DO! I think it is very healthy to choose to be surrounded by people with a strong creative mind, positive personality, original style that inspire us to develop our own, original work and way to create.
3. CHANGES ARE GOOD! … in style, in photography niche, in everything! I DO ALLOW MYSELF TO CHANGE. It is known that a photographer is always encouraged to achieve a recognizable style, possibly same color pallet on the Instagram grid, same kind of subjects and photography niche, in order to “be a good photographer” (which, in social media language means “gain followers”). However, what’s most important for me is to keep my creativity alive. For example, I have lately paid a lot of attention to trees, autumn leaves, pumpkins, flowers… “whaaaat? That’s not your style!!!”. Well, if I had not done it, I wouldn’t have come up with these multiple exposures I am quite happy about. I really believe that changes feed creativity.
In-camera multiple exposures; Fujifilm X-T5 + XF 56 mm f/1.2 WR
4. GO BEYOND DEFINITIONS: you know me a bit by now, if I hear a definition aiming at restricting my creative process, I take the opposite way, and see where it leads me. Do you know the quote by Paulo Coelho “Sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right place”? This quote has been so true many times in my life… so why shouldn’t it work also in photography?
What I mean is this: a photo usually gets the tag of “street photo” if frames a candid moment of one or more persons in the street. What about objects or places? I actually started paying attention to those as well, because many times they can tell a story. They can reflect human absence, human presence, sense of time and several different feelings. I do not want to be biased by definitions, and miss something that can tell a story, only because it will not be accepted in the category of street photography. ( In the end… is that really important to be part of a category?).
Fujifilm X-T5 + XF 56 mm f/1.2 WR
5. TRUST THE PROCESS: I guess everyone has those down moments, in which every photo you take looks “bleah” or “meh”, and you feel that you are not progressing. At least, I so have those moments, and it is quite difficult to battle against that little voice saying “I am not good enough”.
However, I learnt that after down moments, usually a change in creativity or style comes, if I keep my brain active and don’t beat myself up. My BIG DO in those moments is to keep learning, take a course is something creative related to photography (or not… drawing? Sketching? Why not?!). Never stop learning, everything can contribute to boost the creative ideas in our photos!
Ok, I stop to these 5 DO’S and DON’TS, I feel these are my most important ones.
What about yours? I am really curious to hear if you have any, and if they are the same as mine or completely different (leave me a note in the comments :) ).
Now I leave you to your Sunday. I go to tidy up home and then edit a couple of photos that I left behind from last week.
Buona giornata (have a good day) and chat photography soon again!
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