Internal dialogue: on finding flow during street photography
A look at what’s happening in my head when I am out on a photo walk in Barcelona
I wake up at 8am and decide to go out and capture the soft morning light. This is my thought process:
Which lens should I take? I always take the 27mm but maybe I should take a 50mm this time since I’m going to the beach and there’s a lot of open space. It will help me get more detailed shots. Maybe I should take both. But then I need a bag and I don’t want to carry a bag. Ok, 27mm it is, it’s small and compact.
I walk out the door with the camera strapped around my shoulder:
Should I take a bicycle or just walk and photograph along the way? If I take a bicycle, I will get to the beach faster so I’ll be able to catch the sun when it’s still low. I’ll do that, I want to get that dreamy morning light.
I park my bicycle and start walking and looking around. There’s usually no questioning on which direction to walk in: my feet know the way. When thinking about what to photograph, it’s a different story. It takes a bit of time before I take my first photo. I turn on the camera to check my settings - usually aperture priority - and I look in the viewfinder. I am standing in front of the sea, there’s a dozen umbrellas with empty chairs (the long ones that no one knows what to call):
Is this a nice photo? There’s no subject. It’s warm but the light is not great. Maybe I should skip, it’s going to be average and I know it so there’s no point in taking it. I should just keep walking. I should have taken the 50mm lens.
It doesn’t matter, not all photos have to be great. I need to take a first one to get into the zone.
This is the phase when my internal dialogue is questioning what I’m doing. The same doubt happens for the first series of photos, questioning the result before I take any action. I continue the walk along the beach and find a group of friends playing dominos. I like the scene and feel it embodies the easy-going Mediterranean lifestyle.
It’s not well composed but I like it. I take a couple more that I like and that’s when things change. Calmness sets in. My mind is less agitated, the questioning subdues, and intuition takes over.
The process becomes simpler: if I find it interesting, I take a photo. I think less and do more.
I find it counterintuitive but the photos often come out better when I take them by intuition rather than careful thought. When I take several photos of the same thing, the first one - the most intuitive - is usually the best.
As I continue the walk, I get some curious looks from passersby who are likely wondering what I’m doing. When I point my camera at something, they will often look back to see what I am photographing. I guess they are wondering what’s so interesting about these empty chairs.
I photographed this same cafe before so I know that the lights falls in a way I like. It’s the shadows created by the chairs, the two stand up paddlers passing by and framed by the cafe, the boat in the distance going towards the sun.
I keep following the simple rule: if I find it interesting, I take a photo.
Incredibly relatable :)