I've been wanting to try my hand at whatever it is I think Street Photography is, so this last week on my way into the office I brought my camera. I slung it around my neck and tried to love my body as it bounced against my belly. I took a few pictures; I was feeling proud of myself for being brave enough to press the shutter. When I snapped this one, I thought "Oh, that's going to be a good one." But it's not.

It's okay that it's not a great picture—the main point of the day was to just take pictures without being afraid that someone would yell at me—but I'm still frustrated. Frustrated because there's something about it that I think is almost good, but I don't have the vocabulary to articulate it. I still don't know what makes good street photography and what doesn't; I just kind of know it when I see it. But it's maddening to operate like that. It's a form that fascinates and eludes me. I don't think that you have to go so far as to capture the human condition to make good street photography, but you have to do something other than what I did. I just don't know what yet.

I've been thinking about this post ever since I took that picture, and I don't know if I want to showcase some of my failure to be genuinely inspirational to people who are also struggling in a creative pursuit, or if I just want to stoke the ego of my false modesty.

I think a lot about that bit in Adventure Time when Jake says "sucking at something is the first step towards being sort of good at something." I don't know if I'm sort of good yet, but I am sucking more often than I show.

I don't want to end this post with a call to action like "Let's all show our failures!" but, like, maybe we should show each other our rough edges more often.


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in reply to @molotovmocktail's post:

ah man now I want to show you this book I have from a local street photographer including his little introductory essay but (a) you aren’t in my house (are you???) and (b) I’m not sure what box it’s in right now 😕

Street photography is a whole thing, for sure. It needs its own mindset I think.

Also I totally see what you mean. There is something good in that photo. It ain’t a prize winner, fine, but it’s interesting, and I’d award it an Obama Not Bad. If this is from your first serious attempt I think you should definitely go for a second and third attempt

oh I love those! And street photography is absolutely a whole thing. It's so different from what I normally do (take pictures of cars, usually not moving but sometimes moving very fast). It's one of those things that I think is worth trying, though, because even if it doesn't turn out to be my thing I think it will still help me develop what I want my pictures to look like, if that makes sense.

I think what works about this photo is also what makes it not quite what you were looking for! It's someone engaging in a cool and fun activity that might have some meaning for them, and I think that's a big part of street photography. Street photography often takes an anonymous person and makes them a little less anonymous by candidly displaying something about their personality (be that thing real or a narrative fiction that we're creating as photographers).

I think this gets really close to that! But a combination of both a physical distance and us only seeing the back of the subject leaves us wanting a little bit more.

Or maybe I'm reading all of this entirely wrong, including my thoughts on street photography! But it's fun to mull over none the less!

oh I really like what you said about street photography making people just a little bit less anonymous. I think that's what it is about most of the street...photographs? photographies? photography photos? that I like. There's always something that's just personal enough that you can build a whole image of a person in your mind from just one frame.

It's definitely what I've strived for in the little street photography I've attempted, and a common through line in the street photography I've enjoyed! I'm glad it resonates with you!