I’ve known John for a few years and he’s one of those street photographers you’re likely to bump into when you’re out shooting. What I like about John is his commitment to the cause and his passion for street photography. So I offered him this month’s ‘Guest Blogger’ spot. Here’s his article . . .

I was 12 years old when I discovered photography. I was intrigued by the darkroom, watching a photo come alive on a piece of blank photographic paper which was, when added to the developer, pure magic for 12-year-old. I remember that first day like it was yesterday; I can still smell the dark damp room. It was my photography teacher Mr. Littlewood who taught me about the different genres of photography after him seeing my photos from our first school visit to London; he knew I was drawn to street photography and he started to introduce me to the masters of this wonderful art.

Seeing the photos of Bruce Davidson, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life walking the streets taking photos of life as it unfolded in front of my lens and in this blog I would like to invite you on my journey of street shooting, what I think makes a street photo, what I look for when I head out and what gear I carry with me.

My Gear

Let’s get the gear out of the way first as it’s not important. My gear is as basic as you can get: I now shoot with a Sony A7 III and this is paired with the Sony 85mm F1.4 G Master lens. I know this isn’t the typical focal length for street shooting but I bond with this more than any other and I’ll explain why shortly. The only other pieces of gear I carry are a spare battery and spare SD cards. I practice the ‘one camera one lens’ philosophy that Mr. Littlewood taught me and I have to say it has served me well over the years. The only real time I’ve struggled is when I’ve owned more than one camera or lens. Over the past few years I’ve practiced a minimalist lifestyle which I’ve now brought into my photography life and it’s allowed me to become more at peace with my art.

If you have more than one lens you will always be switching between the different focal lengths and I’ll guarantee you’ll miss the moment you're trying to capture; it’s like a battle with yourself and you’ll never be able to focus on just capturing the moment. You should never be thinking about the camera and the only thought should be on the moment you’re looking for or capturing. You need to have as fewer distractions as possible - and I speak from experience. Your photography will improve and you’ll find yourself becoming more relaxed and focused which is what’s needed when you're on the streets.

My Style of Street Photography

A question I get asked more than any other is what style of street photography I focus on and the simple answer is I shoot ‘street photography’. I don’t label or limit my photography - street photography is just that. I think of street photography as documentation of life today something others will look back on years from now to see how we lived and what the cities and towns around the world looked like then and how they look in the future. If you think about it, it’s what we do now, we go out and buy books by the masters of yesterday and we spend hours soaking in the information the photos have to offer to learn how to become better street photographers, or at least this is what I do.

Before I shoot

Before I head out on the streets with my camera I spend an hour meditating and then I pick a book from my collection and spend the time focusing on a few of the photos, getting myself in the right mindset and ready for a day of shooting. This can really help me before I start to shoot, allowing me to become focused, mindful, inspired and ready for the day ahead; I’ve found there’s nothing better. If I start to struggle when I’m out I will find a quiet spot, sit down and meditate for about 10 minutes and I find that it’s enough for me to then become refocused.

The most important thing is I never quit I stay at it. I don’t try and make something happen as that never works out; I will move to a different area or maybe a road I’ve never walked down, perhaps an area that I’ve done well in before and I think that I might capture something better. It’s all about keeping your options open and that’s why I don’t just shoot the same thing, like high-contrast monochrome silhouettes.

I don’t only go out when the weather is sunny and hot as this will harm my portfolio and it will become stale and boring, so I head out at all times of the day and night and in all weathers, I love shooting in the autumn and winter, the colder, darker the better I become so focused on the smells and sights of the place where I’m walking. The autumn for me is when I find myself the most focused, there’s something about the look of this time of year and I’m sure it has something to do with my love of movies. Movies are the biggest influence in my work. Take for example the scene when Father Merrin arrives at the house in the classic movie The Exorcist - it’s dark and moody and you can feel the chill in the air; then there’s Blade Runner which again is dark but unlike the Exorcist it’s all about the colour and beauty of a busy city at night. Now think of my work and you can see how movies have heavily influenced me.

What do I look for?

So what do I look for when I’m out on the streets - and do I have a plan? No, I don’t really have a plan when I head out to shoot as I like to see what happens, but I might think today I’m going to spend time in a particular area and that’s as far as I plan. I find that if you try to make plans, 90% of the time you’ll get frustrated and come away with nothing but negativity which is the worst thing for a photographer.

