{"id":69191,"date":"2017-11-13T09:44:21","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T17:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=69191"},"modified":"2017-11-13T09:49:31","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T17:49:31","slug":"the-psychology-of-street-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/13\/the-psychology-of-street-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"The Psychology of Street Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Woman
London, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think street photography is 90% psychology \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you can master your own mental psychology, then you will be able to achieve your personal maximum in your photography and life.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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CONQUER YOUR FEARS AND MEET NEW PEERS<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Mad<\/a><\/p>\n

Conquer your fears and meet new peers at ERIC KIM WORKSHOP ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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DOWNLOAD PDF: The psychology of street photography<\/a><\/p>\n

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What is fear?<\/h2>\n
\"Woman
Woman with fur and crossed arms. London, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take fear for example.<\/p>\n

\n Fear: a physiological response to doing something you want to do.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, you will feel fear in street photography because you want to take a picture of that person or scene, but you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re afraid of the negative consequences. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re afraid of getting yelled at, physically attached, or perhaps being called a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pervert\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pedophile\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

However, realize fear is all in your head, and your brain.<\/p>\n

Therefore, if you can re-wire your brain and mental faculties, then you should be able to re-channel your use of fear in street photography.<\/p>\n

Reducing your stress response from street photography takes time, and repeated exposures<\/h2>\n
\"London
Suit with French fry. London, 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also consider, fear is a physiological response, that you feel manifested in your muscles, your breathing rate, your sweat response.<\/p>\n

But you can de-escalate your sensitivity to fear and pain through training.<\/p>\n

For example, one of the best ways to build a resistance to pain is through cold shower training. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken cold showers religiously the last five years, and I still feel the pain of the cold, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m less afraid of the pain, and I feel the pain less.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n In street photography, the more you practice it, and the more risks you take, the less afraid you will become.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Seek to get rejected<\/h2>\n
\"Red
Red hair on red background. Kodak Portra 400 with flash. London, 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So the first step is trying to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcde-escalate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 your fear response.<\/p>\n

My suggestion:<\/p>\n

\n Learn to love rejection.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first assignment in street photography is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc10 No Challenge\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u201d approach a bunch of strangers and ask to make their portrait, and TRY to intentionally get rejected by 10 strangers (more assignments in STREET NOTES<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Psychologically, this re-wires your brain, because you no longer fear rejection. Rather, you CRAVE rejection \u00e2\u20ac\u201d because this is part of the assignment.<\/p>\n

What if you did everything you feared in life?<\/h2>\n
\"\"
London, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you think about this principle in life \u00e2\u20ac\u201d imagine if you lived a life where you no longer feared rejection? How would this help your business life, entrepreneurship life, romantic life, or just life in general?<\/p>\n

You wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fear rejected asking out someone on a date, you wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fear sending a business proposal to a prospective client, or the risk of starting your own company.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman in pink and Red Bull. London, 2011. Eric Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what success in life is, but I certainly know you cannot succeed by not taking any risks. And the less you fear rejection, the more risks you will take.<\/p>\n

Therefore, to succeed more, fear rejection less.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Guilt<\/h2>\n
\"London,
London, 2014. The second photo. I pretended like I was shooting the sign behind her.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another strange psychological problem we face as street photographers and human beings:<\/p>\n

\n We feel guilty for taking photos of strangers.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But why do we feel guilt?<\/p>\n

We feel guilt because we think,<\/p>\n

\n If you take a picture of a stranger without their permission, you are somehow \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcstealing their soul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and that is somehow \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmorally evil\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you like to be photographed?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another idea:<\/p>\n

\n Some of us don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like to have our own picture taken, and therefore we assume that everyone else doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like to have their picture taken.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is false. I love to have my picture taken.<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

So this is funny, that according to the mental psychology of ERIC KIM,<\/p>\n

\n Because I like to have my picture taken, I assume everyone else likes having their picture taken.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now obviously, not everyone is like me.<\/p>\n

But this is the psychological bias we all fell victim to:<\/p>\n

\n We assume that everyone else thinks like us. (Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t true)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But\u00e2\u20ac\u201d what if you had the mental mindset that everyone liked having their picture taken? I bet you would have more confidence in your street photography.<\/p>\n

You are blessing people with your camera<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A mental shift:<\/p>\n

\n Whoever you decide to photograph, you are blessing them.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Consider, there are billions of people in the world. If you decide to choose 1 person to photograph, you are telling them:<\/p>\n

\n You are special and unique, that is why I want to photograph you.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Photography is your duty<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another psychological shift:<\/p>\n

\n It is your purpose and duty to make photographs.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your photography is bigger than you.<\/p>\n

For example, as a street photographer you are a visual artist, you are a historian, you are a social critic, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re making images that will inspire, motivate, and inform people. You will help empower and inform the current world of humanity, and also future generations.<\/p>\n

\"Leica<\/p>\n

Therefore to psychologically shift your mind, realize you are DOING A GOOD THING FOR HUMANITY in shooting street photography.<\/p>\n

Street photography as self-therapy<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Also consider, street photography should REMOVE STRESS and anxiety from your life. You should ENJOY the process of street photography, and shooting street photography should bring you joy.<\/p>\n

Street photography would be boring without fear<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Also realize, ultimately \u00e2\u20ac\u201d fear is what makes street photography enjoyable. Every pleasure in life is mixed with a bit of pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anything fun and enjoyable in life is hard or difficult. But the thing is \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you need to have the right degree of difficulty to enjoy the process.<\/p>\n

Kaizen process of self-confidence<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A practical suggestion:<\/p>\n

\n Every day you shoot street photography, try to be 1% braver.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dckaizen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 approach of building your confidence in street photography. Slow, gradual, but indefinite. Imagine, if you got 1% more confident everyday, compounded over a year, you would become 3000%+ more confident by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Do what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re afraid of<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fear is a good guide in life.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If you shot a street photograph of everything you feared, you would make very good street photographs.<\/li>\n
  2. If you pursued everything in your life that scared you, you would live a much more interesting life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So friend, lean forward into<\/em> the fear.<\/p>\n

    \"Cindy<\/p>\n

    The more you do what scares you, the braver, bolder, and stronger you will become.<\/p>\n

    Last assignment:<\/p>\n

    \n Do 1 thing everyday which scares you.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    BE STRONG,
    \nERIC<\/p>\n

    CONQUER YOUR FEARS AND MEET NEW PEERS ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101<\/a><\/h1>\n

    \"Tokyo,<\/p>\n

    If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re new to street photography, start here:<\/p>\n