Street portrait, woman looking right. NYC, 2015. RICOH GR II x FLASH

What Should I Photograph?

Of course you can photograph anything and everything. But here are some practical ideas:


First of all, go on long walks by yourself. Bring your camera along.

Don’t force yourself to shoot. Only photograph what draws your eye. Don’t categorize what you shoot while you shoot — you can always categorize and classify what you do later.

For example, shoot the sky. Shoot clouds. Shoot landscapes. Shoot urban landscapes. Shoot leaves. Shoot trees. Photograph people. Photograph your shadow. Photograph your selfie.

Street portrait, woman looking right. NYC, 2015. RICOH GR II x FLASH
Street portrait, woman looking right. NYC, 2015. RICOH GR II x FLASH

Photograph hands, gestures, eyes, and light. Photograph litter, details, textures, macro and super close ups.

The point of photography is to discover MORE BEAUTY and MORE LIFE.

How to organize or categorize your photos

Lips pink. Portra 400 flash, London.
Lips pink. Portra 400 flash, London.

Then figure out LATER how to organize your photos.

Simply put, the best way to share your images is on your own website or blog. Signup via 1and1.com, install WordPress.org, and start sharing your photos there.

Don’t let others superimpose their tastes on you

Street portrait New Orleans. Low angle Superman effect.
Street portrait New Orleans. Low angle Superman effect.

The biggest failure we make in photography is this:

We ask others whether they “like” our photos or not, or whether they find our photos interesting or not.

We then stop following our own inner voice. We start making generic photos to placate to the masses. Generally this is my thought on photography and art:

If too many people like it, it is no good.

Why? Generally speaking the masses aren’t educated in photography and art. If you were an architect, you wouldn’t ask Joe Schmoe about their opinion on your designs. This is also why in street photography I NEVER solicit the judgement from non-street photographers. Why? I only trust fellow practitioners to judge and guide me. It’s still fine if I share my photos with the general public, and I still appreciate their feedback, but I respect their ultimate judgment less than if a Magnum photographer (say, David Alan Harvey or Constantine Manos) say they like my photos.