The Mental Challenge of Street Photography
What Causes Anxiety
When we go out and take photographs in the street we ultimately want to take the best possible photographs we believe we’re capable of. For me the best photographs contain people, this then creates an emotional connection when you view that photograph. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a close up photograph in someones face, it could be a silhouette from across the street. However, the thought of taking a photograph of a person without their permission is scary and can cause anxiety when you first start out and it never really goes away. There is often a worry that taking a photograph of a person will cause confrontation or invite questions on what you’re doing or if you have permission (more on this later).
Other thoughts may enter your head such as questioning whether you’re good enough or if you’re going to even take a decent photograph that day. This can cause your mood to drop and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and will probably cause you to miss shots you otherwise might have taken. However, one of the main reasons this affected me is a phenomenon called the Spotlight Effect by which people think they are being noticed more than they actually are. It’s thought that it exists because as humans we believe we’re the centre of our own world, we are therefore the centre of everyone else’s world too. So when you’re on the street taking the photograph’s of people you also have to deal with the thought of what other people are thinking who aren’t in the frame. Are they wondering why you’re taking photographs of random people? Are they thinking you’re acting suspiciously? Once these thoughts enter your head, it’s hard to get rid of them. Therefore the mental challenge of street photography can be hard to overcome, in fact so much for so, some eventually quit. Getting on top of your mental health is important when out on the streets otherwise you won’t be performing to the best of your abilities.
Why You Shouldn’t Worry
However, the more you go out on the street and take photographs the more you realise that a lot of these concerns are unfounded. It’s a constant mental battle, but one that you can win if you embrace the fear rather than fight it. This may sound easier said than done, but the following points have helped me a lot:
When you arrive at your location get your camera out as soon as possible and take some warm up shots, just get into the rhythm as soon as you can. Don’t walk around for ages waiting for the perfect shot with your camera still in your bag, you’ll definitely miss it.
Try to use the view finder early on, rather than looking down at the screen while taking a shot, This will show people that you’re not afraid of taking photographs in the street and you’re not trying to hide what you’re doing. Most people probably won’t even notice.
If you’re worried about taking a photograph of a person, then make the photograph about the scene. Take photographs of the scene while waiting for people to walk into the shot, then take a photo with the person with the scene in the background. The people walking past may stop to avoid crashing your shot, however you won’t have this problem in London as most won’t care as they’re impolite! (Controversial!) I often do this if there is a street scene with some really good light that just needs a subject.
Once you’ve taken a few photographs especially ones you are happy with then you’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll then begin to get in a flow state whereby you couldn’t care less about what other people think. You start to form tunnel vision and when you see something you want to take you’ll just take it without hesitating.
Before you go out take inspiration from your favourite photographers whether this is on social media or photo books. Have the belief that you’re capable of taking photographs just as good as them. Don’t see others as intimidating and making you feel inferior, they are human just like you and started from the place of being a beginner too.
Legal Stance in the UK
From a legal point of view, the law is quite clear in the UK. There is no law to prevent you taking the photograph of somebody in public i.e. when you yourself are standing on public land. If you are standing on private land then that is a different matter and you must seek permission of the land owner. Don’t always presume that if a piece of land is free for the public to use, it is public land, it can still be private. Examples of this are shopping centres and museums or in London, the whole of the Canary Wharf estate is on private land.
If you take a photo in a public place nobody has the right to ask you to:
Stop taking photographs
Ask for a copy of the photograph
Ask you to delete the photograph
However, if you repeatedly take a photograph of somebody this could amount to harassment and there are separate laws covering this.
Of course though regardless of the law you should use common sense when out on the street. If somebody is uncomfortable with you taking their photograph and they ask you to stop, the sensible thing would be to do just that and walk away. If they ask you to delete it, then I may not be so forthcoming, especially if it’s one I’m really happy with, they also have no idea how many memory cards I have and if it’s been written to both cards etc. Anyway, the key is to use your common sense and not get into a confrontation. In 3 years of doing street photography I’ve never been put in this position.
Though not against the law, there are certain people I would avoid taking photographs of, which are:
Children
Disabled or disfigured people
People who are looking upset or distressed
Homeless people
Police officers where they could be identified (unlike the photo above I took during the Coronation)
The UK law is obviously different from other countries around the world so please check if you’re unsure.
I hope this article has given you more confidence to get out onto the street and improve your mental health when taking photographs and remember the more you go out, the easier you’ll find it.