Is Street Photography a Waste of Time?

Street photography is hard. To those of us who take photographs on the street, that statement won’t be revelatory. But photography has often been regarded as one of the simplest of art forms, mainly, I guess, due to its low barrier to entry (most people have a camera). The ubiquity of photography has led to a misconception that it requires less skill than other forms of expression, like, say, painting or songwriting. However, I’d argue that taking a great photo is just as difficult.

Camera settings aside, nothing is in your control with candid street photography - the light, the subjects, the weather, the signage, the buildings etc - so when you’re out in the world you’re completely at the mercy of whatever the street gods feel like sending your way. You can’t plan. You can only react. A painter can paint any idea that pops into their head (and this is why so many photographers are pissed off with AI ‘photo’ generators). But perhaps because it is so difficult is the reason I enjoy it.

I attended a talk by New York-based photographer Phil Penman recently and he said it would be a blessing if you wound up with 10 great photographs in your portfolio at the end of your street photography journey.

Think about that: the thousands upon thousands of hours you’ll spend pounding the pavement, the memory cards you’ll fill, the money spent on film and time on developing, the editing… all for 10 photographs. And that’s if you’re really, really lucky. 

Even the masters of street photography made only a handful of iconic images during their vast careers. 

Knox Bertie made a good point on our podcast: “Think about your favourite photographers in history. Grab a piece of paper and write down your 10 favourite photos that person has taken. Most people can only get to about four or five and that’s about it.”

So from a return-on-output point of view, is street photography a waste of time and money?

Well, no, clearly not. Of course I don’t believe that. The pleasure of simply attempting to bring all the elements together for one magical frame is a large part of why I do it. You have to love the process more than the end result. Plus, being present and engaged with the world is a positive, both physically and mentally. When I’m out shooting everything else falls away, and any time spent unplugged from social media is hugely beneficial. 

I asked my photographer mate Dave Cossini if he thought the benefits of street photography outweighed the apparent lack of results. “I don’t think anything is a waste of time if it gives someone peace or purpose,” he said. 

I think that’s very sound advice. 

Here are a few of the photographs I took in Melbourne this week. I shot these mainly on my Leica M6 with Ilford XP2 and one on StreetPan 400 (I was gifted a roll). There is also one photo here from my archive (it’s a single frame, not a double exposure). I went through some of my older work this week when the weather was poor. None of these shots will make it into my top 10. But I’m excited by the prospect of taking the next one that does.