I’ve finally parted ways with full frame. I prefer smaller cameras and depth of field. Ricoh GRIII and my new toy… an Olympus EM5III. Both more than capable, tiny and fun to use. I have the 12mm f/2 for the Olympus. It has a very nice manual clutch for focusing which is amazing for street photography. Also a silent shutter with no rolling shutter. A dream on the street.
It’s Too Easy To Buy Things Here
Everything is at our fingertips. In Cuba, you’d have to buy items from different markets for dinner. It took hours to complete the daily shopping. What’s better. A life of excessive consumerism or a frugal existence where you only buy the necessities?
Freedom And Choice
This Blog Is Mental Health
It’s good to let it out. Is someone gets some use from my thoughts it’s a bonus. But my thoughts aren’t a blueprint. Read with caution and understand that even my own thoughts are far from solid. I could change my mind today.
No Urge To Share
Since I deleted IG I have zero urge to share my work. I haven’t shared work on my Flickr in over a month. It’s a nice feeling having no pressure to share. My only pressure if it’s called that is to create. Seeking perpetual validation is unhealthy. I think we all know that but the pressure to keep up with your contemporaries usually wins out.
Avoid Mob Mentality
I Don’t Work The Scene
I don’t want to be detected for what I’m doing. I want to cause as little disruption as possible. That means snapping the photo and moving on. If I miss it, oh well. There’s another photo a few steps ahead. I think this is the best approach for long term photography as it minimizes the risk of pissing people off and allows me to stay positive. I know there will be more opportunities in the future because I cover so much ground while shooting.
I work the scene on rare occasions and take 30 photos or so. It would have to be something extraordinary which is so rare to come across. So for everything else, the 99% of photos…snap and move.
Shooting For The Moment
This is all I did for the first years of street photography. I got some cool shots but they were almost always in horrible lighting as it was the best time for me to shoot. Now I look more for pleasing lighting even in harsh light. Light to me is now the most important. Looking at my older “moment” photos mixed with my new photos with an emphasis on good lighting and the results are clear. My new work just looks better. Maybe not as interesting, but I’d rather have a body of work that looks nice over random moments that don’t flow with one another.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Shooting in good light to me is the easiest way to make photos you like. So if you want the path of least resistance, just shoot in golden light. Shooting in bad light can yield some good photos too but when the sun is low everything is more interesting.
I Don’t Remember Why I Got Into Street Photography
It was a complete fluke. I think I ran into it on YouTube one day. Bought a camera and went from there. But I don’t remember that exact moment when it clicked. Maybe there was no moment but a gradual flow of interest.
Chris Athanasiadis 