Being out on the street with your camera can seem daunting. Street photography is like that. You feel self conscious, you think people know that you’re photographing them, you feel exposed. I know. I have those feelings too. This can cause some difficulty in getting the shot. What if someone sees you? What if someone gets upset? What if they say something? This may happen.
In my experience, it almost never does happen. I try and go out and photograph on the streets of Vancouver at least twice a week. I have these questions rolling around in my head all the time. Initially, I got very few shots, I felt self conscious and thought I would try and be elusive. I have found that this is even more weird. Suddenly, you look like you are doing something you shouldn’t be doing. So I decided…”Just shoot”. You know what, it works. If someone looks at me after I have taken the shot, I smile. I have had some people ask me what I am photographing and I tell them I am trying to capture the vibrance of Vancouver streets. I have shown a few people the actual shot, with them in it!
Most of the time, they are disarmed. Its not creepy or weird, its someone photographing on the street, lots of people do, tourists, visitors and even locals. Its not illegal or weird, just look at how many people are using their iPhone cameras. So, shoot. I take my time, I set up a shot and wait for the right people to enter the street scene. I shoot, sometimes they see, sometimes they dont, but for me, its about the act of shooting. I want to make photos, every time I go out. My attitude is to welcome people who ask me what I am doing. I am a photographer that loves photographing the ebb and flow of life on the streets of my city. So I go out and I shoot, you should too…