Hi!
To begin with, let me introduce myself a little bit.
For me photography is more than just a hobby or a passion. Photography is more like an activity that keep makes me become a better person day by day. I learned much more about how life works after I decide to get my first real camera and start shooting (that was around late 2016, so It’s about 1.5 years now). It does really surprise me how a little black box that can freeze moment can teach me life lesson this much (would be too many to write here, one for example is now I can start to have open communication/action to other people, even with a random stranger I met on the street. Before, I’m kind of person who almost totally careless about stranger) .
Also, one of the main reason I start doing photography is because for the whole of my life before (around 27 years!) I feel like I’m a person who never capable to produce anything into this world. Yes, I do have my job for living, but that is more like just doing things to get money for survive, not the real creating something into this world (like painting, singing, writing poem, playing music instrument, cooking, and many of other things). Photography is the very first thing that I can create something into this world all by myself.
I start to learn photography from zero (At that time I still a bit confuse with shutter speed – ISO – Aperture!) and I learn all of this things by self-taught. First step was joining in local photography group, then try to follow some free/affordable cost workshop, reading a lot (really, A LOT) photography blogs, see other people’s works in Instagram, Facebook and 500px. Some images does inspire me a lot, even till now, but soon I also realised, I can gather many many of inspirations from philosophy too. The philosophy why a photographer capture one particular scene, what is the main reason of capture that moment. For me philosophy in photography is more like the real foundation of creating a photography’s vision.
Why Street Photography?
At first, my idea about having camera was about documenting valuable things around me. But then I also realise, photography is a form of art with limitless boundaries and endless possibilities. This thought really was blowing my mind, and I start to think how can I infuse art when I was documenting things. Not long after that I start to capture people’s activities around me, especially the one who having uniqueness like colourful clothes, hat, shoes or doing something unordinary on the street. I feel there is a joy inside me every time I snapped something artistic that happen in decisive moment and purely candid.
Long story short, now here I am, a person who love documenting human life on the street. Either in form of human life (like face expression and gesture) nor visual art (like shadow, reflection, and silhouette).
That is all about me for now, thanks for reading!
Keep shooting and stay inspired,
Nico Harold