{"id":30802,"date":"2017-03-10T02:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=30802"},"modified":"2017-03-13T15:32:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T22:32:31","slug":"6-tips-how-to-be-less-self-conscious-in-street-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/10\/6-tips-how-to-be-less-self-conscious-in-street-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Be Less Self-Conscious"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Saigon,
Saigon, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many of us are self-conscious when it comes to our street photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d meaning, we think about ourselves too much when we shoot.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However the philosophy we should try to take is this: treat street photography as an exercise to let go of your ego and forget your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153self.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Imagine that when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting street photography, your body and mind disappears. All that is left is the camera, and it shoots itself. The photos take themselves.<\/p>\n

1. They are not your photos<\/h2>\n
\"Hanoi,
Hanoi, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the tips I have is to not refer to your own photos as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153my\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos. Rather, refer to your photos as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos.<\/p>\n

This helps detach you from your photography. This will help you become more objective with your photos when judging them, but it will also put less pressure on you when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting photos.<\/p>\n

I find myself becoming really self-conscious when shooting street photography when I try really hard to make good photos. Whenever I put that pressure on myself, I am always thinking of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153me, me, me\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I, I, I.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think of yourself as a photographer. Think of yourself as a person who wanders, and the camera clicks by itself. You just happen to be holding the camera.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting<\/h2>\n
\"SF,
SF, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the secret to being a great street photographer is to turn off your brain. To not think. To shoot from the gut, and afterwards choose your best photos with your brain.<\/p>\n

When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m out shooting and I think too much, I am a lot more self-conscious. When I think too much, I am less likely to take photos\u00e2\u20ac\u201d because I worry about the negative consequences of what might happen.<\/p>\n

Becoming less self-conscious in street photography doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happen overnight. It takes time. A long time.<\/p>\n

3. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make eye contact<\/h2>\n
\"Paris,
Paris, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It also takes psychological tricks and practice. And different street photography techniques.<\/p>\n

I find one technique which works well to make myself less self-conscious is to not make eye contact<\/strong>. If I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make eye contact with others when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m shooting, then others don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make eye contact with me. Then they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m taking their photo. Therefore this allows me to get closer to my subjects, to keep clicking, and to keep moving.<\/p>\n

4. Smile<\/h2>\n
\"Lansing,
Lansing, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the other hand, a good way to be less nervous and self-conscious when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting is to smile. Smile when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting, and smile at your subjects. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do it in a creepy way \u00e2\u20ac\u201d do it with a small head nod, and with a joyful feeling in yourself.<\/p>\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a happy street photographer, people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afraid, nervous, or feel weird around you. The happier you are, the more confident you are.<\/p>\n

So use joy, happiness, and your smile as a shield and armor to keep you strong.<\/p>\n

5. Expect the worst-case scenario<\/h2>\n
\"Beverly
Beverly Hills, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Street photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a dainty business. It is hard. Really tough. It is the scariest form of photography out there.<\/p>\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting street photography, you will piss someone off sooner or later. So expect it.<\/p>\n

If you expect to upset people in your street photography before-hand, you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be as nervous or self-conscious when it actually happens.<\/p>\n

Always expect the worst-case scenario, but also realize that whatever you imagine the worst-case scenario almost never happens.<\/p>\n

And if you can expect the worst-case scenario, you will have less fear, and you will build more steel in your spine.<\/p>\n

6. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re braver than you think<\/h2>\n
\"Downtown
Downtown LA, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You have nothing to fear but fear itself in street photography. And whenever that scary thing actually happens, it won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be as bad as you imagine it to be.<\/p>\n

So friend, have a stout heart, always shoot with a smile, sometimes avert your eyes, and expect the worst-case scenario. Know that street photography is really f*cking scary at times, but that is what makes you a great photographer.<\/p>\n

Everyday seek to be a little less self-conscious, a little more brave, and to think a little less when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out on the streets. Shoot less with your brain, and more with your heart. Then nothing can stop you.<\/p>\n

Always,
\nEric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many of us are self-conscious when it comes to our street photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d meaning, we think about ourselves too much when we shoot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/DSCF0488.jpg?fit=4896%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}