In 15 days it’ll already be April and I’ve got this strange feeling that 2024 hasn’t even started yet… It’s true that I was off to a flying start with this trip to Thailand. The trip was a photographic orgy. Both Street and more personal photos. If I’m honest, I miss that period, but apart from being called John Harper and wandering all over the world from Las Vegas to Turkey via Venice, I have to admit that this kind of escapade is impossible for me! So I’m teasing my dear John. It was a reference to his last Blog where he talked about this very subject. I invite you to go and read it here. As usual, it’s full of great photos. By the way, John is still on his way to Las Vegas and has already planned to meet other photographers on a forthcoming trip.
Even though I recently acquired a Fujifilm X100F, I can’t say I’ve used it much so far. Not many Street sessions and for the last 2 weeks I’ve been at home with Ronan, my youngest son, as he’s on school holidays. What have I done with the older one? Well, unlike me, he has permission to travel… He went to South Africa for 15 days as part of a language trip. Since then I’ve disinherited him to make him pay! I suggested to my wife that I should go off on my own for a few days or weeks to satisfy my need for street photography. Of course, she turned me down! But it’s also important for my mental health! I’m going to see if I can’t get my health insurance and social security to reimburse me for a trip. They do reimburse Thalasso therapy, don’t they?
Yes, the first third of 2024 is already well underway and I feel like I haven’t done any street photography yet. I’ve got a new camera to get to grips with and I’m not even bothering to go out and take any photos. There are no secrets to successful photography. You have to take photos, and lots of them! I don’t think that with experience the keepers/photos ratio will increase. Quite simply because our standards are also rising. What was barely acceptable a few years ago now goes straight into the bin.
Over the last fortnight I’ve uploaded all my Street Photography work from 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 to my cloud. That’s a lot of photos. I’ve been storing them on Amazon’s Cloud since 2020. For those looking for cheap storage, Amazon photo which is coupled with the Amazon Premium subscription is ideal. I can see some of you telling me that Amazon is crap etc … Yes, it’s a GAFAM. But I haven’t found a service that offers me unlimited photo storage for this price. I also have Amazon Prime Video. In short, 4 years of photos to upload. I’m not telling you the number of GB of data … It allowed me to revisit my beginnings in Street Photography and frankly I’m not a fan. Far too much high contrast B&W, light/shadow … There are a few nuggets for sure, but for far too many photos, it’s like a lousy cake with sugar paste on top to hide the misery. From 2018 onwards my style changes quite radically and looks more like what I do today.
But I don’t want to re-process these photos, which are now nearly 8 years old. They bear witness to an era and also to my early days in Street Photography. I’m not ashamed of it, it’s just that I’ve changed now. It shows how far I’ve come since I started in 2016. Maybe in 10 years’ time, I’ll think the work I did in 2024 was crap!
What do I consider a good photo today? For me, it has to be a captured moment. A bit like walking down the street with a remote control and being able to pause what you see in front of you. This remote control exists and it’s the camera. The ability to freeze a moment. A moment is a gesture, an interaction, an emotion or a reaction to an event. It can also be a character whose attitude attracts my attention. In short, content is more important to me than form. What I’m looking for above all is simplicity. To make a photo that anyone can say to themselves “he could have done the same”! That’s the very essence of Street Photography from my point of view. I sometimes take more mysterious, graphically polished photos. That’s when the form takes precedence over the content. But then I lose the energy of the street in my photos. They’re beautiful photos but there’s something missing for me.
What’s certain is that I’m having trouble getting excited about what I’ve produced so far for the start of 2024. Are you sure that 2024 has really begun?
All the photos were taken with the Fujifilm X100F.
I think your photos in this post argue a different story entirely, that you should in fact be very excited about the first part of 2024. Travelling is all well and good, but photographing on your home turf is what defines us. Our ability and or love to shoot on our streets.
They are our streets by the way, though in Bath lately you can’t move for Street Photographers or pseudo ones. Walking around with zoom lenses like they’re on safari. Creepy and gives the rest of us a bad rep.
It’s always the same story repeating each year. I’m pretty sure that if I look at my blog at the same period in 2023, the same feelings about the new year’s beginning. I’m 50 years old now. I’m rambling about the same things all the time. It’s going to get worst anyway 3:)
What is certain, is that this feeling is emphasized by this recent trip to Thailand …
How many times did I wrote that the best street work is made in our hometown ? You’re right to remind me of that. Travels are parenthesis.
Anyway, the review should be made by the end of the year and not at the early start of it ! Makes me think that like you, I haven’t don the review of 2023 … It’s too late for it. I will do nevertheless a book for my self of 2023 😉
I’m with John on these photos…Jeff, these shots are beautiful! The balance of form and content is spot on in every one. You’re always an inspiration and make me try harder in my own work…
I ran through my lastest photos of Saint-Denis and it happens that a lot of photos of kids appear. My streets are borring at this time or might be me who is unable to see things. Kids are unpredictable and offer opportunities with their naivety and freshness. I’m even thinking of a new GEAR… This is a proof of my state of mind presently. I’m not at ease on the streets and trying to put the blame on my camera. Don’t get me wrong, the X100F is terrific, but for having shoot for a long time with a Ricoh GRD IV, the X100F is bulky and people look at me in the streets. But complaining about the GEAR is a lame feeling.