Street Photography Gives You the Ability to Notice
Most people see, but don’t really notice. I’ve been guilty of this myself.
The routine of daily life can turn everything into background noise.
When I’m out doing street photography, though, I slow down and pay attention to what’s around me. I take in the sights and sounds. I look for interesting ways to frame the environment.
Street photography is a gift in this way.
The Practice of Looking in Street Photography
In street photography, I actively scan my field of view for interesting things around me. For people, what they’re wearing, and what they’re doing, down to their gestures and expressions. I’m looking for backgrounds. I look for light and shadow. I look for reflections.
I take in the colors around me. I look for layers, and I think about how I can incorporate subjects or objects in layers.
Over time, I feel like I’ve built up a visual sensitivity like a muscle. When I see certain things, my mind goes to how I can incorporate them into a frame.
Taking in the world like this changed my life for the better. It made everything more interesting. Appreciating the world around me makes me feel content, happy, and curious all at the same time.
The Emotional Side of Noticing the World Around Me
When I’m out doing street photography, I see people. I seek them out because I think the most interesting street photographs feature people in them. This simple fact makes me feel connected to the world, even if I don’t talk to them. We’re social creatures, us people.
I think being around people makes you more empathetic. It makes you relate to people. It makes you put yourself in their shoes.
Being a Street Photographer Can Change You for the Better
In order to take street photos, I think you need to be curious. Curious to see how the world looks photographed. Doing street photography makes me curious to discover the place around me. I want to find out what’s down that alley, or walk down a street I’ve never been down.
Being in the habit of being curious makes life more fun. Learning about places and people is a never-ending process that never gets old.
Finding beauty in the ordinary is also something that street photography promotes. It’s the simple things, like how lights falls on a building or a light pole. Before I did street photography, I didn’t appreciate these things. Now I see what I was missing.
I Want to and Will Continue Noticing
Street photography made me appreciate the visual world around me. It’s a welcome gift that I’ll always take with me moving forward.
