Street Photography Excuses

There have been times when I didn’t go out and do street photography when I could have. And I made excuses for it.

Some are actually not excuses but rather good reasons for not being able to do street photography. Others fall more on the excuse side. It’s these things that I need to work through so that they don’t continue to hold me back in the future.

Excuses I’ve Made for Not Doing Street Photography

I thought it would be good to share these and put them out into the world for a couple of reasons.

One is that if I think through the excuses I’ve made in the past for not doing street photography, I’ll be able to identify it for what it is. I think that if I have a concrete idea of what I’d consider an excuse and not a valid reason, then I’ll be more likely to acknowledge the feeling but ultimately dismiss it.

The other reason for sharing this is that I think it’s relatable. I think a lot of other street photographers and artists in general make excuses for not creating.

I'll Do it Later When I'm in a Better Financial Situation

I actually think this is somewhat of a valid reason for not following your passions. It’s one of the main things that has held me back from doing street photography. Our economic system is total ass and makes it so a large number of people struggle just put food on the table and keep a roof over their head. And the anxiety that this produces is real. It’s really hard to focus on being creative when you have this nagging feeling in the back of your mind about how you should be doing something to pay the bills.

For many years, I thought that if I just kept working more and more and taking on more hours and second jobs and side hustles that my financial situation would improve. But that’s not how things worked out. When I attained more income, along with it came higher living expenses.

As a result, I kept on putting off my dreams. My passion for doing street photography. I can’t wait until later to do what makes me fulfilled, because maybe financial freedom never comes. And who knows, maybe if I had worked on my street photography, it would have opened doors to to financial wellbeing doing something that I actually give a shit about.

I'll Do it When I Have a New Job

I mentioned this above, but getting a new job, even with a raise may not help. In my previous job, I moved across the country for it. I got a raise in salary, but my living expenses went up a lot too.

Not only that, but I was so tired after working that I had no energy to go out to do street photography.

I'll Do it When I Live in a More Convenient Place

I know myself, and I know that I prefer convenience to do certain things. In this case, street photography. I’m just much more likely to go out and photograph if it’s easy.

I want the barriers to do street photography to be as minimal as possible. Ideally, I’d like to step outside my door and be able to start taking street photos. I really don’t like having to drive to do street photography. I think living outside of a downtown area is fine, but not too far. It needs to have access to public transit.

The last two places I lived have been pretty good. This is important to me as a street photographer, but I know that circumstances can come up to get in the way of this.

Nothing Will Ever Be Perfect

The conditions for doing street photography won’t ever be perfect. Things weren’t perfect for the great street photographers we all know. And yet, they found a way to make it work.

I need to not put things off until the circumstances are perfect because that will never happen. In general, I need to just have the mindset of going out to do street photography regardless of my current situation in life.

Making the Most of the Limited Time I Have

Street photography (and to some extent other types of photography) is what I want to pursue in life. It’s what makes me fulfilled. It gives me purpose.

I’m on this planet for a very short period of time in the grand scheme of things. So I need to make the most of it and spend my time wisely. I want to spend my time doing the things I love. Bills be damned.

I sure as shit don’t want to waste my time on this planet doing something I hate to line the pockets of some douchebag.

No More Excuses

I’m not going to make any more excuses. I’m all-in on street photography and creating.