The Fantasy of Street Photography

My love of photography began with me taking photos of friends in Walt Disney World’s Disney College Program (more on that in a future post). My tendency since then has been towards portraiture. I love portraits. I love exploring humanity. And for a while, that was all I wanted to do.

In the last couple of years, I’ve seen the value of Landscape Photography, something I previously found boring. But the one that really gets me?

Street Photography.

Gets me is the wrong phrasing.

It intrigues me. Eludes me. The amorphous nature of it can be hard to nail down. In essence, street photography is just art.

Sometimes that art can be street signs or colors or anything that draws you to it. For instance, just last night, I was sitting in a bar and saw this digital jukebox; its neons reflecting against the woodgrain of the wall. I had to shoot it. And its a good shot. I’m proud of it.

There is another kind of street photography that I am far more obsessed with. Its taking candid pictures of strangers on the street. This is what I really want to do. I’ve done it a little.

I should mention that I am an introvert. The idea of someone accosting me in the street for taking a picture of them is not a pleasant one. I’d probably be embarrassed. And embarrassment, to an introvert is a death sentence.

That’s the point though. Its about facing my fears. Great art must be fearless.

Not reckless though. Don’t read this and go do something stupid. In any case, check out some of my street photography in the tab at the top of the page. If it isn’t up there yet, it will be within a couple of days.

I can’t tell you how proud I am of this image. There is something so perfect about it. I think this is me “getting it.” Or maybe I’m deluded.