50 Things I Try to Avoid in Street Photography

I am a huge proponent of negative learning, that you can learn more by taking on the opposite approach. Philosopher Nassim Taleb calls this “via negativa”. It is the idea that the best way to gain “happiness” in life isn’t chasing what makes us happy, but by vehemently avoiding what makes us unhappy (a long commute to work, a horrible micro-managing boss, poisonous and negative “friends”, and an expensive house mortgage).

I also believe strongly that one should never listen to “rules” of anything in life (especially street photography). However, below is a list of things (which has personally helped me) I avoid in street photography . Pick and choose what resonates with you, and leave the rest:

50 Things I Try to Avoid in Street Photography

1. “Chimping” (checking the LCD screen) after taking photos on the streets
2. Using more than one lens for street photography (I prefer a 35mm)
3. Mixing my digital and film photos in a project
4. Letting the number of “favorites” or “likes” dictate whether a photo is good or not
5. Letting criticism affect me negatively. Rather, I try to use it to empower me to find weaknesses in my work.
6. Uploading a photo online publicly without having at least 3 people critique it in-person first
7. Spending a lot of time looking at photos online ; rather I spend more time looking at photo books
8. Leaving the house without a camera
9. Hesitating before taking a street photograph
10. Cluttered backgrounds
11. Showing my bad photos (I have tons of them)
12. Shooting more than one type of film at a time (Kodak Portra 400 for color, Kodak Tri-X for black and white)
13. Going a full day without taking a photograph
14. Involving myself in online debates about the definition of “street photography”
15. Meeting my photography friends without some new work to show them and get critique on
16. Charging money for my photos
17. Taking a photo of someone on the streets without saying “thank you” by smiling at them
18. Focusing on single images. Rather, I try to focus on projects
19. Looking at gear review sites (when I’m bored) unless I’m serious about buying a new camera
20. Owning more than one lens for my camera (only a 35mm)
21. Caring about sharpness
22. Bokeh in street photography
23. Forgetting how lucky I am to be able to go out and take photos
24. Taking boring photos
25. Taking check-in luggage when I travel
26. Comparing myself to other photographers
27. Developing my film for at least 3 months after I shoot it
28. Uploading photos online until letting it “marinate” for at least 6 months to a year
29. Falling into the trap that buying a new camera will make me suddenly become more “creative” and “inspired” in my photography
30. Not asking for permission to take someone’s photo in the street (Editor’s note: yes double negative here so he DOES ask for permission in other words)
31. Checking comments on my photos more than once a week
32. Spending more time on social media, and less time out shooting on the streets
33. Leaving comments or critiques on other people’s photos that are shorter than 4 sentences long
34. Only taking photos of people
35. Taking photos of homeless people
36. Taking photos of street performers
37. Deleting photos (unless they are really nice or the photo is boring)
38. Taking the film out of my camera when someone asks me to
39. Shooting to please my critics
40. Ultimately shooting for anybody else but myself
41. Making excuses when a photo doesn’t work
42. Taking photos without emotion
43. Recommending zoom lenses in street photography
44. Recommending lenses longer than 50mm for street photography
45. Shooting wide open on the streets (generally at f/8-f/16)
46. Recommending selective color or HDR for post-processing street photographs
47. Keeping photos that I think are good but really aren’t
48. Shooting in bad light without a flash
49. Sharing more than one photo a week on social media
50. Recommending that you should listen to everything in this list. Rather, make your own! 🙂

Editor’s note: what things do you try and avoid when you’re doing photography of any kind? Share your list with us in the comment section below!