Is Street Photography too Scary?

5/3/2023

Recently, along my travels,  a question was posed to me about street photography. “When I take photos I’m always afraid to take pics of people. How do you usually go about doing this?” Thinking on this, empathizing wasn’t hard as I’ve had the same feelings. Taking photos of strangers and capturing their essence through the glass can be a daunting tasking. “Am I being offensive? Does this break privacy laws? What should I do if I upset someone?’ All are valid emotions that need careful consideration. 

Creativity isn’t something that comes naturally to me. At least that’s what I led myself to believe for a long time. Thinking about my own street photography, it is my personal creative outlet. Taking photos equates to capturing moments and creating scenes with a camera as the tool to paint the picture, so to speak. In this way, I don’t find taking pictures scary. In fact, the opposite could be said. It’s exciting, fun, and beautiful. This way my instincts change and street photography becomes a natural act that allows the freedom to express individual creativity. I'm not just taking pictures of people. I'm telling a story and conveying feelings through photos that are usually centered around people. 

Youtube has been a wonderful source of learning for me. Much of my inspiration and understanding of photography has started from there. Should you feel street photography to be "too scary," check out these videos to help your perspective.