The Mindset of a Street Photographer
Starting off your day with the proper mindset can be all the difference you need when making images you're truly happy with. Let me explain.
A typical day out shooting street may look something like this. You wake up, eat breakfast, head downtown to a high-traffic area and start shooting. BUT here’s the problem, you have no plan, focus, or expectations. Once in a while that’s actually healthy to do. However, what I’m talking about are the mental fundamentals that will prepare you for maximum clarity of the task at hand while managing your expectations.
So here are the 3 STEPS that I put into play each time I head out to shoot. (Results may vary but I promise you will get better).
1. PREP
Preparing both mentally and physically the night before you head out to shoot. Since I’m a big fan of less is more, my setup would look something like this.
One compact camera (Ricoh GR II)
Three batteries minimum (charged).
One small camera bag.
Along with equipment I always check the weather, wear the proper clothing based on the weather, and bring bottled water.
2. ONE SHOT
This is the goal or the magic number I keep in the back of my mind whenever I head out to shoot. If I leave from a day of shooting with one shot that I’m really happy with I feel I’m making solid progress toward something bigger. Some will say that that’s not ambitious enough or I’m setting the bar really low for myself, but I don’t believe that to be true. By keeping the pressure or expectation low, I give myself a chance to experiment, take my time, and mainly shoot what sparks my interest. To me it’s a choice between quality vs quantity.
3. SHARE
This step is by far the easiest in theory, right? Share the work you just created. Share what you’ve put so much time and effort into. Share your vision with the world! Yet we as artists tend to find ourselves never showing our works. Why? FEAR OF WHAT OTHERS WILL THINK. This thought comes up time and time again (trust me, I still struggle with it). Ultimately we are asking ourselves, will people like me? It sounds so silly when you read it back but it’s a real feeling, a real mentally exhausting thought to constantly process.
Now, before we lose track of the point I’m trying to make here, let’s review it again. SHARE THE WORK YOU’VE CREATED! That’s it. Share it on social, share it on your website, share it in a group chat! It really doesn’t matter, just let others know your vision. Once you’ve shared it, you’ve completed the artistic journey and can now move on to a new one.
Let me know in the comment if you have a different approach to achieving your daily photo goal. I’m all ears!
Peace.
t.