The Main Reason Street Photography Sucks

I love being a fly on the wall in a city. Give me a little outdoor table with a coffee, beer, or a glass of wine, and I can spend hours watching people go about their day, and life passing by. This is perhaps why I gravitated more to street photography as opposed to other genres, and if I had one superpower, it would be being invisible to the outside world. Imagine walking through a chaotic market in some far flung part of the world without being seen. Now I know this might sound creepy, but I’m not coming at this from a perv point of view. Instead I would like this superpower to avoid bruising the scene.

Bruising the scene is a term often used within street photography to describe the impact a photographer can have on the environment he or she is in. Take that same market and now place a photographer from a different country, culture, or race into the scene, and all of a sudden people might start to react differently. Patterns will change, behaviour will adapt, and a new sense of curiosity, uncertainty, suspicion, or even hostility might surface.

This for me is the main reason street photography can suck, because even if your intentions are 100% pure, which they should be, it’s so hard to convey that to others around you. This is especially true if you’re introverted or simply not great when it comes to dealing with people. While I can’t give you an invisibility cloak, I can share some practical, experience based advice on how one might bruise the scene a little less.

Dressing appropriately

This is the most obvious one. Dress to blend in, not to stand out. I don’t even mean avoid bright colours, designer items, or anything that will attract attention, but I would even go as far as researching how locals dress and try to blend in. If in doubt, I suggest opting for neutral colours or those on the darker side, while avoiding unusual designs, overly tight or loose clothing, and showing excessive skin. You want to look like the most average, bland, vanilla fax machine salesman possible. This alone can go very far in helping you blend in.

Carrying too much gear

I’ve just come back from a photography workshop, and the sheer amount of camera gear people carry is staggering. Carrying loads of gear that’s attached to every single limb isn’t cool, it makes you stand out like a sore thumb. Maybe a few people will be curious, but most will be suspicious of you, and some might wonder how much they can get for it down the dodgy electronics market. Keep your set up as small and light as possible, ideally one body and one lens, and whatever you do, avoid giant backpacks. Instead opt for a lightweight sling.

Trying to be sneaky

We’ve all done it at some point in our journey of learning street photography. Most of the time we got away with it, but now and then we were caught red handed. Being sneaky looks weird, sticks out like a sore thumb, and leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable. People can sense when someone is being devious, and it never ends on a positive note. While you shouldn’t walk around screaming and shouting to assert your presence, I also don’t think that being sly will win you any friends. Unless you’ve clearly been told “no photos”, in which case you should respect that, I suggest not hiding who you are and what you’re doing.

Not smiling

Sooner or later you will make eye contact with either someone you photographed, someone who saw you take a photograph, or a general passer-by. Always smile, say hello, and be positive. If you have a grumpy look on your face, don’t expect people to be warm and welcoming.

Getting in the way

I was once exiting a Tube in London when a photographer decided to stop right in the middle of the exit to get his shot. Not only did he block everyone trying to get on and off the carriage, but he also made himself everyone’s least favourite person in that space. I see this so many times, photographers getting in the way of locals going about their day, and being totally oblivious or indifferent to it. Either get out of people’s way, or go with the flow.

Making noise

This is self explanatory. Avoid making noise or causing a scene. So often I come across photographers who behave in a way that attracts attention and then get annoyed because everyone is staring at them. Match the volume of the place you’re in, and if unsure err on the quiet side.

Being with a large group

Street photography is only really possible with 3 or fewer people. Any more and you have a nice social gathering that might get some good shots, but the chances of great photography reduce significantly. If 5 of you walk into a market with all your cameras, you will stand out like a sore thumb. Keep the group to 3 max.

Acting out of norm

This last one is a bit vague because acting normal means different things to different people. In essence I’m saying learn how to read the room, then adapt your behaviour to fit the location. If everyone is greeting each other, then greet as well. If they are not, then saying hello to every person will look out of place. If everyone is walking slowly, your fast pace won’t go unnoticed. Study the environment and adapt your behaviour to fit in.

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