Do you feel like street photography is all about jumping in front of strangers and capturing surprise in their faces? Streets have enough material to appeal to everyone, even if you feel shy and lack confidence. Check out these tips for positive street photography shooting sessions!
There is no doubt that many people upon hearing words "street photographer" immediately assume someone who has bags of confidence in order to engage with every stranger passing by, and has no issue causing brief commotion that generates a variety of emotions in the said strangers' faces, whether it be surprise, shock, or plain confusion. However, as in every photography genre, luckily for us, whatever your style and personality, you still have the opportunity to find one thing that appeals to you and interests you enough to start getting out of your shell.
Street photographer Frederik Trovatten, who already shared his knowledge and insight on how to become a better and more confident street photographer, is bringing us another video on coping with your fear, whether it be that of rejection or of being unable to produce anything that you would consider worthy, as well as managing expectations and creating a positive mindset even before you leave your home with camera in hand.
I find that fear and lack of confidence is always the biggest downfall for me, personally, when shooting in public spaces and sometimes missing what could have been great shots, had I not hesitated. I recently had a discussion with a photographer friend of mine about this, and both of us felt that once you pull that camera out of your bag in a public space, you almost immediately feel like all eyes are on you, even if reality presents a completely different picture. However, the one and only way to conquer your insecurities is constantly working on them.
How do you ensure your street photography sessions are a success?
The best tip given is to find a spot that you can stop and wait which also has a good background. Many of my street shots were done this way. Granted, most of my shots were in New Orleans which always has a lot of activity around the French Quarter and river front, but it's an easy way to look less conspicuous and invariably, you'll get some terrific shots.
I like that approach, too!
I appreciate the honesty in this video. All of us, to some degree, need to fight through the fear or hesitation that happens when we're trying to make pictures on the street. It's worth the struggle. Just attempting to do street photography and trying to get good at it, will help one become a better photographer overall.
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