First and foremost, I believe that repetition is critical for improving in any field of art. In terms of street photography, it’s even more practical because a lot of the time it’s difficult to find something throughout our daily walks with the camera. In order to increase our chances, I suggest following a similar route each day during your commute. Ultimately, the name of the game is in the mundane. Find beauty in the same walk each day and increase your chances of finding something.
Observe life
In street photography, repetition is important to consider. Move your body with the beat of the street. Watch the feet of the people that are moving as the theater of the life in front of you is a stage set for the people to dance upon. The more you walk on the block, the more you will find yourself in tune with the rhythm of every day life. I believe it’s important to recognize patterns wherever you are. To observe the way things repeat and to understand the connections between nature and human behavior is critical.
Rinse and repeat
Walk the same route every single day for one month. Observe the nuances and change in the skyline of your town. Whether it’s the clouds, the backdrops, or even recognize the same person that works at a street vendor. If you live in an urban city or even a small town, you’ll notice the same things happen year-round. Study the streets and recognize patterns that happen on repeat.
Yesterday I hit the streets to make a photograph of the pigeons in the morning. I enjoy visiting the same locations every day and attempting to make a new picture at that location. I have a general idea of what I am looking for at these locations, but it’s up to the spontaneity and serendipity of life to provide what I’m looking for.
Follow through with your ideas
At the 1:20 mark of this video I made last week of me feeding the pigeons, you hear me discuss how I am interested in making a photograph of the pigeon interacting with the William Penn statue on top of City Hall. I believe if there’s a certain location that you’re interested in photographing, it’s important to have an idea of what possibilities can occur there.
The street is out of our control
The street and life is out of our control. We are only really responsible for where we position ourselves with the camera and when we press the shutter button. When you consider this, it’s important to recognize that luck is given to those with a keen eye. Even though you can have an idea of what is in front of your camera, you have no idea what the result is ultimately going to be.
Fortune favors the prepared
In this particular scene of the pigeons flying by City Hall in Philadelphia, I studied the same street corner for many months to understand the flight patterns of the birds and at which time is best to photograph them. I made a direct effort to photograph the same location each day. The more I photographed this street corner, the more possibilities I recognized that could occur. I was interested in the way that the birds flew nearby the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall. As I moved my body around with my camera, I noticed the way in which the light was pearing behind the building, giving a beautiful and magical effect. I dropped to a low angle, and simply waited patiently while making many photographs. The more you put in the work on the street, the more the streets will deliver.
Each day I try new angles and observe the way life flows so I can know where things might go. The more you move your feet on repeat, the more the street will give you a treat.