and an insightful article on "contemplative photography"
Street photography is my favorite kind of photography to practice. It's where I feel most at home, even though it makes me feel the most intense discomfort. It pushes me to be bold. It pushes me to show up and choose experience and vulnerability over fear in order to make something beautiful. It terrifies me. I love it. To me, it's life doing it's best at being life. Because I love the art form so much, I want to get it "right" to meet my standards and make my effort "worth it." I feel like I often miss the mark. But I recognize that growth comes from sharing and learning. That's why I'm committed to getting better with each shot and critique. So I'd love it if you'd check out my evolving street photography portfolio on Instagram. I'll add more photos and reflections here and on my street photo account as I see, make and select my favorite pictures. @mollyemillerstreetphoto A few notes: I experience anxiety, thrill, apprehension, and an adrenaline rush going into each shot. Nothing terrible has ever happened to me taking a street photo of a stranger. But I dread being yelled at...So far, I haven't received any outright hostility, though I've gotten: 1) middle finger from a gentleman in Austin, 2) a finger wagging from a Frenchman, 3) an "erase that right now sweetheart" from an Italian guy outside of a bodega in NYC, 4) an oddly comic "don't you dare" from a woman dressed up as Greta Garbo in London, and 5) plenty of weird looks. But, to date, no yelling. Please know I always respect it when people say to erase a photo or ask me not to photograph them. My goal is not to make people feel uncomfortable or spied on. I want to celebrate, critique, feel nothing, feel everything, escape, dive into and be free to create inside cities and other public spaces like they/it/all of this is paint for my canvas. It's kind of a lot to ask of a day walking through a city, now that I write it out like this, but there it is. Also check out this cool article on "contemplative photography." I heard the term for the first time last night in a Street Photography talk with Valerie Jardin in a presentation for the Baltimore Camera Club. It's a neat and meditative photo practice I didn't know had a name. #streetphotography #marylandphotoalliance #baltimorecameraclub #streetislife #londonstreetphotography #madridstreet #fineartphotography #streetscenes #streetphotographer