{"id":22650,"date":"2015-02-20T15:09:46","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T23:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=22650"},"modified":"2015-02-20T15:09:46","modified_gmt":"2015-02-20T23:09:46","slug":"10-lessons-blake-andrews-has-taught-me-about-street-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/20\/10-lessons-blake-andrews-has-taught-me-about-street-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Lessons Blake Andrews Has Taught Me About Street Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"110\"<\/p>\n

I want to write this article on a photographer, blogger, and overall cool guy \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Blake Andrews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I first saw Blake\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work on the In-Public website<\/a>, and was amazed by his surrealistic street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and his sharp eyes for shapes, forms, and visual elements.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you have ever been on his blog: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153B<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can see he has one of the most unique voices in the photography community. He is outspoken, speaks his mind, and delivers quality photography commentary\/interviews\/book recommendations\u00e2\u20ac\u201d with a fun style. He is one of the few (if only) bloggers I know who speaks without a censor\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and truly speaks his heart. There are few people out there with as much courage as he does.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but he has been shooting for 20+ years, and is constantly pushing the boundaries of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Based on a recent video interview and other interviews I have read about him online, here are some lessons I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned from him:<\/p>\n

1. Always be shooting<\/h2>\n

\"387\"<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think there are any other street photographers (shooting film) whom are prolific as Blake. In the interview I did with him recently, he told me the longest period of time he has gone without shooting was probably 1\u00e2\u20ac\u201c2 days (max). He always has a camera with him, and photographs constantly.<\/p>\n

The only other photographer (who possibly might have shot more) was Garry Winogrand<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u201d who famously passed away with hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film.<\/p>\n

I sometimes have an issue of staying inspired when it comes to my photography. I have a hard time pushing myself to shoot everyday\u00e2\u20ac\u201d so I asked Blake for some advice. The advice he gave me:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you walk for 2 hours somewhere, you will always at least take 1\u00e2\u20ac\u201c2 interesting photographs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think that is great advice. I sometimes bemoan the fact that nothing is interesting\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I have no motivation to shoot. But the reality is that if you spend enough time in public places and walking around\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you will always find something interesting to photograph.<\/p>\n

2. You can always make interesting photographs (regardless of where you live)<\/h2>\n

\"extra7\"<\/p>\n

Not only that, but Blake has also inspired me by making me realize\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can make interesting photographs (regardless of where you live).<\/p>\n

Blake currently lives in Eugene, Oregon\u00e2\u20ac\u201d which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly the most \u00e2\u20ac\u0153popping\u00e2\u20ac\u009d place for street photography. However he is able to find interesting scenes regardless. He photographs his children, nature, macro things, and other things that interest him.<\/p>\n

It is his constant curiosity of life that keeps him going.<\/p>\n

3. Be part of a community<\/h2>\n

\"266\"<\/p>\n

Another lesson I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned from him is that he is very active in several photography groups based in Portland. He goes there at least 2\u00e2\u20ac\u201c3 times a month, and it gives him the chance to print his work, share his work, and get feedback\/critique from his work.<\/p>\n

I think that being a part of a community is one of the best ways to stay inspired with your work. You have motivation to share and display your work, and also get honest feedback and critique which helps you grow and evolve.<\/p>\n

4. Shoot first, ask questions later<\/h2>\n

\"277\"<\/p>\n

Another lesson I learned from Blake is that when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s out shooting on the streets, he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t over-analyze his scenes. He just shoots instinctively, and then edits his shots afterwards.<\/p>\n

This is a great lesson for me\u00e2\u20ac\u201d because sometimes when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m shooting on the streets, I over-analyze what I see in front of me, and just end up taking no shots at all.<\/p>\n

Blake shared the importance of using your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right brain while shooting, left brain when looking over contact sheets.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

So when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting on the streets, just focus on getting the shots. Shoot from the gut and from your instincts. Only when you go home and finally have time to sit down with your images\u00e2\u20ac\u201d then you can start to more analytically analyze and edit your images.<\/p>\n

5. Reality is stronger than imagination<\/h2>\n

\"Blake-AndrewsWEB\"<\/p>\n

Another point that Blake touched upon is the fact that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reality is stronger than imagination\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d meaning, sometimes the things we see in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153real world\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is more interesting and magical than what we can imagine.<\/p>\n

I think as street photographers we can all relate to this. When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m shooting on the streets, a lot of the things I see I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even make up. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really have a strong sense of imagination\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but I think I have a good eye for spotting interesting things I see in the streets.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reality is stronger than imagination\u00e2\u20ac\u009d part I like is that it proves how amazing and a wonderful place the world is. There are endless things to discover, explore, and see. As a street photographer, we have so much \u00e2\u20ac\u0153content\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the real world to capture in our images.<\/p>\n

So whenever we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel inspired\u00e2\u20ac\u201d always remind yourself that there are so many interesting things to shoot. If you think your environment is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153boring\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it is probably because you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t looking hard enough.<\/p>\n

6. Spend more time shooting (less time online)<\/h2>\n

\"78\"<\/p>\n

I asked Blake what advice he would give to aspiring street photographers. He said that most street photographers would benefit from spending more time shooting, and spending less time online.<\/p>\n

