How I Make Street Photography Fun

And things I do to fight the nerves.

So you're into street photography? Me too! Or maybe you're not yet but you'd like to be. It was super intimidating for me when I first started a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I still get incredibly nervous. So I completely understand the initial apprehension and anxiety; those feelings are quite normal.

I'm nowhere near an expert in psychology, so I know there are plenty of tips and information available from highly experienced street photographers. Here are a couple of links to some articles here on Medium that I really enjoy reading from time to time.

I'd also like to share a couple of things that I do to alleviate anxiety and make street photography fun. Maybe you haven't tried these yet, and you might find they work for you.

1. I zone out to my favorite music

Simple as that. I stick in my AirPods or my PowerBeats (whichever is actually charged up), I put on my Spotify playlist that has a rotation of songs that I'm currently listening to on repeat, and I zone out.

I get caught up in the song, humming as I walk down the street, and I pay no attention to the sounds around me. Music provides a sense of familiarity and helps relax me while I'm out shooting.

I only focus on the sights. People, buildings, alleyways, street signs, street views, storefronts, parked cars, parking lots, rooftops, light shadows, reflective windows, birds/other creatures, you name it! Basically, whatever life or nature is happening around me gets snapped up in my lens.

I try not to think too much about what I capture; the benefit of using a digital camera is that I can take as many shots as I want, polish them up later, and just not use any I don't like.

Don't overthink; do very little thinking. Just get out there, get your favorite tunes going, and ZONE OUT.

2. I walk around a part of town or even another city that I've never been to

Any time I'm visiting an area I've never been to, I instinctively try to soak in the new environment and absorb every last detail. I think of myself as a pretty observant person, and I like paying attention to small things as well as big things. This sense of exploration is especially advantageous when I have a camera in my hands.

Knowing that I have a camera in my hands makes my brain visualize scenes and spots with the intent of snapping them up in a picture. Instead of just mindlessly wandering my eyes up and down and side to side, I'm actually spending extra time studying the environment for potential picture-worthy candid moments and natural scenery.

“When a photographer looks for motives to be photographed . . . what attracts him to them at first sight is their natural appearance and a flash of their potential content. Then he starts looking deeply: finding the best form of the motive foreseeing its pictorial appearance while simultaneously receiving its content.” — StreetPhotography

I am especially drawn to buildings bathed in sunlight and long-winding streets that stylishly weave their path between buildings and grace the surrounding city landscape. I am constantly drawn to these scenes, even in frequently-visited cities like my hometown of San Antonio. But my senses of lust and wonder are at an all-time high as I wander through an area I have never before visited.

Immersing yourself in a new environment is a perfect opportunity to use that camera!

3. I treat it like a high score

Thanks to gaming, I tend to see certain tasks and activities as "quests" in order for me to feel compelled enough to do them. I apply the same thinking toward photography as well. Thinking of my last photo-taking session as a score helps get me out the door to go shoot photos next time since I'm thinking, "I need to top last session's photos."

In the next session, I'll try harder to get better-looking photos and take more photos than the last time. I'll try harder to make my photos straighter, include more light, shape better angles, or include more people to show more life. Whatever the goal might be, I'll try to beat my "score."

With my last session, I tried to get a better downtown street shot (shown below) than the previous one from the last time I came downtown (shown above).

4. I try to shoot as often as possible

If I don't shoot often, it's so easy to get rusty and forget how to calm down and just focus on shooting. I get lazy easily, so I have to get out and shoot often; I am currently trying to go out a couple of days a week and not miss a week.

I definitely recommend having a set schedule for everything, especially photography. It does depend on certain factors, so you obviously won't get out if it's raining or too hot to even enjoy it. Just do the best you can to get out as often as possible.

I think of it just like playing an instrument; you will undoubtedly get better the more you do it, but you will get there much faster and fluidly when you do it often. I can't recommend that enough.

Hopefully, I was able to bring out some tips that you haven't heard or thought of before. These are things that work for me; I know everyone is different, and I would love to hear what works for you to get you out there and keep you in the zone!