Failure in Street Photography: How I Deal with It
Street photography is very difficult. A ton of things need to come into alignment in order to make a good street photograph. Things like finding good light in interesting places combined with interesting moments unfolding. And on top of that, you have to frame it and time it right as a photographer.
Other types of photography are challenging in other ways and require a lot of knowledge to execute successfully. But street photography presents a lot of challenges that are unique to the genre. In other types of photography, like portraiture, for example, you have a lot more control over the lighting and the situation as a whole.
Once I started getting better at street photography, I would come away with a higher percentage of good photos, but the truly great photos are elusive. And why shouldn’t that be the case? If it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun, and the photos would be less impressive.
But having said that, the seemingly constant failure can be frustrating and demotivating. If you give in and let failure demotivate you, though, then you’ll create even fewer strong photos.
The Failure to Make Good Photographs
The most stark failure I’ve been faced with as a street photographer is taking loads of photos and then realizing very few of them were any good. It’s certainly a humbling experience.
I think it’s important to have realistic expectations regarding how many photos will turn out to be good. That’s not to say that makes it much easier to deal with failure in street photography, but I’ve found that if I remind myself of this, I’m less disappointed when things don’t work out as I had hoped.
“99% of street photography, if not more, is about failure” – Alex Webb
Even the best street photographers consistently deal with failure. Great street photographers achieved their success even though they frequently failed. They had consistency even though they experienced a ton of failure.
The Failure to Go Out and Photograph
One of my biggest failures in street photography has been simply not going out to photograph when I could have. This is the biggest failure in street photography, because I didn’t even give myself a chance.
I can’t create a body of street photography work if I don’t go out and practice the craft. I actually love the process of taking photos and being outside, walking, and being active. But taking the first step out of the house has been a hurdle for me. I’ve made plenty of excuses for not doing street photography, but I’ve also faced some legitimate things that have held me back from photographing. Regardless, I need to be better about not letting things within my control get in the way of doing street photography.
Failing to Be Consistent
Another way I’ve failed in street photography is by having a lack of consistency. I’ve been guilty of going through spurts of activity in street photography and then not sticking with it.
I’m coming to realize that you have to be consistent to have success in anything, and it may even be the most important factor. I’m sure there are a ton of talented street photographers and artists out there who are amazing at what they do, but don’t have the success they want or deserve because of a lack of consistency.
I’ve met and been surrounded by people who have been successful in business but who were shockingly incompetent, but somehow managed to be successful in spite of themselves. And the common thread I noticed among them was their consistency. Consistency beats talent every time.
Of course, you have to pair consistency with good work. I want to constantly be progressing and getting better at street photography. Having consistency gives me the best shot at doing that.
Failing to Complete Projects
I really want to publish a book of my street photography. I know it’s a lofty goal, but I do believe I have work worth publishing.
I may have the makings of a book, but I think I need to get out and photograph more to finish it, though. Had I prioritized street photography and been more consistent, I could have completed it already, so that’s a lesson for me that in the future I need to be more vigilant about consistency.
Shifting My Mindset About Failure in Street Photography
Deep down, I know this to be true, but I still need to remind myself at times that failure is just part of the process of street photography. It’s questionable if we should even think of it as failure, and maybe rather just part of the journey to getting the good photos.
Being realistic and evaluating your work from an honest, sober point of view is important. But I think if you constantly put yourself and your work down, it’s going to make you dislike your work even more. Plus, creating that negative mindset around street photography is going to make you less likely to go out and do it.
I’ve gone through periods when I felt on fire and it felt like I couldn’t miss. I’ve had days when I’ve photographed multiple portfolio-worthy shots.
Then at other times, I’ve gone for long stretches when it felt like nothing was working. To get through these stretches, it helps when I let myself enjoy the process. One of the joys of street photography is simply being outside, walking, and being active. You get to be out in the fresh air and sunlight.
It also helps to trust the process. I know that if I continue photographing, I’m going to make some great photographs along the way.
