All things extreme are unsustainable. One life experience from it all ending. When I first moved to Santa Monica I was a complete fitness nut. I was biking 30 miles per day and training doing calisthenics at Muscle Beach. I consumed no sugar, preservatives, no chemicals on a mostly vegan diet. I was eating mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. The diet and training worked as I was ridiculously shredded and in the best shape of my life. It was extremely rigorous and challenging. During my peak, I was riding down the bike path in Venice Beach and some idiot biker hit me from behind. I wiped out and broke my wrist. I’ve never been the same since. I could probably get back to that level if I tried, but the nostalgia of those days is lost on me. I’d rather go on about my life the way it is now. I’d never be able to maintain that lifestyle for long anyways. It was too much dedication. My day had to be planned perfectly for it to work. Life is full of bumps in the road. Better to find a nice groove to live out life. Extremity is unsustainable. Look to Stockton Rush if you don’t believe me.
Being Tall
It has a lot of advantages but I think it’s quite tough when you’re doing street photography. I’m 6’3. In the 97.4 percentile. So only 2.6% of people are taller than me. I was thinking about it today. I ran into a guy a bit taller than me and I pointed my camera at him and thought wow. I just have to point and shoot. No bending down. It could be a lot worse, but something to think about.
Shooting Film For the Handyman
Would you rather go to the lumber store, buy some cherry wood, finish it and hang the shelves on your wall or buy a premade system from Ikea that takes 30 minutes to put together? Would you rather unclog your own toilet, or call a plumber. Change your oil or take it to Jiffy Lube. You get the point. I’ve spent over a month in Cuba. There’s a saying there that every Cuban is an engineer. Out of necessity. There aren’t Home Depot’s or Auto Zone’s lining the streets of Havana. You must learn how to make things yourself. Use your hands to build something. Figure it out. It’s mostly preference here of course. But having been a handyman for a large portion of my life, I really enjoyed building things. I flipped my first house at 24. I was HVAC certified. I was a maintenance technician and supervisor for large residential properties. I loved doing plumbing, electrical and carpentry work. When I lived on a farm, we did a lot of handyman stuff to keep it running. I see parallels to my life as a Cuban engineer and shooting, developing and scanning film. My next stage would be printing. Maybe one day after I have more room. But my point is, do you like using your hands to create something or would you rather hire someone? I personally enjoy shooting both film and digital. But I do feel a higher level of satisfaction from shooting film. I could care less about the time it takes. It’s more fun.
The Ghost Of Venice
I met a nice and interesting person today. Named the “Ghost of Venice.” From Georgia born in 1945 but living in Venice for the last 40 years. He was walking down the beach towards the Santa Monica Pier in a Speedo carrying some tote bags. He had a very long white beard. I knew instantly I wanted to take a portrait of him rather than do a candid. So I played the part, saying good morning and we chatted for about five minutes after I broke the ice. It was a great way to spend some time. At the end I asked to take his photo and he happily obliged. I have no clue how it will turn out. I shot it on film, so we’ll see. But I love the anticipation. I’ve dove into developing and scanning myself, so there’s a substantial amount of work involved in the end result. If the photo turns out, then I will surely enjoy it more than a digital photo since I had to really work for the photo. Who knows if it’s sustainable, but it’s fun for now.
Below is a character One Bite met on the street. These are the types of people I want to meet around.
Photography Is More Than Production
Don’t look at your process as a conveyor belt. We aren’t on the factory line churning out work. I value having fun and the experience of photography more than the photos. Give me a five minute chat with a stranger over a good photo. Or better yet the chat and photo. Humans are social beings. We desire interactions, no matter how much social media has tried to ruin it for us. Whatever the medium you enjoy, keep doing that. Even if it’s a timely process. Ultimately, nobody will care about your photos. You might get very lucky and make a few some people care about outside your circle. But that’s even such a low chance. So why the pressure to create? Why bother slaving away on the factory line all day when nobody cares anyways. Just have fun with it.
Political Donations
I gave Obama a few dollars back in 2008. Like a lot of people, I was sucked into the entire spectacle. I knew very little about politics. But the hype around Obama has been unsurpassed, even by Trump. To this day, I still get emails from the DNC asking me to donate money. 15 years later, they have kept my information, even after number and email changes. After unsubscribing from EVERY email I’ve gotten. Hundreds if not thousands of emails asking for donations. Midterms come around, watch out. All this for a couple bucks 15 years ago.
