A good vantage point can be everything.
I spent the morning in downtown Las Vegas, trying to capture moments of real-life with my trusty Sony A6600 camera. The joy of street photography is that it forces you to slow down and closely observe the world around you.
The challenge of street photography is that it’s hard to capture people up close, in their natural state, without putting them off or annoying them.
Sometimes I simply smile and ask permission to take their picture. That’s what I did with the fellow below, who was getting exercise in a parking lot.
Other times, people will spot your camera and offer to have their picture taken. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s cool when it does.
That’s what happened with the beautiful young woman below. She sells tourist bus rides on the Vegas strip. As I walked by, she smiled and said, “Hey, you want to take my picture?” Her enthusiasm and upbeat personality were infectious.
But on this morning I was striking out more than hitting some great shots. So I hopped in my car and drove across town to an outdoor shopping center I often visit.
I grabbed a coffee and situated myself on a park bench, facing a well-traveled walking corridor between several businesses. And just like a Japanese riddle, the moment I stopped looking for the answer (ie: great photo opportunities), the photographs seemed to present themselves.
My camera is my passport
Sitting unobtrusively on that park bench, I set my camera on my lap with the tilt-out screen facing up. Thus, I could frame people approaching me whilst appearing to be looking down.
When not clicking photos, I studied the crowd walking around me. Because I was quietly seated and not hunting for pictures, I relaxed and started to notice a great deal. The park bench provided an ideal vantage point.
My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport. — Steve McCurry
There was a somewhat formally dressed gentleman setting up sound equipment in the outdoor seating area of an Italian restaurant. Despite being a powerful-looking man, he was older and struggled a bit with the equipment.
People dining around this gentleman were oblivious to his efforts. I could hear him grunting and breathing heavily at times.
He looked a bit tired.
But then he sat down behind a soundboard and microphone and willed himself into a different man. Smiling, energetic, and upbeat.
“Well, hello everyone, what a fine day for some good food and wine. How about some music, too?” he said with a smile. People mostly ignored him, but he began playing some music and created a festive atmosphere for everyone’s dining experience.
I’m sure this gentleman would rather be relaxing with the rest of the patrons, but he had a job to do. It was a holiday and yet here he was, making everyone else’s day a bit more enjoyable and relaxing.
I admired the way this gentleman set aside his struggles with the equipment and fatigue to provide a fun, upbeat ambiance for the restaurant diners.
It’s easy to get lost in our own daily needs, desires, frustrations, and dreams. We tend to lose focus of the kind souls around us working hard to make our lives a little better.
Everyone is fighting their own private battles
I heard a soft woof and turned to see a man of small stature standing with his dog. The man was talking to someone he knew.
Then I noticed the stares.
People in the vicinity were looking at this man like he was some kind of visual attraction. A few people were grinning, as if the man was an amusement.
The man seemed oblivious to all of this. No doubt, he has contended with unwanted attention his entire life. It must have been especially difficult through his childhood and teenage years.
Everyone is fighting their own private battles. Their demons, regrets, wounds, and losses. Don’t add to their pain, find a way to lessen it. — John P. Weiss
I wondered what advice this man would have for anyone who has experienced pain, exclusion, or bullying in their life. What a privilege it would be to learn from this man’s unique wisdom.
An art of observation
A few moments later I saw a man and woman walking their bicycles. It sounded like they just had a disagreement, but I wasn’t certain.
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
As the woman approached my location, I looked down at my camera screen and took her picture. Only later, when I looked more closely at the photo, did I notice her quizzical expression.
Perhaps she was wondering if I had taken her picture? Maybe she was still thinking about her dispute?
Either way, I realized yet again that everyone is fighting their own private battles.
The server at your favorite restaurant may have just been through a divorce. The receptionist at your dentist’s office may have just lost a loved one. The annoyingly slow driver in front of you may have earlier received a cancer diagnosis.
Seeing the world from this vantage point makes us a little more understanding.
Be not inhospitable to strangers
Sometimes people let us into their world. They share something private. Their troubles. Pains. Regrets. When this happens, we have a responsibility to be good listeners. To offer our presence, encouragement, and hope.
But the stories and impressions that people present to you in street photography require a different kind of responsibility.
We must strive to capture them in a dignified way. We must share their images to tell their stories. Because their stories are very much our stories. Our shared humanity.
Look hard enough, and you can see yourself in another.
When you’re younger, like the kids in the photo below, the world is your oyster. Full of possibilities and dreams.
Capturing the promise, energy, and idealism of youth is a worthy subject for the street photographer (or artist, writer, et cetera). It reminds the rest of us to hold onto a bit of promise, energy, and idealism. Even if we are well beyond our youth.
But the years march on, and someday we may find ourselves in the autumn of life, sending a text to our grandchildren. It’s what I imagined the gentleman below doing.
Dignified, neatly dressed, self-contained, and seemingly content, I hope I captured all that in his photograph. Maybe his story for us is that it’s possible to weather the slings and arrows of life’s struggles and find peace at the end.
Perhaps even happiness.
Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise. — George Whitman’s print message on the walls of Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris. The quote was inspired by a biblical passage.
When we slow down to see the private battles in others, we can develop deeper empathy and love. This in turn can inform our creative work, thus inspiring others to live better lives.
And when we use our creative work to help people live better lives, we can improve the world.
Before you go
I’m John P. Weiss. I draw cartoons, paint, shoot black & white photography, review cool books, and write elegant essays about life. Get it all in my Saturday Newsletter here.
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This post was previously published on Medium.
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All photographs by John P. Weiss