I Don’t Feel Guilty Doing Street Photography (I Sleep Just Fine at Night)
Street photography is an amazing, beautiful art form. Great street photographs are impressive because not only do they make you feel something, they’re incredibly difficult to make.
Sure, anyone can click a shutter button on the street. But not everyone can create a street photograph that truly works.
But not everyone sees the beauty in street photography. Occasionally, I hear someone in the media expressing their dislike for street photography.
Usually, it’s someone who is pretty emotional about it; I’ve yet to see anyone make a good rational case for banning street photography.
Well, I do street photography, and I don’t feel guilty about it. In fact, I feel great about it because it’s a way to get outside, be active, and create art.
Some People Get Worked Up About Street Photography
Occasionally, I hear complaints about the ethics of street photography. There was even a woman who made the case that street photography is a form of gender-based violence. I wrote an opinion piece in response, laying out the case for why street photography is legal and why we should keep it that way.
Street photography is simply taking candid photos of people in public places. It’s nothing more than that.
Some are ignorant and don’t understand what street photography is as an art form. Others, I think, are more cynical about it and try to distort what street photography is or portray it as something it’s not or something that is inherently evil and nefarious.
I’m no psychologist, but I think there’s a certain personality type that has one thing they perceive as unjust to them and then goes on a crusade against it. “Karens”, for lack of a better term.
I don’t mean to be flippant about this; I just think that the notion of street photography being extremely harmful in any way is ridiculous. I think it’s normal for people to feel uncomfortable being photographed on the street, and I can empathize with that. But it’s important to keep things in perspective; street photography is not assault in any way, shape, or form.
Again, I’m not a psychologist, but if someone gets all worked up by simply having their picture taken, I think there are probably some underlying issues going on with that person.
Street Photography Doesn’t Harm Anyone
Street photography involves taking pictures in public places. No guns, knives, nunchucks, or other weapons are used. There is no physical violence involved.
Just little pictures of moments in time.
Street Photography Benefits Society
Street photography is an art form that people appreciate just like any other art form, whether it be painting, sculpture, etc.
It also documents places and time periods. It’s good to have records of what cities and places looked like, and how the people within them dressed and interacted.
Street photographs also humanize people. When I see street photography, I feel a connection to the people in the photographs, and also to humanity in general.
Street Photography Makes Life Fulfilling
Street photography gives me motivation to get outside the house, be active, and be creative. The challenge of it gives me something to constantly strive for.
There are a lot of hobbies and bad habits that make you sedentary and inactive: video games, doom scrolling social media, etc. Street photography is the antithesis of that - it requires you to get out of your house, be active, and be creative.
I’m going to keep doing street photography and feel good about it.
