Photography Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner!
If you give your former less experienced self any advice on street photography, what would it be? This was an Instagram thread I posted a few weeks back and it recieved some interesting replies, I thought it would be cool to go through those replies and share my thoughts on advice people would give to their younger selves.
I started the thread with: "Reading more photo books and starting sooner."
I've only started getting into photo books over the last 2 years or so, and they have truly changed the game in how I think about photography. They've impacted how I read photographs, approach my work, and my entire perspective on this world. It may sound obvious, but seriously, viewing images on a screen is not the way to go.
Ben.cremin had some advice: "Less YouTube, less Instagram, buy film in bulk when it was cheaper, more books, just enjoy it, and don't be defined by a self-imposed label."
I can't agree with the "less YouTube" part because that would mean you might not watch my videos, and that would hurt my ego. However, I do agree with the "less Instagram" part.
The self-imposed label is interesting. I wonder what he means specifically, but I read this as if you want to switch up the things you're shooting, whether it's from street to landscapes or portraits to wildlife, or even within the street photography niche specifically. If you don't want to get close to people and want to be more abstract or compositionally focused, you absolutely can do that. Something I've learned over time is that nobody really cares about your work. Just make whatever you fancy making.
When you start really enjoying or making something you're proud of, people might care because they can see your passion for what you're creating. It shines through.
Tim.d.jamieson suggests: "Go wide and get close asap."
This changed my approach for sure. When I started noticing the photos that stood out to me in books and the ones I kept going back to, they tended to be a little wider. But just using a 28 or 35mm lens doesn't instantly change much. When you get closer as well, the images definitely have more impact. The scenes feel like you're way more involved, and it's less like you're watching a moment from afar, which could feel disconnecting for the viewer and subject.
When you're close, it really comes alive, but only if it's a good photograph. That goes for any style. The definition or theory alone isn't enough to prove the point. The moment, the detail, the story still has to be interesting. But I certainly resonate with Tim's point here. At least try to go wide and get close, gain the experience, and if you don't like it, you don't need to do it again.
Ftwentytwo advises: "The learning curve is far longer than you think."
This reminds me of the Dunning-Kruger effect - a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. Jamie Windsor made a fantastic video about exactly this a few years ago. I'll leave a link here to watch it.
In short, if you're a complete amateur at something, you might perceive your ability as relatively high. But as you progress and improve, you realize there is so much more you don't know. Which is effectively that old saying, "the more you know, the more you realize you don't." This also leads people who are genuinely experienced in something to have impostor syndrome.
This Dunning-Kruger effect happens all the time in photography, and as the years go by, I realize how mistaken I was a few years ago, thinking I was pretty good. I still have so much more to learn, even now.
What I'm about to say next is not science and is totally my opinion, but from conversations with friends and looking at photographers who I believe are making excellent stuff, they're at least 3 to 5 years into it before they really find their groove. That's just what I've noticed.
Johnwainephoto suggests: "Listen to or read the words of the greats when they tell how many hours, miles, days, years it takes to build a body of work of super photos, and how many failures and near misses they had along the way."
This goes back to books again for me. We sit and flick through someone's work that really impresses us, and we realize we're looking at someone's life work. 100 pages of images from someone's 50-year photography journey. That really puts things into perspective. I think it's great advice to go back and listen, watch, and read the history of the genre. So much can be learned from the people who came before. Even if you're not a fan of the work that was made, if it stood the test of time, it must be for some reason.
The near misses are very accurate as well. I just got back from a trip to Spain. I took thousands of photographs, but my folder now has only 80 photographs in it. The failures make up 99% of the job.
Reindawwg advises: "The moments when you don't feel like bringing your camera… bring it."
This has been something I have been making more of an effort with over the past year or so. A mindset that helps with this is getting used to just having it with you, even when you're not planning on using it. Just have it around your neck, or in a bag or pocket just in case. That might mean 99% of the time you don't take pictures, but the 1% of times when I do, those photographs are probably the ones I will be thankful for in the future. Whether it's just off-the-cuff photos of my friends or the light falling through a window on something. I've gotten better at capturing the little moments.
Ideally, I'd take world-class street photographs every day, but that isn't reality. So I've really started to appreciate the photographs I get in between, the odd things here and there. Because the pressure is really off. These moments are 100% just for you. And in the case where something amazing does happen, you've got your camera for that too.
Mr.ryandavid suggests: "Find a mentor or take a workshop and get some non-social media feedback early and frequently along the way."
I think workshops are a brilliant way to open your perspective. I did a workshop with Matt Stuart earlier this year, and it was fantastic. Seeing how someone else works, how they think, and getting live feedback on your thoughts and workflow is well worth it. This is especially the case if you've only ever consumed photography online and haven't had much interaction with other photographers who live in the same world. You'd be surprised how varied people's opinions are when you're chatting. It's way better to learn from other people in action than from a device.
Full YouTube video diving into everything you’ve read here.
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