A Writer who Shoots
Characters on a conveyor belt
Characters are characters, whether you are inventing or shooting them.
As a writer and a street photographer, I do both.
I write short stories. My characters come on a conveyor belt.
I don’t see someone on the street and think, “Oh, I need to write a story about that person,” but the characters I write stories for are subliminal in my mind and are created somehow, I guess, from the people I have seen. Notice, I say that I create the stories for the characters. That’s how it feels. The characters pop into my head and dictate the stories, so don’t blame me for what happens!
I can draw a direct parallel between writing and street photography.
The characters cross my path in a similar way when I am out shooting street photography. They appear, as if by magic.
I always fancied doing street photography, but it wasn’t until I went to a talk by a street photographer at the NEC Photo Show that I decided I should give it a go.
But how would you feel if someone took a picture of you in the street while you were picking your nose, my friend wondered?
“I wouldn’t be out on the street picking my nose.” I quickly replied.
From that moment on, I shot people as well as my usual landscapes and city scenes. For me, all photography has its frustrations and satisfactions (just like writing), but if I shoot an image I like of a person, it has a special place in my heart. It’s the same when a new character pops into my head. If I enjoy their characteristics, it feels extraordinarily satisfying.
In my opinion, people should feel honoured if a street photographer feels they are interesting enough to shoot. Please don’t take it as an infringement on your privacy. You are a part of living history. In years to come, people will look at those images and it will transport them back to this time. It is as important for future generations to know how we live now as it is for us to look at historical images ourselves.
My written characters are fictional. Yes, there may be real personalities that I have gleaned little quirks from along the way, but I don’t actually know any of the characters that arrive in my head.
Another friend said, “I love looking at street photography. It is a moment captured in time that we will never get back.”
One day, I was sitting at a cafe window with a friend, and we were taking pictures of people standing in line for a beer festival. A man walked by carrying a camera, and as I lifted my camera to shoot him, he spotted me, grinned, lifted his own camera, and took a shot of me. It was a really sweet moment. We acknowledged something we both love without needing to say a word.
How to travel without leaving your seat
Something that gives me great pleasure is looking at street photography from countries I am unable to visit (at the moment). It is easy enough to look up images of Japan, for example. You will find plenty of tourist-style pictures. But, if you look at a street photographer’s images of Japan, you get much more of a sense of how the people and streets actually look in real time. Yes, it is second best to actually being there, but it is the closest thing to being there.
Seeing people from all over the world helps me create characters who are global.
Try it: think of a country you would love to visit, then look for a street photographer who lives in that country.
So, if you have never been to Norwich or Norfolk in the UK, check out @ZingleEye.
Here are some of the street photographers I follow on Instagram. I will be creating another post about street photography and the photographers I follow very soon. Let me know which street photographers you love to follow in the comments.
Luxembourg @TheChemistryofColors
Milan, Italy @streets_of_milan
Japan @Okinawa_koza
Sweden @anthonykdphoto
My short stories
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