Overcome street photography anxiety

The biggest road block between a street photographer and their photo, is their own mind.

I know this because I still struggle with it all the time. Even after having done this for many years. I still get the internal chatter of what people might think. What someone might say if they noticed that I was photographing them.

A lot of people will say that it gets easier through experience, which is true, but only to an extent. For some, like myself, that anxiety never quite goes away.

It's important to acknowledge that this is completely normal and that many photographers, even those who appear completely confident on the surface, deal with similar feelings.

Actually, pretty much every photographer I know that calls themself a “street photographer” is an introvert, myself included. So being able to change that part of ourselves is not realistic.

Instead, we have to learn how to work alongside the feelings we might get and prevent them from stopping ourselves from making photographs. Understanding this has been crucial in my own development as a photographer.

In my video “This is for the Nervous Street Photographer” I mentioned three tips that could help you out.

Don’t bring a bag
Sounds weird, but not bringing a camera bag with you forces you to be out there with your camera. You can’t hide it anymore, and something as little as that can actually have a big effect.
Start somewhere lowkey
Rather than going to the busiest part of town first, start somewhere that is quiet, and let yourself warm up to the idea of photographing people, in a busier environment, not necessarily even photographing people to start
Focus on scenes, not people

This might seem like ignoring the issue at hand, which might be true, but sometimes it takes a bit of time to get used to photographing people and focusing on scenes and allowing people to walk into those scenes is a great way for a beginner to get their feet wet in this genre of photography.

I feel like these tips can get you pretty far in getting better with the anxiety of street photography, but I want to add to the conversation.

Nostalgia Train

Recently I’ve been photographing a lot of events happening in the city. And if you live in a city, odds are, something interesting is going on. Some event, a protest, a march, or a holiday train.

At these things, people expect to be photographed. And knowing that, it takes a lot of the pressure off of you as a street photographer. You can feel comfortable about photographing people, because you know the people are comfortable with the idea of being photographed.

This is the Nostalgia train event that has been happening here in New York every Sunday this December. It’s an absolute shit show, but hey what isn’t a shit show in New York City this time of year.

These people came to this thing all dapper and it’d almost be an insult if I didn’t take their photo. Me and 5,000 other photographers.

Santacon

Santa Con. What’s more photogenic than a bunch of drunk people dressed up as Santa running around Midtown Manhattan. Anything actually. Anything.

Obviously you can’t rely just on photographing events, but if you’re new to this, it can really help you build some experience in a low pressure situation.

Understanding the situation you’re in is a skill that every street photographer should master.

When I was using a flash in Tokyo, one of the biggest things I learned is that the situation I was photographing mattered so much. I found myself successful in using photographing people when they, too felt comfortable, about a camera and about a flash. When THEY wanted me to photograph them.

Nonverbal Communication.

Maybe you’ve heard this somewhere before, unrelated to photography, but in the street photography world, it’s a language everyone needs to know how to speak, to better understand situations on the street.

We speak through our eyes and facial expressions, body language as you might also know it as.

The stranger you’re photographing might have interesting body language and that might be what makes you want to take their photo, but its not just the subject’s body language that matters, it’s also your own.

Anything from a friendly smile, a nod of recognition of what you are doing, a wave. These are non verbal ways of communicating that say, “yes, I’m here. I have a camera, and I’m photographing you.”

And in my experience, being transparent about what you're doing with your subjects can actually help put people to ease. When people see that you're not trying to hide your actions, they become more comfortable with being photographed. This open approach builds trust and can lead to more authentic moments.

You’ll also likely find the subject will continue on with what they are doing, freeing you up to continue working the scene and potentially get an even better photograph because of it.

When I was in Vietnam photographing the wet markets, a smile and a nod was my best friend. People were constantly looking at me, and the reason is that they are just curious. Curious what I’m doing with a camera. And whenever I smiled to someone who was looking at me, they just smiled back and continued on with what they were doing. If anything, this smiling, and getting that recognition from the people on the street was more for myself. To put myself at ease, really.

These tips are just the beginning of understanding how to deal with the anxiety of street photography. Over time, you’ll come to realize that the key isn't just about techniques or strategies, but about developing a deeper understanding of yourself as a photographer.

This self-awareness has helped myself recognize when the internal chatter is holding me back and when it's actually serving as a useful guide in my photography.

Sometimes, there is a reason why you might feel uncomfortable about taking a photo. And maybe that reason is enough to not do it and let the moment pass by.

Understanding why you’re taking a photo to begin with, will help you out tremendously. You’ll probably end up taking less photos, but in the end, better photos that do have something interesting, and do have something to say.

That gives you confidence about your work and what you’re doing.

So, I hope this serves as a friendly reminder that, it’s okay to feel a little nervous out there.

Embrace it.

There’s nothing wrong with being a little weird.