How to do street photography when life gets in the way

We all know how it goes. We fall in love with street photography, we do it more and more often, start to get some good or great image, want to go out even more and then.... life just gets in the way. You need to take care of your child, something happens at your workplace so you have to go in more often for longer hours, there are family occasions or you just started to refurbish the flat. Anyone can name a thousand other reasons how we can loose the energy, the will and time to go out and shoot on the streets. Is it something we have to accept or is there anything we can do about it? There's a few things I do when I am in a situation like that.

All the pictures you see in this post made while I was commuting to work, or back home.

Don't force it

If life gets too busy, if you lack motivation it's absolutely fine to have a little break. Of course we all know that on social media you need to have some consistency, your photography is evolving if you shoot more, but these things cannot interrupt your life. Street photography is a very calming and fun activity, don't let it become a stressful thing.

Schedule it

When life gets really busy I try to schedule my photowalks. Try to designate a few hours here and there. Sometimes even an hour is great, even if I don't get any great shot. Of course I'm the happiest if I shoot something great, but the opportunity is great anyway. If I want to be a bit more serious, I mark an area where I want to go to, and use Photopills app on my phone to investigate what kind of light I will have at that region. This way I feel absolutely prepared for that short walk. You can freely skip the light plan part and just accept the surprises as they come. I'm a bit of a light chaser so I almost always try to check.

Make it easy and simple

Have your camera ready to go, or even better, have it in your backpack all the time. To make it even much better, have the camera on a strap around your neck all the time. That way you're not only ready if something happens on the street but you're much more willing to use it. Store your camera charged and loaded with a memory card so anytime you have time or energy to go out and shoot you don't have to do additional preparations.

Try to unsee the mundane, the familiar

This is a hard one. We all want to be at places where interesting things happen, where the light is amazing, where there are lots of great composition opportunities. But of course this doesn't work that way. Even if you think you're in a boring place, try to find nice compositions, train your creative mind and force yourself to shoot. It is possible that nothing great comes out of this and later you just have to delete the pictures. But it is also a possibility that you find something great. But the point is, you still practice photography, you're getting better and better with this practice.

Shoot anything you see

If you're completely out of ideas, just shoot. It doesn't matter if it's really crap. Just shoot anything. Leaves on the street, street signs, ripped posters, the tram, the people walking across the road, etc. Maybe you won't have anything great comes out of this. But, and this is a big but, you might inspire your brain to generate new ideas, to spot interesting moments and great compositions. This is almost the same in principle as the one above. You're gradually getting better with this practice.

Change what you can

When everything fails, I change what I can. Usually I go to work by tram. That is the most convenient way. I try to use that as an opportunity to take some shots on the tram. The other day I leave home a few minutes earlier so I can walk. The next day walk, but on a different route. The other day might go by bus if possible. I know this sounds a bit boring but it is enough to make me want to look for possible shots. This little change might be the ticket to get something great.

Minimise gear

Too much choice, too much gear can deplete your energy. Use one body with one or two lenses. That's all you need. I suggest one body and only one lens. Choose your favourite and leave everything else home. You don't need it. The biggest motivation and creativity killer is when you have to pack lots of gear and then you try to choose what to use when. Keep it absolutely simple.

These are just some simple tips that might help you when time is an issue. Use whichever you think might help you and ignore the ones that wouldn't help you.