Never Say Never
Turns out this trope turned out true for me. It will probably be true for you. Whatever your life is right now, could be quite different for you in five or 10 years. There is absolutely no way I knew I’d be living my current life ten years ago. Or have my current views in contrast to five years previously. Only the wisdom you gain from spending time on this Earth. I can only imagine my thoughts in another 40 years, if I’m lucky enough to make it that long. Who knows by then I’ll probably have no views. Just be thinking about my next meal and being able to walk from point A to B. My point is don’t be so dogmatic on your views. That person you think is nuts or have no respect for could very well be you given enough time.
I’m a Hillbilly
I never realized how pronounced my “southern” accent was until I started traveling. I lived 10 years in the backwoods of Southern Indiana. A region inhabited by poor Appalachians of Irish and Scottish decent. I lived in this region during my formative years, ages 10 to 19. I grew up in a more simple time, before any of the modern technologies we take for granted today. All of my friend were hillbillies. I was a hillbilly. I knew people living on dirt floors. My dad made me chop wood every year for our wood stoves. We didn’t have central heat. Our water came from a well and cistern. The well was great until and animal crawled into it and died, rendering it useless. We then relied solely on the cistern. It was a nice upbringing but vastly different from my earlier childhood in Cincinnati where I attended public schools and was by far the minority in my social circle. I used to hate where my parents raised me. Southern Indiana has a plethora of problems. During my time there, it was affected by drug use and lack of opportunity. I was sucked into the culture there and only got out because I joined the military. I was lucky. Many of my childhood friends have died from extensive drug use. Or are in prison. The forgotten hillbillies of Indiana. Until recently, I’d never thought about the affect my upbringing had on me. The other day, a lady asked me if I was from Texas. I was photographing her feeding some squirrels. The way she asked implied her disgust for me. But really the accent works in my favor. People assume I’m some idiot because I have a twang. It’s fine to me. I’m just a dumb dumb with a camera visiting taking dumb tourist photos.
Why stop…
if someone has bad energy and looking for a confrontation with you. Just keep walking and remove yourself from the situation. I think a lot of people get caught up in their ego trying to prove their point, worth as an artist or whatever it is. The other person didn’t “win” because you cowered in the face of adversity. You won because you didn’t get sucked into someone else’s drama and you’re playing to win the war, not battle.
Why Street Photography?
Something I think about everyday. I’ve come to the realization that the reasoning is self serving. It’s for me to grow as an individual. To experience life in a different way from others. To observe and understand humans. To feel emotions. Think I’m full of it? Let me tell you about an experience I had this weekend while out on a photo.
I witnessed a collapsed man being revived by firefighters for over 15 minutes. I was one of the first people on scene and had front row seats. The moment was touching, to witness these brave heroes calmly and efficiently attempt to revive this fallen man. They started with CPR and eventually brought over the Lucas 3 chest compression system. A large machine attempting the pump the life back into this man. This lasted 10-15 minutes. I was so captivated by the scene, I wasn’t thinking about taking photos. Only about the well being of this man and our tax money hard at work. About 10 minutes in, I looked behind me to at least 500 over lookers. And just like that the suspense was over and the Lucas 3 became victorious as the mans chest was now slowly pumping up and down. He was quickly placed on a stretcher and hauled to an ambulance after being dead for 15 minutes. It was quite the scene.
I could go on about this moment, probably something I’ll think about forever. I’m surprised by my strong reaction as I’ve witnessed quite a bit of death in my life. Maybe I’m getting older and appreciate life more.
But to the point, this happened because of street photography. I came home and told my better half how much I love her. I have a greater appreciation for life now. I’m done trying to justify my weird hobby of taking photos of strangers as my contribution to society. It’s not, it an exercise in self realization and greater understanding. Totally selfish and that’s okay. Who cares if my photos touch anybody else. Now that I’m okay with the experience of photography, I feel more liberated and less pressure. My goal everyday is to have an emotional reaction to something. I want to be touched.
So why do street photography? So you feel something. Bring you back down to Earth and enjoy what’s in front of you.
Chris Athanasiadis 