How to Live Better? Lessons From Street Photography
Transforming the challenges of street photography into valuable life lessons
“Photography is a love affair with life” — Burk Uzzle
Now, in my mid-forties, I feel as though I've finally stepped into a life that truly feels like my own, one that might have sparked envy if I were observing it from the outside. While many in this stage of life may settle into familiar routines, I've found myself embracing a new wave of creativity and discovery. It's as if I've fallen in love—with my life, and with photography.
Photography came into my life two years ago and has captivated me ever since. How else to describe the feeling of warmth rising from the heart and radiating through the whole being during a photography session?
Although I am currently in the dating phase, unable to fully commit to just one photographic style at the expense of all others, it is street photography that fascinates me the most.
To me, street photography is more than just taking photos; it’s a teacher that shows me the proper way to live. It teaches me what kind of person I need to become to truly engage with both street photography and life.
However, there are some challenges we must overcome to practice street photography effectively. I’m not presenting myself as an expert. Far from that. I constantly struggle with the challenges street photography presents to me. But, once we start overcoming them, these challenges become lessons, guiding us to better street photography and better living.
We Have to Confront Our Fears
Ask anyone who runs a street photography workshop and they will tell you that the most frequently asked question is “How do I overcome my fear of shooting strangers on the street?” — Brian Lloyd Duckett
People are generally not very happy when they see someone with a camera, let alone if that person is taking their photo. What if they see me? How will they react when I capture their face, clothes look, and environment on an memory card?
In such situations, I understand that a strong reaction, or even anger, from a passer-by, is possible. I am also aware that capturing and sharing a photo on my street profile could inadvertently cause harm to someone, as what I perceive as an intriguing interplay of light and shadow, others may perceive as a violation of their rights or probing into their privacy.
To make things even more uncomfortable for both the photographer and the subject, in street photography, we often have to get very close to our subject, even within a few meters.
“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.” — Robert Capa
Some photographers have no problem with this, but it makes me very uneasy. I don’t like disturbing people and invading their privacy, but I know that without getting close, I can’t take good photos.
For a while, I thought using telephoto lenses would reconcile the necessity of being close enough to take good photos while staying far enough to remain unnoticed.
Although such lenses allow us to get close to the subject, the resulting photos often look sterile, compressed, and lack dynamism. That’s one of the reasons shorter focal lengths, like 23mm or 35mm, are preferred for street photography.
Another possible solution for getting close without attracting unwanted attention is to take photos from the hip or belly.
This approach also provides an interesting perspective since it’s different from the usual eye-level view. However, it comes at the cost of poor framing or even missing the subject entirely from the field of view, at least in my case.
To improve shooting from the hip, my mentor advised me to practice at home by photographing various objects around the room. The purpose is to improve our ability to visualize what will be captured on the sensor without having to look through the viewfinder.
“Visualization is the single most important factor in photography.” — Ansel Adams
However, regardless of the approach we employ in street photography, there’s no way to avoid close encounters with our subjects.
Although I sometimes feel uncomfortable with the challenge of facing the fear of being noticed, and even of being the subject of a nasty reaction from a stranger, I often find that my fear is exaggerated once I resist my temptation to back off.
From several sudden encounters with strangers, I realized that when I sincerely explain why I took photos of them, they often respond with kindness and joy instead of reproach and grumbling, and often even request that I take more photos of them.
However, despite this reassurance, the fear remains. It is the same kind of fear that stopped me from talking to girls when I was younger.
It’s the same kind of fear that prevented me from bypassing waiting patients and knocking on the doctor’s door as a medical representative, as I felt uneasy about the patients’ reactions.
Therefore, fear has always been present in my life, and now it affects photography.
When it comes to facing fear, the same dilemma always arises — stay or leave? Endure or give up?
In street photography, this means either withdrawing and missing shots, or enduring the discomfort and taking good photos. I’ve missed many shots due to my shyness, and it’s painful. Seeing a great scene and hesitating to take the shot, only to lose the opportunity, is very frustrating.
This is like in life. Many times, I’ve hesitated to do something I truly wanted because I wasn’t comfortable facing the fear. Eventually, I learned that the price of giving in to fear is staying where you are and missing out on possibilities.
Some people can accept this, but others regret not being daring enough and wish for a second chance.
My take is that we simply need to follow our deepest desires and face our fears along the way. If following our desires means taking photos, then so be it. If it means living a life filled with joy, then let it be that way too.
The Fewer Distractions We Have, the More Productive We Are.
One of my approaches to life is to keep as many options as possible open to me. I generally hate giving up on things, and I felt the same way about street photography. However, street photography has compelled me to revise this deeply entrenched habit.
Street photography is about simplicity and focus. It’s about being present and observant, like a radar, without interfering with the scene. Therefore, it necessitates keeping a low profile and minimizing distractions, with the purpose of improving our presence and focus on the imminent happenings around us.
I try to keep a low profile and blend in with the environment by wearing comfortable, inconspicuous clothes, preferably black. I also chose black equipment over silver to stay unnoticed. To make stuff even more stealthy, I taped the black gaff tape over the black camera body’s white markings.
However, the significant sacrifice I had to make was giving up on the idea of zoom lenses, and instead pleasing myself with just one primary lens.
