{"id":75299,"date":"2017-12-29T06:46:12","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T14:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=75299"},"modified":"2017-12-29T06:53:43","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T14:53:43","slug":"how-to-conquer-fear-and-hesitation-in-street-photography-and-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/29\/how-to-conquer-fear-and-hesitation-in-street-photography-and-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conquer Fear and Hesitation in Street Photography and Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hesitation is the death of us.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD PDF: How not to hesitate in street photography (and life)<\/a><\/p>\n

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FREE Ultimate Beginners Guide To Street Photography PDF Visualizations ><\/a><\/h2>\n
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DOWNLOAD PDF<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See all free street photography PDF Visualizations ><\/a><\/p>\n

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We are all given decisive moments in life \u00e2\u20ac\u201d what is our duty?<\/h2>\n
\"Hand
Hand and selfie shadow. Blue and red. Marseille, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In life, we are all given good \u00e2\u20ac\u0153decisive moments\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut it is up to us, whether to seize those moments or not.<\/p>\n

I think it ultimately comes down to courage, self-confidence, and lack of hesitation.<\/p>\n

How to have less regret in Street photography and life<\/h2>\n
\"Red
Red and white selfie. Marseille, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, in wisdom \u00e2\u20ac\u201d prudence (having common sense) and good judgement is key. Yet, in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world \u00e2\u20ac\u201dwe are all too stuck in our brains. We think too much, and act too little.<\/p>\n

I was thinking about street photography: the biggest regrets I have is when I hesitate, and fail to click the shutter, and therefore I miss what I perceive to be a potentially good street photograph.<\/p>\n

\"Flash
Flash photo and mirror. Marseille, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In real life also \u00e2\u20ac\u201dwe often are presented good moments, yet fear and hesitation get in the way.<\/p>\n

What do we really fear?<\/p>\n

Three Practical fears in street photography<\/h2>\n
\"Girl
Girl with nails. Texas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, in Street photography, you can fear physical attacks from your subject, mental attacks from your subject, or a feeling of guilt.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fear of physical attack: fear of a physical confrontation, perhaps getting punched in the face or something like that. <\/li>\n
  2. Fear of mental attack: fear of someone cursing at you, or trying to make you feel bad or guilty. <\/li>\n
  3. Fear of guilt: fear that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to feel bad, sneaky, or some sort of sense of shame. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s break these down:<\/p>\n

    1. Fear of physical attack<\/h3>\n
    \"Man
    Man with curtain on face. Istanbul, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Do you really fear physical attack? I think if we learn to take a punch, perhaps we will be less afraid. I think perhaps as an exercise \u00e2\u20ac\u201dwe should take a boxing class.<\/p>\n

    2. Fear of mental attack<\/h3>\n
    \"Suit
    Suit and woman. London.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Do we fear mental attack? Sticks and stones can break my bones \u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut words can never hurt me. No but seriously if someone tries to curse you out and calls you a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fucking creep\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fucking pervert\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhow would you feel or respond? Are you a creep or a pervert? If not, why would the words of the other upset you?<\/p>\n

    3. Fear of guilt\/shame<\/h3>\n
    \"Suit
    Suit in purple tie and woman. NYC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Question to ask yourself,<\/p>\n

    \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do I feel comfortable having my photograph taken?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If not, why not?<\/p>\n

    Do you feel guilt or a sense of shame from photographing your subject? If so \u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhy?<\/p>\n

    Guilt or shame comes from the false notion that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing something wrong. But, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not doing anything wrong as a street photographer. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing a good thing as a street photographer \u00e2\u20ac\u201d documenting beauty in the world, acting as a visual historian, and providing value in society.<\/p>\n

    \n

    In praise of program mode in street photography<\/h2>\n
    \"\"
    SF, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Another idea: often we hesitate in street photography because we are uncertain or unfamiliar with our technical settings. The ultimate street photographer is like a zen samurai warrior \u00e2\u20ac\u201d who becomes one with his camera, and the point when the photos shoot themselves.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    For example, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say you see a good street photo moment. You might hesitate because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not sure what the best settings may be.<\/p>\n

    My solution:<\/p>\n

    \n Set it and forget it.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Shoot street photography in P (program<\/a>) mode, ISO 1600, center point autofocus, and just shoot.<\/p>\n

    This means, all you have to do as a photographer is to frame the scene, and click the shutter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing this a lot on my RICOH GR II<\/a>, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve hesitated far less, because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to think about my camera settings.<\/p>\n

    Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think<\/h2>\n
    \"Man
    Man in Venice with tattoo on chest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Another idea in Street photography: don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think.<\/p>\n

    I think when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting, the conscious mind, the thinking mind is the enemy.<\/p>\n

    We should use our brains and think when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reviewing our photos, but not when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting.<\/p>\n

    \"Woman
    Woman sleeping in Paris, with butterfly cloth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think. Shoot, with no hesitation and no resistance. Shoot like water ; flow.<\/p>\n

    How to hesitate less when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting street photography<\/h2>\n
    \"Inside
    Inside coffee shop, suits in London with flash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    But how do you turn off your brain when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting?<\/p>\n

    Some ideas:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to make \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos. Just shoot whatever interests you. Judge your photos later, when you get home. <\/li>\n
    2. Try to shoot to music: Experiment \u00e2\u20ac\u201d try to shoot with headphones in your ears, with music that you can dance to. Music can be good or bad -don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get run over by cars. Listen to music that gets you in the groove, I personally like jazz, hip hop, and classical. You can try techno music, electronic music, or perhaps even heavy metal. <\/li>\n
    3. Shoot with a friend: talk and shoot, you will feel less self-conscious. I find that my students in my workshops feel more comfortable shooting with a partner, because you feel strength and certainty in numbers. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      How to hesitate less in life<\/h2>\n
      \"Japanese
      Japanese suit with hand on face. Tokyo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Some ideas for real life, to hesitate less in life:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Realize there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way with 100% certainty whether your decisions will be right or wrong. Rather, just lower your maximum downside. For example, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re investing, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t invest more than 10% of your income in one investment, therefore you know your maximum downside is only losing 10% of your wealth. My theory is our fears come from unknown risk \u00e2\u20ac\u201dif we are able to fully become conscious of our maximum risk or downside, we would be less fearful of making decisions. <\/li>\n
      2. Be flexible: try to add more flexibility or optionality to your decisions, so you can adjust them afterwards. For example, try not to make irreversible decisions.<\/strong> <\/li>\n
      3. Follow your gut: with decision-making, I find less regret when I just follow my gut and intuition. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n

        Be bold<\/h2>\n
        \"Woman
        Woman in London on cell phone, and juxtaposition of poster banging against window in background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        So friend, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s try to seek to shoot more uninhibited in Street photography, and to live life more uninhibited.<\/p>\n

        The world awaits you. Be bold, be brave, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hesitate.<\/p>\n

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

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

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

        Conquer your fears and meet new peers:<\/p>\n