Many people out there said to me that their biggest barrier to not shoot street everyday is because they simply do not have enough spare time. Either busy with working schedule at weekdays or have family time at weekend.
Perhaps these type of people, think that street photography is similar to landscape or portrait photography in term of process. Means, they need a specific time, location and preparation to start shooting on the street.
Truth to be told, for me street photography is the simplest form of photography genre. We only need ourself and a camera to do it. That is all! It does not matter either we only have little time to shoot (below 15 minutes) or in boring place (like our working place), we still can “force” our creativity to see daily moment in unusual way. Find a little spare time in our lunch break time, or in the morning before start to work, or evening after working hour.
There are some advantage points by shooting street in our working place area:
Do it everyday
Street photography is all about freedom (Read here). Do not restrict ourself with so many rules behind it. If you confuse how to do street in 15 or 30 minutes time (like in lunch break) then just think street photography as casual snapshot. Photograph anything that you think easy to attract eyes (like diagonal line) or unique (like people’s unique outfit).
Remember that: Do not force (or even depressed) yourself to create a keeper image by “hunting” street scene in such short time. Just enjoy the process of shooting itself.
I really like to do fishing technique (Read here) in my working area because I have “limitless time” to do it. Fail to get a keeper shot today because we only have 15 minutes spare time? Then I will back tomorrow at the same spot, waiting for stronger looks or more interesting subject to enter my frame. Like in photo above, I spent days to created it (with around 15-20 minutes a day), waiting for the right subject do the right gesture appear.
Hidden location
I believe most of us is people who spent our daily time in working place. Which is can become our biggest advantage. We know many many hidden spots in this area. At first we could think that our working place is super boring, nothing worth to photograph. But, remember that artistic scene is simply everywhere, try to see “the unseen”, see a thing/location at different angle, different time and different moment. Use objects around us to create a creative shoot (Read here).
For example, here in my working place area consist of 3 different Shopping Malls and few office buildings. I found that in these kind of places there are many reflective elements that I can use to shoot reflection. This fact is also the main reason why I like to do shoot street inside Shopping Mall (Read here).
People’s culture
A point that as important as find a hidden spot. We truly need to understand people’s culture/behaviour/rule in each place. For extreme example, in Melbourne it is not recommended to photograph children without permission, while in Jakarta it is simply free to do it.
We will easier to read people’s behaviour in our working place area because basically we “live” there everyday. We will know better which type of people that totally fine to photograph and which type of people that we should avoid. Here in my place, it is always better to avoid shoot security person, they may stop you immediately to shooting with your camera.
That is all about my thought of shooting street in working place. Have fun to try it yourself, remember that you have “limitless time” to work the scene there. Do not be afraid to fail, and try again tomorrow! Personally, shooting street in lunch break or after work time also a good way to releasing a bit of my work tension.
Additional notes: All photos here created in my working place area (Senayan, Jakarta). I work here for the last 7 years, and yet, till now I still feel I have not discovered all potential spots here. Attractive street moment happens everyday everywhere, include in our working place area too!
Keep shooting everyday,
Nico Harold