One of the things I love most about street photography is simply walking the streets.

When I walk on the streets, I feel my mind at peace. I like observing the street life, the sound of the honking horns, the sounds of the ambient chatter of people, and all the different sights I can see.

I love following my intuition and guts on the streets, and not having a precise plan in terms of where to go, what to do, or what to photograph.

The French call an individual who likes to just walk and wander as a “flaneur.” The flaneur doesn’t have a pre-determined destination. The flaneur enjoys every step of his/her journey, and just follows his/her nose.

I think it is also a beautiful life philosophy to have. Rather than always feeling you need to have a certain goal or objective, you increase your options, freedom, and flexibility.

There are a lot of different ways you can be a flaneur in your photography, below are some ideas:

• Don’t have a destination in mind when you’re wandering in the streets (put away your GPS and Google Maps)
• Don’t have a specific goal with your photography (don’t aim to have an exhibition, publish a book, or gain a big social media following)
• Don’t stick to a certain style of photography; be flexible. Simply wander around different photographic genres, and photograph whatever interests you.

Being a flaneur also means taking in new information every step in your life’s journey. So if you find new information which contradicts what you’ve learned in the past, try to unlearn what you’ve learned in the past. Let go of past ideas, concepts, and other things which hold you back.

Many photographers who have too rigid goals end up feeling frustrated and fail. They don’t have an open mind, and when new opportunities come along, they stay laser-focused in their (narrow) concepts. This prevents them from growing, wandering, and from exploring new territory.

So until next time friend, enjoy your walk on the streets, and your photographic journey. Enjoy every step of the way.

Always,
Eric