Light in Kyoto 2018

Walking Meditation in Street Photography Tips

Light in Kyoto 2018
Kyoto, 2018

The world is a beautiful place. The greatest blessing is the blessing of being alive!



One of the reasons why I love street photography is that it is walking meditation for us. Street photography is good for the soul, because it allows us to go on nice and long walks, it allows us to “Zen out” and appreciate the beauty of the world around us. For myself when I shoot street photography, I find more beauty in the mundane and ordinary.

When I go on a walk with my camera, I am amazed by the world around me. I find beauty in anything and everything! The beauty of the light hitting discarded plastic bottles, the beauty of a shadow, or the beauty of strangers on the streets.

I feel a lot of modern society and thinking is all about pessimism, negativity, and nihilism. A lot of us don’t have faith in the future. We are so stressed and anxious, we don’t have the opportunity to pause, look around ourselves, and just appreciate the joy of being alive, or the joy of the simple beauty around ourselves.

Therefore my recommendation is this: treat street photography as walking meditation, not only as an opportunity to making good photos.

Zen detachment

When you go on a street photography walking meditation adventure, walk 25% slower than you normally do. Walk softly, peacefully, and look all around you. Do a 360 look around; look up, down, left, right, and smile and photograph anything that interests you. Seek to simplify the scene by framing your photos without distracting elements on the edges of the frame, or the background.

When you’re making photos of strangers on the streets, smile. Smile, wave, and interact with your subjects. You aren’t doing anything wrong in street photography: remember, it is your duty as a street photographer to uncover and show the beauty of everyday life. You’re not hurting anybody by taking photos. You’re just recording light onto your sensor.


The future is awesome!

Ultimately remember, your life is valuable. It is the ultimate joy to be alive. Never waste a moment of your life on negative people. Stay positive, optimistic, hopeful, and excited for the future!

The world is a phenomenal place. Keep hustling to changing the world and society for the better. Like my friend Steve Jobs once told me, “Put a dent in the universe!”

BE BOLD,
ERIC