August // September 2022 Streetcap
Sep. 9th, 2022 The past few months have been really weird for me. I moved back to the DC area, and yet I’m shooting in the city less and less. I also am no longer on Instagram (more on that here), which has taken away a lot of the urgency I used to feel to have a new IG-worthy photo ready every day. I also have been lazier than ever about sharing my work, thus this new series on the blog. Below I’ll break down some trends in my photography and share some of my favorite images.
Crowded Locations
The first trend I’ve noticed is that I have really only been shooting when I know I’m going to be in a busy, crowded area. Washington DC has always been a tricky city for street, while the city is very walkable, the sidewalks never seem to be crowded like in cities such as NYC or Paris. When you walk by somebody, it’s usually just the two of you locked in a dance to walk around each other without impeding the other. People in DC seem reserved, and not interested in making connections with strangers. This makes it hard to build the confidence to snap someone’s photo.
I have found myself avoiding these awkward situations altogether by only shooting when I’m in a crowded area like the Mall or outside Nats Park. Big crowds and touristy areas make the presence of a camera much less threatening, and I am able to easier snap photos.
Gestures
One thing I am constantly looking for these days are gestures, expressive hands or faces that add some energy to a photo. Despite being a little rusty, years of practice have helped me hone my eyes for these movements, and a little imagination helps me predict (or hope at least) when something interesting is about to happen. I think these help add some relatability to a chaotic scene, grounding the viewr back into reality.
Kids
When I was younger and just starting street photography, I always tried to avoid taking photos of kids. I think I always assumed parents would be more protective over their kids than a normal adult is to themselves, so out of fear I neglected this. As I’ve gotten older and stopped caring so much about reactions, I’ve found kids to be a welcome respite from the stoic and self-constrained DC residents. Most kids haven’t yet learned to hide or control their feelings, instead they wear them on their sleeves for the world to see. Maybe it is low-hanging fruit, but I enjoy the vivacity they bring to my photos.
Back to Basics
As I bust the rust on my shooting brain, I’ve gone back to some of my more basic ‘triggers’ from when I first started photography - some of which include color matching and footwear. These are things that I know I can make look good even if they aren’t the most dynamic or unique moments. For me, color matching was the first trick I learned when I started street, and it is the easiest for me to get right. Basically, I find a background or a subject with a distinct color, then I wait for another subject with that color to enter the frame. Footwear is pretty self-explanatory, but it just works. I think the extra element of mystery and the juxtaposition of nice footwear and grimy streets piques my interest.
Street Portraits
I never shoot street portraits, to be honest I don’t enjoy the rejection, but I’ve found myself getting so nervous snapping candids lately that I’d rather risk it by asking for a portrait than get caught. Very not me, but I’ve got some cool stuff so far:
