Frankly, I had to kick myself to get back in front of my computer to type this Blog ! It’s been more than 5 weeks since I wrote anything. As far as Street Photography is concerned, I have to admit that I don’t do much of it. What’s more embarrassing is that I don’t miss it more than that … Since 2016, I’ve lived street photography 200%. It was part of me and in a way, it defined me. But for several months now, this flame that burned inside me has been dulling.
I feel like I’ve come full circle. I know very well that the street always offers different things to photograph, but a feeling of repeating myself and going in circles. Street Photography is also a state of mind and clearly I’m not into it. Let me reassure you right away, there are no particular worries in my life. Everything is going pretty well. My wife Gwen has finally got her work contract. The boys have started their school year well. As for me, I have my usual routine. A routine where photography is excluded for the moment.
I still snap from time to time, but I am far from being assiduous. To tell you the truth, when I have to wait for my kids at the end of the school day, I prefer to read in the car instead of hanging out with my camera. Something that seemed unthinkable a few months ago. I’ve looked through the pictures I’ve taken in the last 3 months and it’s not so good. The lack of dedication shows in my work. Nevertheless, there is something that stands out. My recent photos almost all have a common denominator. They show a reaction to a given situation. For me this is the purest form of street photography. I’m sharing with you some of the pictures I made in the last 3 months.
All the photos were made with the Ricoh GR3
At some point you’ll return to it Jeff. You have endless talent to pursue the challenges that street photography presents. You are without doubt a brilliant photographer. You’ve swapped it for reading, which is very similar in that it’s a lone wolf occupation. I read too. Perhaps we’re just not very social animals.
Sorry john … You’re one a few people visiting my blog and taking time to comment and I don’t even reply to you … Is this Blog dying ? Hum kind of. But I will try to keep it updated for a while. I long thought that Street Photography was a way to interact with people in the streets while I was roaming. But I was just chimping the people I saw on YouTube when I started. Guys like Eric Kim (I haven’t been to his blog for ages ! Don’t know if he’s still making Street …). But now I can say that I don’t like to interact with people. I steal pictures. I snap. I grab whatever I can than I move on. That makes me think as you mentionned that I’m not a social animal. It’s a very selfish way of thinking and acting. I just consider people as objects in term of composition. Not a very humanistic approach but it’s my way of documenting the streets. I don’t need to know the story behind the people I photograph. What interests me is the picture I can get from the raw material people and the city offer to me.