When I’m out shooting I like to look for subtle interactions with people, a couple kissing, laughing, or maybe it’s a person pointing or an interesting window with a wonderful reflection or beautiful colours. I just keep my eyes open looking around watching the people coming towards me or from behind me; the noise on the streets is something else I try to be aware of and this is why I don’t wear headphones (having said that, if I’m having a day where I’m finding it hard to focus or the street is just too loud for me I’ll put my AirPods on with the noise canceling turned off and play something relaxing like Beethoven or Jean Michel Jarre - anything that will help me regain focus).

I don’t just walk as walking too much or too fast is going to be a problem and you could miss great moments if you do this. I moved to Liverpool two months ago and I’ve already found areas that I like to hang around. There’s a busy crossroads on the main high street and it’s a perfect area to spend a few hours standing around looking for moments. I’ve had other photographers accuse me of staging a photo as it’s just too good and when I’m asked I explain that I waited for hours looking and waiting, hoping that something would unfold. I always tell photographers that you have to put the time in and you have to wait - a great photo won’t just happen, you have to work for it. Most have no idea just how exhausting street photography can be both mentally and physically. I never come home fresh and awake, I’m always dead on my feet this isn’t a negative thing, if I come home and fall asleep on the sofa with a smile on my face I know I’ve had a productive day shooting.

What’s a street photo?

What makes a street photo a street photo? Well, Bruce Gilden says you have to be able to smell the street and yes, that’s true for me: moments make a street photo. A street photo can’t just be someone sitting in a coffee shop window, or a silhouette of a person walking past something in monochrome - there has to be something more to the photo. Far too many photographers believe they are the next Saul Leiter or Fan Ho and that always makes me laugh. Fan Ho’s pictures are not someone walking past something in monochrome - these photos have a feeling and your emotions will fire up when you look at them and you’ll see something new each time you revisit them. When you look at Fan Ho’s photos of silhouettes, the first thing you’ll notice will be the light not the person and then as you spend more time looking at the photograph you’ll start to notice all the small details that really bring it alive and that’s why his photos are still relevant today. The same is said about Saul Leiter, Joel Meyerowitz, Bruce Davidson and others whose work will always stand the test of time.

One of the best street photographers working today is Brian Lloyd Duckett - he knows how much work goes into capturing a moment. Look at what I think is one of his best photos, the dog hanging out the van window - it’s amazing, and it’s all about what street photography is today: moments. Another amazing photographer working today is Matt Hall, you might know him as The13th second, he is heavily influenced by the likes of Saul Leiter - but again Matt knows that it takes more than just a person walking down the street to make a street photo. I’d also like to point out that if you ever have the opportunity to see Matt at work you’ll be heavily inspired and you’ll see what it takes to make a great photo or if you are unfortunately one of those that likes to walk everywhere and you don’t have the patience to wait you’ll be bored out of your mind as Matt spends ages in one spot working the scene - something that must never be dismissed.

Why 85mm?

In a word, movies. I love the way some of the best directors of photography focus on the emotional moments that an actor is having in a powerful scene. One scene that always comes to mind when I question my decision about the 85mm is from Michael Mann’s 1986 classic, ‘Manhunter’; William Peterson’s character Will Graham is looking out of a window and says “it’s you and me now sport” - a wonderful scene full emotion - outside its raining and the director focuses on Will Graham’s reflection in this window. The director of photography was Italian born Dante Spinotti who continued to work with Micheal Mann including the movie Heat which again shows LA like its never been seen before. The 85mm focal length allows me to capture street photos which in my mind look cinematic and I just don’t get that feeling or look from any other length. I’ve tried shooting with the 28mm, 35mm and even the 50mm but time after time I find myself being drawn back to the 85mm.

It’s My Life

Street photography is everything to me. I don’t take it for granted and it’s a real privilege to take a photo on the streets. I never leave home without my camera, even if I’m going to the shops or to the cinema. Some of my best photos have been taken while walking to or from the shops. You have to be ready at all times - that one perfect moment will always happen when you least expect it. You must also have passion for street work: passion is what will drive you its what gives you the energy to keep hitting the streets. Without passion you will fail.

And Finally . . .

I’ll leave you with this final thought: never do street photography for the money or to become a famous photographer. Always shoot on the streets for the love and passion of photography and never lose that love, which is how I approach street shooting. I still have lots to learn and I know I haven’t taken my best photo yet and that’s what keeps me going. I always try to stay true to myself and my art, yes in the past I’ve lost track of this as I’m sure many of you reading this would have done. This is one of the main reasons I don’t post my work on social media - I find the whole process to be vulgar and misleading but that’s a subject for another blog!

You can see more of John’s images and his great blog on his website: www.JohnHughesphotography.uk

A street photographer’s Journey: John Hughes