If you’ve been practicing street photography for a while now, then you’ve probably had moments when capturing fresh, significant shots becomes more challenging. This is especially true if you always shoot in the same city, but it can happen even if you are a full time world traveler. You may have your favorite places to shoot, perhaps you’ve developed your own street photography style and suddenly, all of your photographs begin to look the same. You’ve hit a plateau. What is the solution to this temporary lack of inspiration? What is the remedy for the street photographer’s blues?
A part of the solution is to do a little soul searching, a kind of self-examination.
Are you visiting the same places too often? Is it perhaps time for a change of scenery? Sometimes getting out of town (or even just visiting a new, less familiar part of your own city) is enough to revive our sense of inspiration, to give us a pair of fresh eyes through which to see the world.
What is your editing process like? Do you tend to upload your photographs the same day you take them or do you wait a few days, a few months before deciding which shots should “make the cut”? Without a doubt, when we upload photos to our social networks too often, the quality of our work often declines.
Do you take time to view the work of other street photographers that inspire you? Every street photographer out there has their own style and perspective. Finding inspiration and a fresh viewpoint is easier when we keep up with the work and projects of others.
Have you ever done a street photo project? Maybe it’s time. Change up your routine by focusing on a specific project. To choose a project, again look for inspiration from your favorite street photographers and then hit the streets with a new sense of purpose.
In addition to doing this mini self-examination, we highly recommend you check out Thomas Leuthard’s blog post from about a year ago titled, “How to Fight Mediocrity…”. It’s a real gem.
Whatever you do, don’t give up. We’ve all felt those street photographer blues. It’s just a matter of searching for some new inspiration and getting back out there.
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