At the tender age of just three years old, Sureita Hockley became a dancer. She trained in classical ballet, tap, and contemporary dance. Later, she went on to study contemporary choreography too. As an art form, every aspect of dance was highly challenging. Sureita says that it required a supreme level of discipline to reach her personal best. Dance meant pushing herself. It meant having the drive and stamina to elevate her practice. Why go to such lengths? If I learned one thing about Sureita during our conversations, it’s that she loves a good challenge. Perhaps that played a part, but her dedication also stemmed from a deep appreciation for the art of dance. She says, “The way you express yourself in movement is like a language you can communicate with when you don’t share the same verbal language.” Dance became a language that allowed her to communicate with anyone in the world.
However, dance wouldn’t be a permanent fixture in Sureita’s life. Circumstances beyond her control meant leaving the dance world during her college years. Sureita transitioned into a successful career in the finance instead. She was happy, but she missed it. She said, “I never thought I’d find anything that I was so passionate about again. It seemed that nothing would give me that same challenge and anticipation I felt when I was pursuing dance.” Happily, new challenges were still on the horizon.
In 2008 Sureita moved to New York City. It’s a city that she describes as “on steroids in terms of creativity.” About a year later, Sureita picked up a little point and shoot camera. She took it everywhere. In fact, she couldn’t put it down. “I was photographing all the time, even though I didn’t know many technical things about photography. It was clear from the start that I love the challenge of it.”
Rising to the Challenge of Street Photography
Sureita was shooting the streets in earnest, but she soon realized she was avoiding taking photos of people. It was frustrating to say the least. Here she was, living in New York City, a mecca of creativity laden with people, and she couldn’t bring herself to capture the faces that inhabited that special place. That realization prompted her to sign up for a street photography class at the International Center of Photography (ICP). It was the first step to overcoming her fear, but it was a shaky one. When Sureita received assignments that involved engaging with people and taking their portrait, she did it, but she always felt a knot in her stomach with every attempt. Sometimes it even made her nauseous. She knew something had to change if she was going to complete the course and start excelling at street photography.
“I decided to treat it as a business project,” Sureita says, “I would go out and focus on engaging with one person. If the first person didn’t engage, instead of seeing it as a negative, I saw it as something positive. Statistics assured me that one “no” meant I was that much closer to someone saying “yes”.” In the end, good old sales training helped Sureita get the courage she needed to approach more people. The more she did it, the more people engaged with her. She was starting to overcome her fear, but as she did, another challenge surfaced.
Sureita explains, “I got over the fear in some ways, but I started to notice that there were still many people who, at first glance, looked like interesting subjects and yet, I was walking away from them. That felt even worse than the fear because I realized I was making assumptions that weren’t based on facts or reason. I was making up reasons why they would say no or why I shouldn’t approach them. I felt terrible about it, and I thought, “Who am I to make assumptions about anyone?” So, I purposely challenged myself to not turn away. It wasn’t easy initially because the head chatter gets in the way, but I was soon pleasantly surprised by the results.”
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
Elliott Erwitt
Here’s one example of the power of overcoming personal biases: On one occasion, Sureita was walking around the Bronx when she spied an older man with a stern expression rolling cigars. It was an interesting scene, but she felt nervous about approaching him. Forcing herself to put any negative thoughts aside, she spoke to him. The man was surprised by her interest – in a good way. “His stern face just lit up,” Sureita says. After taking his portrait, the man introduced Sureita to other people nearby and she was able to take several more street portraits. It turned into a real collaboration, one she would have missed if she had given in to her fears and walked away.
Now, Sureita says she loves finding interesting subjects and her fear with the camera is minimal. “I feel like I do my best work when I’m challenging myself, whether that’s going to a new place, knocking on someone’s door, going down a street where I don’t know what I’ll find, or going out in all sorts of weather.” Her new, fearless approach to interacting with strangers makes street photography more exciting than ever. “You never know what interactions you will experience or to where it will lead,” Sureita reflects.
Sureita’s Tips for Overcoming Fear in Street Photography
- Find comfort in the numbers. Remember that one “no” puts you closer to your next “yes.” A no here and there is inevitable so don’t sweat it. Still, you want to keep in mind that if you attempt to engage with 10 people and they all say no, it might be time to rethink your approach.
- Use self-talk to your advantage. Think: What’s the worst thing that can happen? Usually, the worst-case scenario isn’t really that bad. If you’re headed into unfamiliar territory, look at it from all angles, do your research, and brainstorm whether to be alone or go with others who know the area. If you do that, your self-talk will be decidedly more positive and it will help you, instead of hindering your efforts.
- Be upfront with your subjects. When you get to spend time with a subject, try to be really and truly present. Ask people their names and tell them why you want to photograph them, whether it’s because of their features, clothing, or something they are doing. Sometimes people want to know what you are working on or why you want a photograph and in those cases, honesty is always the best policy.
- Keep yourself fit. Staying fit keeps your body and mind strong. If you aren’t feeling good, it’s easier for negativity and fear to creep in. On the other hand, when you’re feeling fit, it’s easier to feel comfortable with all the unknowns in street photography. It’s easier to find out, explore, and take the steps to learn.
The Joy of Making Connections
Sureita is without a doubt, a people person. She is a top-notch communicator too, which helps her engage on a deep level with her subjects. That kind of engagement is key to creating a portrait that, while not precisely candid, reveals something intimate about the subject. Sureita believes that making real connections is what helps you get past a person’s initial smile and capture something genuine. It’s an approach that takes time but bears beautiful results.
Take, for example, the street portraits in this article. Sureita took them during a trip to India. You can tell Sureita made genuine connections with her subjects, always working closely. Often, she was invited into their homes and businesses for a closer look. She says she was drawn in by the vibrant colors and how people’s faces told their stories, their eyes a window to their world. “People are often the soul of a place. What energizes me and motivates me is to engage with them. I’ve always had strong ties to Indian culture being raised in a predominantly Sikh household, so I also like to seek out Indian communities outside of India too – places where their culture has travelled with them.”
Wherever she goes, Sureita can be found carrying her camera and letting the process guide her. She takes her time getting to know a city, much in the same way she does when engaging an individual. She says, “For me, photography encompasses all the senses, so I try to observe the surroundings, the people, take in the scenes, listen to the sounds, notice the scents, and participate in the local cuisine. Every city is different – the energy, pace of life, and rules are different. People are more reserved in some places than others and therefore, more, or less approachable. In the street, the light, the people, the scenes that reveal themselves, and so much more is out of your control. That too is part of the challenge, and part of the excitement. I love to follow the light and see where it takes me, wherever the pockets of light fall. And rarely do I tire of returning to a place, I always feel there is more to see and do.”
Without a doubt, Sureita’s approach to street photography has enriched her life. Photography has become her “universal language,” a way to communicate with anyone on the planet, just like dance was. Reflecting on her journey, Sureita said, “Overcoming my fears and unnecessary biases in photography has brought humility, patience, faith, and gratitude. I know there is so much tragedy in the world but there is a whole lot of kindness and goodwill too. I am humbled by the experiences of street photography.”