Using the Fuji system, I was initially attracted to the 50–140mm F2.8 lens. Fortunately, I hesitated with the purchase long enough to realize that telephoto lenses are not ideal for street photography, at least for the following reasons:
Too Heavy: Telephoto lenses are bulky and heavy, making it hard to move freely. In street photography, we need to keep camera beside us as much as we can, which is difficult with bulky equipment.
Too many options: Zoom lenses, having a range of focal lengths, can complicate the process of framing a scene quickly. The need to adjust the focal length can lead to hesitation and missed shots. On the contrary, using prime lenses helps us become more intuitive in our framing, providing simplicity and speed.
Less sharpness and bokeh: Although zoom lenses are less sharp and provide less bokeh compared to their prime counterparts, that’s not an issue for me. Nowadays, the majority of lenses are sharp enough, and bokeh is not something I desire in my street photos. Instead, I prefer a large depth of field, which is why I rarely shoot below f/8.
“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” — Henri Cartier Bresson
Following my mentor’s advice, I got the Fuji Xe4 with a 27mm pancake lens, and it turned out to be the right choice. I learned on the street that it’s not about having many options but mastering the ones you have.
Even though I later acquired a Fuji Xh2 with a 16–80mm F4 lens, I only use it solely for videos. But, when I go to the city or travel, the Fuji Xe4 with the 27mm F2.8 lens is my go-to choice.
Reflecting on the importance of simplicity and keeping a low profile, I wonder how I can apply these lessons to my life. There is no doubt that I should strive to do so, as I often suffer the consequences of having too much clutter in my life.
I’m one of those people whose home is abounding with books, clothes, and other items, so it’s no surprise that I often forget where I put my wallet or spend time searching for my lost keys.
I understand that I should get rid of unnecessary things and organize what I use, putting everything back in its place after use. I also understand that giving up on many options and focusing on a single task significantly increases the level of mastery.
I’m slowly learning, and increasingly believing, that in life, as in street photography, less is more. Yes, we might lose some options we would like to have, but we gain greater presence and focus on what is right in front of us. Be it the frame or life.
Be Present
“It’s nearly impossible to be here and now when you think there is somewhere else to be.” — Gobind Singh
Being somewhere else is often my favorite place to be. For instance, when I walk through the city, I’m lost in my thoughts, thinking about what will happen or what has already happened.
I walk down busy streets full of lights, shops, bars, and people, passing by many faces, parks, and facades, but I often don’t notice most of them.
The constant chatter in my mind distracts me and makes me numb to what’s happening right in front of me. The result? Missed moments and experiences.
In contrast, since I started doing street photography, my city visits have become much richer and filled with joy, knowing that I will discover something new each time.
“Try walking the same route you always do, and you’ll see how you start noticing and photographing different things over time.” — My mentor
Street photography has helped me notice people, objects, colors, and textures better. It also made me more fascinated with ordinary things. Sometimes, watching a water bottle left on the sidewalk and illuminated by the setting sun can be as appealing as admiring the wonders of nature.
Every moment holds more richness than we can comprehend, and the more we stay in the here and now, rather than in our heads and stories, the more we can enjoy these experiences.
Takeaway
Street photography teaches me much more than just capturing moments on the sensor. It constantly confronts me with deeply rooted life patterns that prevent me from living a more content and fulfilling life.
It also gives me a safe environment where I can safely practice overcoming these patterns, therefore, becoming a better photographer and, hopefully, a human being.
The major life-changing takeaways I discovered from doing street photography are that we should confront our fears, declutter our lives, and be present to whatever is going on before our eyes and ears.
However, these are the lessons I haven’t fully embodied yet in my life because it’s not easy to eradicate 40 years of living by deeply rooted limiting habits.
Therefore, although I know how it is important to face fear, there are still too many occasions of spotting a great scene or a decisive moment, only finding myself losing it due to my hesitation.
Although I know how it’s important to reduce our options and commit fully to the one thing, I am still unable to decide for just one style of photography, or, when we talk about street photography, to commit myself to just one style within it. Instead, I take photos of pretty much everything I find interesting, without too much discrimination.
Furthermore, although I have witnessed how beneficial it is to be present, I still miss many imminent moments at the expense of my thoughts and ongoing concern about this life-long troublemaker — the personal “I”.
So, these are areas I still need to work on, but with persistence and patience, I am confident that I can continue to grow both as a photographer and as a person.
Beautifully written Davor!
I’m so pleased that the art of photography has become such a cathartic medium for you.
I think your 27mm focal length is a great choice for street photography. Much of my protest work, which o class as a kind of street photography was shot at 24-35mm. I know what you mean about getting close and the camera sometimes becoming a barrier between photographer and subject. I like to interact with the scene, capturing a moment but inserting the observer as part of it. Liked your method of shooting from the hip and wonder if you have tried holding the camera just below your eye line so you are making eye contact with the subject rather than being obscured by liking through the viewfinder? May help with diffusing that initial shock of having a camera pointed at you.
I look forward to your next photographic articles and to how your photographic journey progresses.
Ps- you never need to ‘choose’ a particular style. Do whatever feels right to you! You have a great eye. 🤙🏻