Peanuts In My Pocket

While visiting Las Vegas a few months ago, I took a photo that made me reassess my photographic style. I don’t like to gamble, so a trip to Las Vegas is an opportunity for a long photo walk and some practice. I don’t shoot people as much as I do things, but when given a chance to practice shooting random street photos of people, I always give it a try.

The photo that is at the center of my problem is of a youngish woman walking through a patch of sunlight. I love it, and I really hate it too. There is a technique called fishing where you find a scene with interesting lighting and background that just needs a compelling subject, and then you wait. As people walk by, you take photos. In this case, I shot 20 different subjects to find one I liked. Once the situation changed, I moved on.

I love the photo because it is exactly what I saw in my mind’s eye. Creating these images is rare. I’m lucky if one in 100 shots even comes close. When the photography bug bit me as a teen, this concept of seeing things with the eye of a photographer was something I tried to develop for years. It didn’t come easy. I didn’t start making good photos for a decade.

I hate the photo because it feels intrusive. It feels like I violated the privacy of the subject. I know I am projecting my own sense of privacy onto the situation. I understand that this type of photo is perfectly acceptable within the genre of street photography, but I still hate it. Because of this, it will stay buried in my archive instead of being shared with the world.

I prefer shooting things and taking photos of people who are cooperating in the process. I have a huge collection of photos of people I know or have met from all over the world. Few of these are as good as the photo I love/hate, but I get immense joy from them.

I arrived at photographing things through trial and error. Things cover almost everything. A few of my favorites are flowers and graffiti, but I shoot everything from abandoned buildings to cracks in the sidewalk. I’ve taken so many of these photos that I fear whoever goes through my collection after I pass on will scratch their heads in confusion. That is the thing with photography in the digital age—you can shoot anything you want, and besides the initial investment, it’s free and a perfect hobby, even in retirement.