A few days ago I wrote a letter to my 18-year old self, and gave myself some advice on if I started street photography all over again. I told myself things I learned in the 8 years I’ve been taking street photos. I wish someone told me this when I started off.

Similarly, I was inspired to write this post for young street photographers starting off. I think this can apply to both young photographers (age wise) and also street photographers just starting off (young, experience-wise).

Here I go, I hope you enjoy :)

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I recently read some advice by author Ray Bradbury for aspiring writers:

“Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.”

I think the same applies for street photography. To change the numbers a bit– I think it is impossible to take 100,000 bad street photographs in a row. I think it was Henri Cartier-Bresson who said, “Your first 1,000 photos are your worst.” I think in the digital age, it is more like “Your first 100,000 photos are your worst”.

Assuming you shot 100 photos a day, that would be 36,500 a year. So at that rate, you can reach the 100,000 street photos mark in 3 years. If you’re more prolific and shoot more– you can reach that 100,000 mark much quicker.

I think it is impossible to take 100,000 bad street photographs in a row.

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1. Smile at and compliment a stranger.
2. Surprise a friend with one of your favorite prints (for no reason).
3. Give a constructive criticism to a street photographer with 0 comments online.
4. Promote the work of another contemporary street photographer whose work you admire.
5. Go out and only shoot with 1 camera and 1 lens (and turn off your smartphone).
6. Contact a local street photographer to go out and shoot together.
7. Lend one of your favorite photography books to a fellow street photographer.
8. Give away a camera you don’t use to charity, a photography program, or someone in need.
9. Donate some of your time by teaching a photography class or lecture to less-privileged students.
10. Give yourself permission to take bad shots, enjoy a nice coffee, and shoot to please yourself (not others).

How do you have a good day in street photography? Share your tips in the comments below!

Nowadays. we are all really busy. We have countless commitments at work, at home, with our friends, and with our families. It is really hard to find time to shoot street photography. Not all of us can leave the obligations of the “real world” and just go out and shoot all the time.

Ironically enough even though I am a “full time street photographer”– I still find it really hard to make time to shoot. I spend a lot of time with emails, social media, blogging, finances, helping out Cindy and my family, and church related activities.

If you consider yourself a busy person, here are some tips I suggest to shoot more street photography:

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1. Don’t chimp (let your shots marinate)
2. Don’t look at bad photos (study the masters)
3. Don’t spend time on gear review sites when you’re bored (buy books, not gear)
4. Don’t worry about your camera (the best camera is the one you have with you)
5. Don’t mix black and white and color in the same set (aim for consistency)
6. Don’t stop shooting (shoot a lot of bad photos to get a few good ones)
7. Don’t worry about how many followers you have (shoot for yourself, like Vivian Maier)
8. Don’t publish photos without a second opinion (edit ruthlessly)
9. Don’t only take 1 photo of a scene (work the scene, there is more than one “decisive moment”)
10. Don’t forget to have fun (life is short, shoot if everyday were your last)

What else would you add to this list? Share what you don’t do in street photography in the comments below!

I recently read something quite interesting about music. The concept was when you’re listening to music, you tend to listen to the treble (high notes) and tend to ignore the bass (low notes).

Therefore the author suggested to get a richer experience listening to music, focus on listening to the bass (not the treble).

So I gave it a go myself. I listened to some of my favorite classical music, and really paid attention to the low notes of the cello in the background (instead of focusing on the high notes of these violins).

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