WHY STREET?
You know, I haven’t made a dime off of any of these images, other than the one copy of my book that sold! For ten years, minus the three that were lost due to the pandemic, I’ve been out on the street usually nine hours at a time for as many days I can manage each year. Why would I do that?
Meditation, joy, fulfillment, healing, the thrill, exercise, well-being, being fully in the now, hyper aware, senses alive, education, observation, understanding, learning, discovery, being in the city, being outside in the sunshine chasing the light, personal discovery, therapy, the challenge, the drive to overcome, the play, obsession, must create, memories, and on and on. Street Photography is infinitely more entertaining than any book, ballet, play, movie, or favourite piece of music you will ever experience. It is truly an endless stage. If you practice it the way I do, you may never feel more connected to the community or more alive.
When I am out there, I am fully completely, with all that I am, experiencing what surrounds me. I am alone, immersed in the pulse of the city. I move with it, I blend. I feel the way it breathes, I sense the tension and release, the symphony, the love song, the rage, the growl. I do not listen to music while out. That would only cut me off, separate me from all the sounds, encounters and conversations and interactions. My phone is off, disconnected from any distraction, taking it all in. It’s a relentless, exhaustingly overwhelming, and endless barrage of all that is humanity. It is such a gift.
I have no agenda, no itinerary, no plan, although, there is method. I have perfected my ability to instantaneously react. The camera does not exist. It’s an instinctive subconscious, in the blink of an eye response. It must be this way, otherwise it’s gone, never to be repeated (with countless images frustratingly missed). That is a big part of how I work. There is no second change. But there are many times, as can be seen in the many series I’ve created, where I will come across something so exceptional that I will find myself ‘working’ the scene. And that is some of the most thrilling and challenging moments. To witness something, get in close – I mean really close, and come away with that once in a lifetime candid portrait. Well, that is just everything. How else can I explain it. It is intoxicating. Addictive. Seductive, terrifyingly so at times. And when I am not on the street, I cannot turn it off. I see images everywhere. It is something to be tried.
And that my friends, is just the ‘picture taking’ part. All the above, has nothing to do with creating the final image. The art. Where the magic begins. That, I will save for another post!
Please enjoy below a few recent images that have never been published.
Don’t be shy, let me know what you think.
Thank you for your time.
Mike March 18, 2023
