Things That Have Held Me Back from Doing Street Photography

In recent years, I haven’t been doing as much street photography as I’d like. Which is a shame, because I consider it my calling in life. It’s one of the main things I want to do during my limited time on this earth.

So if I love it so much, why have I let anything get in my way? Great question.

I look at this in two ways - things that have held me back from doing street photography that are in my control, and those outside of my control.

Oh, and by the way, I made a video version of this blog post too:

Anxiety

The biggest factor that has kept me from doing street photography has been anxiety surrounding my financial situation. Despite some wanting you to believe it’s because we buy too much avocado toast, my generation has been dealt a bad hand. I graduated from high school two years before the 2008 recession. In America, the game is rigged in favor of the rich and powerful. In terms of how this has affected me, it means I’ve dealt with mostly being underpaid but also overworked. I’ve worked second jobs and side hustles like doing food delivery just to be able to put a roof over my head in a tiny apartment. It’s ridiculous.

The result was that there were times when all I did was work, and I still have little to show for it. So I didn’t have time or energy for doing street photography. It also held me back from doing street photography spontaneously because I had in the back of my mind that I should have been doing something to earn more income. It’s really frustrating (the verb ‘frustrating’ doesn’t really do it justice) to have something you’re passionate about and not be able to do it.

I could have and should have studied harder in high school, and I should have majored in something more useful in college. Maybe then I would have had better employment opportunities that would have given me the financial security to pursue my passions. That was my fault. However, I don’t think that should be a life sentence of being stressed out about finances.

Regardless, I could have done better about setting aside a day here and there to dedicate to street photography. Since it’s something I want to pursue, I have to make sacrifices in order to do it.

Laziness

Sometimes, I can be just plain lazy. This keeps me from taking the first step and leaving the house. Sometimes I think it’s lazy thinking, and it doesn’t even cross my mind to go out and do street photography. Sometimes I tell myself excuses for not doing street photography.

This is something I’ve gotten better about as I’ve gotten older, I think. I put more thought into doing street photography now that I’m more aware of the limited time I have on this planet. When I think about street photography, it makes me want to get out and do it.

The funny thing with laziness is that once I step outside it goes away. Once I’m outside, walking and being active in the sun and fresh air, I don’t even think about being lazy or tired anymore. So forcing myself to take the first step and go outside will help push past this.

I’ve also discovered that I really love walking. An ideal day for me includes miles and miles of walking. It feels good and is good for you. And that’s one of the great things about street photography is that it involves a lot of walking.

Bad Weather

This has only been a few times, but I’ve opted not to do street photography on occasion because of bad weather. While it’s tempting, I think this is a mistake/missed opportunity because bad weather makes for interesting pictures.

Photographing in bad weather is something that not a lot of other street photographers are going to do, so it’s something that I could do to set myself apart from the crowd.

On the other hand, I don’t think it’s a crime to stay in if the weather is really bad. It could also be a good time to edit photos.

Health

I’ve had a health issue recently that kept me from being able to walk. Not great for someone who loves to walk! Also, I’m ready to get back to doing street photography!

Having this health issue has really put some things in perspective. I was taking simple things for granted before this. Like my ability to walk. And do street photography.

Moving Forward, I’ll Take Better Advantage of My Ability to Do Street Photography

There are some factors outside of my control that have held me back from doing street photography, to be sure. It sucks, and I resent it.

However, I have to be better about making time for doing the things that I love, and a big one is street photography. I will not hold myself back from doing street photography in the future. I feel like I’m going into battle.