Dig Deeper, Soul-Level

It’s always a challenge for most of us, street photographers, to get near our subjects. In fact, we have come up with a long list of techniques in order to get close to a subject without them noticing us.

One is the use of ultra mega zoom lens that can capture someone’s aging face even we’re a hundred steps away. Another is the use of the live view mode on our cameras even though it would drain our batteries so fast that we’ll only be able to shoot a max of 50 shots the whole day. And yes, there’s this “I am taking photos of the building, FYI” excuse in case somebody reacted negatively towards us. Well, the list goes on and on.

But is it really necessary to get near our subjects and be visible to them in street photography?

The answer is NO, IT’S DEFINITELY NOT NECESSARY. The act of moving closer to subject and being visible to them when taking their photos is more of a style, so yeah, it’s always up to you.

But for me, the ability to get near your subject, establish a connection with them  by letting them know that you are there and capture a great story  all at the same time is just pure magic. It’s like, you’re making love with your subject without touching them.

In fact, I am that person who always wanna see what’s behind the curtain. People love to smile in front of the camera. But I always wanna see more than smiles. Sometimes,  I wanna capture laughter and I wanna show the sound of someone’s laughter through photographs.

As a street photographer, I have that thirst to capture something that people are trying to hide from the rest of the world.

It’s like, digging and digging deeper until you get something.

I always try to unravel stories from strangers, through their faces, through their actions.

And the thing about street photography is,  the more I open up, the more I discover; it allows me to get a deeper understanding of humanity and the world.