Street

I used to completely avoid taking photos that included people. I photoshopped people out of landscape photos, took ultra long exposures so people wouldn’t show up. I took photos of my friends but had a mental block when it came to taking photos of people I didn’t know very well. I knew if I wanted to progress as a photographer I would have to get over that fear. I decided to face it head on and start bringing a camera with me everywhere I go. Taking photos of things that catch my eye. Attempting to prepare myself for any potential confrontation. I find myself walking the streets for hours seeking out interesting subjects and waiting for people to walk into my frame. I realized that when I photograph a setting, there’s an emotion that I feel alongside it because I was there. In the past I’ve just assumed that the way I take the photo captures enough of the environment, or is edited in a way to portray that emotion to my viewers. How could I be so naïve? Yes, in some cases, that’s enough. But in reality, people themselves are what make our environments, frame our culture, tell a story. Each interpreted in a different way. The eyes I see may make me feel different than the eyes you see.