Of course this sounds like obvious advice, but it is a great reminder. I personally find myself getting into creative ruts when I spend too much time on the Internet\u00e2\u20ac\u201d looking at photos on Flickr, websites, and social media. However the more time I spend exploring the streets\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I never have a hard time finding something interesting.<\/p>\n

So while it is good that you constantly educate and learn about photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d at the end of the day, your time is best spent shooting. If I could give a breakdown, I would say try to spend your time this way: 80% on the streets, and 20% educating yourself. There is no shortcut for time spent on the streets.<\/p>\n

7. Get closer<\/h2>\n

\"179\"<\/p>\n

Another solid piece of advice from Blake is beginner street photographers should get closer.<\/p>\n

At the recent street photography workshop he taught alongside Matt Stuart from In-Public in Los Angeles, they gave the students an assignment of standing at a busy street corner for an hour, and just photographing whatever entered their frame.<\/p>\n

The common mistake? Most of the students didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get close enough to their subjects.<\/p>\n

A quote from Blake:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bystanders will quickly forget you, but a good photo lasts forever.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So while it is true that you might get some people to get pissed off at you (for a little while) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the photo you capture will be forever.<\/p>\n

So don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry so much about upsetting people or getting yelled at. That is a small price to pay for creating a beautiful image.<\/p>\n

8. Camera in hand always unless asleep in bed<\/h2>\n

\"50\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is another good \u00e2\u20ac\u0153guiding principle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from Blake Andrews\u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Camera in hand always unless asleep in bed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Blake always has a camera closely\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and he is a compulsive shooter. I feel my problem is that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shoot enough, and I certainly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have my camera in my hand enough.<\/p>\n

I personally do find the more I have my camera around my neck or in my hand, the more photographic opportunities I see. When my camera is hidden in my bag, I rarely see photographs.<\/p>\n

Be curious and open to anything in the world. There are always great photos to be taken.<\/p>\n

9. The grid project<\/h2>\n

\"rd2_J8BA04\"<\/p>\n

An interesting project Blake Andrews has worked on is the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Portland Grid Project<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in which he scoured almost every mile of Portland, photographing each section (a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153grid\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) and confining himself to those locations.<\/p>\n

This assignment allowed him to get to know Portland really well\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but also forced him to try to make interesting photographs in each part of the city.<\/p>\n

I feel this is a great assignment to do in your own city. See how your city looks like on a map, and try to cut it up into little squares or grids. And everyday, try to shoot a different part of the grid\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and then at the end, you will have a beautiful mosaic of your entire city (in grid format).<\/p>\n

I also believe that having a constraint in terms of space helps you be more creative. Not only that, but this assignment will help you seek out places in your own city that you normally don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go to.<\/p>\n

10. Have fun<\/h2>\n

\"102\"<\/p>\n

The biggest takeaway and sense I get from Blake is how he has a lot of fun with what he does. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take himself too seriously\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and he shoots out of compulsion, curiosity, and fun\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than trying to impress others.<\/p>\n

He has amassed a huge archive and body of work in the last 20+ years, and he is constantly pushing the definition of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. If you look at his In-Public portfolio<\/a>, his tastes are very eclectic. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to just fit inside the box of traditional \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d he is always curious of experimenting and pushing the box.<\/p>\n

For example, he has recently been experimenting a lot with color photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d especially shooting on an Instax wide camera (also with a macro adapter). This has helped him see and discover the world in a different way.<\/p>\n

With his blog \u00e2\u20ac\u0153B<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d he writes whatever interests him, and doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pander\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to his audience. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take himself too seriously\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and shows great enthusiasm in his photography, writing, and his commentaries.<\/p>\n

Blake Andrews’ Guiding Principles<\/h2>\n

This is a list of guiding principles that Blake wrote in the past, which is always good inspiration for me. He says he doesn’t care too much about the film vs digital debate anymore– but still this is a great list:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Camera in hand always unless asleep in bed<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Film is cheap<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2a. Digital looks cheap<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Reality is stronger than imagination<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
    2. \n

      Form subjugates essence, yet requires it<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Bystanders will quickly forget you, but a good photo lasts forever<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    4. \n

      Light should illuminate the subject matter but not be the subject matter.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      6a. Don’t fight light. You will always lose<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Use right brain when shooting, left brain when looking over contact sheets. Paraphrased, this becomes…<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
      2. \n

        Shoot first, ask questions later<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Book Recommendations<\/h2>\n

        Here are some photography books that Blake recommended in the interview I did with him:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. “Songbook<\/a>” – Alec Soth<\/li>\n
        2. “Canadian pictures<\/a>” – Viktor Kolar<\/li>\n
        3. First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography: Selections from the Allan Chasanoff Collection<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Conclusion<\/h2>\n
          \"Blake
          Blake Andrews in Downtown LA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

          Anyways, Blake is an awesome dude. I will have the video interview with him up pretty soon, but in the meanwhile\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I recommend you check out his work and his sites:<\/p>\n

          Social Media:<\/strong><\/p>\n