If changing your style of photography is diligence, I’m more like laziness.
It is said that the key to street photography is not skill, but persistence. I don’t like to stick to one thing, but then again street photography never stops, photography for me is more like laziness that doesn’t want to change.
Typically, we take photos to share with family and friends, creating a sense of familiarity. However, these photos can often appear stiff and unnatural.
The photographer and the viewer are both strangers, which creates a sense of unfamiliarity. Street photography is a unique way of life, as it involves constantly interacting with strangers. On the other hand, street photography is free and captures strangers in candid moments. It doesn’t matter where you go from wherever you are, what matters is to keep an unknown mindset and look for framing in the strangeness.
In fact, street photography often evokes a sense of familiarity. This may seem contradictory, but it is true.
Failure is the mother of success, but unsuccessful photos will not lead to successful ones. Each photo should give the photographer a sense of accomplishment so that it will last. Poor photos don’t lead to good ones; in most cases, they turn people into gearheads.
The key skill in street photography is overcoming cowardice. While it may be evident that there is no special moment to capture, it is important to press the shutter frequently to exercise both technical ability and courage. When the true ‘decisive moment’ arrives, you will be able to press the shutter with ease.
If you aspire to pursue street photography, you must work on your bravery and act promptly, or you will never achieve your goal.
If you have a nagging feeling when you lock the door, as if you have forgotten something, you will always find out later that you have indeed forgotten something. It could be the batteries, or the memory card.
Street photography also demands a sixth sense. When walking down the street, I often feel compelled to capture moments with my camera. Without much thought, I prepare my camera in anticipation of the perfect shot, and more often than not, the opportunity presents itself.
Perhaps like poets, photographers possess a sixth sense that allows them to capture inspiration in their work. In my view, photographers are poets in their own right, crafting prose poems through their lens that capture the essence of everyday life.
Walking music, still photography. Walking photography, still music
Sometimes, I swing to the rhythm. In fact, at this moment, we ourselves are the music. Music is the frequency of our beating hearts, and people are, in fact, the beating soul. Photography is not static; it is a series of fixed notes. When multiple photos flow together, they create a wonderful melody.
It was a beautiful day. I stood in the park woods with my eyes closed. I felt the willow branches fluttering and the sun shining. A halo appeared above. Suddenly, I felt a light swaying and opened my eyes. I saw a little monkey playing with its owner, so I quickly took a picture. I learned that you can feel the light without opening your eyes. Don’t search for photos; let them come to you.
For a long time in the past, I thought photography was about taking pictures of scenery, friends, and family. When I saw Henri Cartier-Bresson’s street photography album in a bookstore, I had to close the book and hide my face to prevent strangers from seeing how excited I was. It turns out that street photography can amplify our sympathy and love and guide us to feel the enlightenment of life.
Since then, I often go out with a camera, sometimes a Leica, sometimes a compact. I don’t deliberately look for opportunities, but take my chances. Especially if someone is running in a hurry, I take a picture immediately. I know there must be a goal behind every person in a hurry. She and I have a common goal – to seize opportunities. It’s just that we express it in different ways, she uses running and I use shutter.
Time is like a wave that washes away all the hand-painted artwork on the beach. It will also wash away the footprints that each of us has left on the streets. And I will use my camera to record those calm and innocent expressions on film. Unbeknownst to the photographed, with the sound of the shutter, they are like falling crystal raindrops dancing on the edge of time.
