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.

90mm for Relaxation

28mm is my favorite focal length but 90mm is great for sitting back and relaxing. A nice switch up from being in the action with a wide angle lens. I always hear a telephoto lens make you feel like an observer and I think that’s true and exactly how I felt tonight for my photo walk.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52984287917/in/dateposted-public/

Five Frames and a Sunny Morning… finally

If you think it’s all sunshine in Southern California, you’re in for a surprise. We are at the tail end of the marine layer season. June gloom correctly termed brings in a thick layer of fog every morning that lasts until around 10am. Except this year the pesky layer lasts all day resulting in very little sunshine for the region. It’s usually just hanging out a few miles from the beach, but this year it’s covering all of Los Angeles. To my shock, I woke up to the sun and was very excited to finally soak in some morning sun. Here’s some photos from my first sunny morning in a long time.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52981536174/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52981390226/in/dateposted-public/

These two above were from a surfing tournament we stumbled on in Venice Beach. Second one is using a 90mm lens I recently acquired.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52981535774/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52981764085/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195573219@N08/52981763785/in/dateposted-public/

And finally the one above with the marine layer rolling back in. The sun wasn’t strong enough to fight it off. Oh well, got a few hours of that glorious sun.

Why Rules?

I was told today by the Santa Monica Pier security to not ride my bike on it “because a little girl was hurt.” The same pier that has cars driving on it. Sounds like a dumb rule to me and illogical. So why have all the dumb rules for taking your photos? “I don’t take photos of dogs, vendors, the homeless, cars, etc…” I’ve heard all of these rules. We live in a world full of rules and laws. Why limit yourself if you don’t have to. I’m not saying rules and laws are bad, the opposite in fact. A world with rule of law is important to manage society. Don’t believe me? Ask an anarchist about any currently run anarchist countries. Crickets…

So why all the rules when we are abiding by them on a daily basis. Just free yourself and go with the gut.

Is It Good?

Is a street photo good if it’s unique to the world but not a specific area? I look at these type of photos as tourist shots. I shoot a lot in Santa Monica. There’s specific things about Santa Monica that make it unique. If I were traveling to Santa Monica from Cincinnati, everything looks foreign and interesting. But since I live in Santa Monica, what’s unique to you isn’t unique to me. First layer of the onion. I want to get to the core where all the nutrients are.

Surprisingly , I rarely see other street photographers here. For such a fruitful place, I’d expect more. I’ll stumble upon others peoples street photos of Santa Monica on IG. I love looking at these since I’m so familiar with the area. I know exactly where every shot is taken. Kinda like watching a movie that was filmed in your city. But this is the problem. I know where every shot is taken. They are all tourist photos. The first layer. Understandable if you don’t shoot here often. But if you regularly take photos in the area, why not get beyond the first layer?

What’s Good Street Photography?

The more I think about this, the less I know. But learning from the greats, one thing is pretty clear. A good street photo is not easily repeatable and contains something unique happening in it. It’s pretty simple to me. That’s basically what I strive for. The thing is a lot of these moments happen is less than ideal lighting or surroundings. So end result can be a great moment that looks poor after you review the photo. I think the pinnacle is the unique moment in great lighting with a good composition.