My first time doing street photography was almost twenty years ago and I didn't even know that genre existed. I was just excited to be in Manhattan New York and wanted to get some keep sake photos. Camera phones were just coming into being so I purchased a little pocketable Konica camera to take along with me. It was a whopping 3.2 megapixels and I think the ISO only went to 400 with that being barely usable. The camera was as close to a disposable film camera as you could probably get but I was happy to have it.
As we walked through the different boroughs of the city I was amazed at how colorful life there was, how much energy the city had and that grit of urban living. I found myself taking photos of non tourist things, the people, the cabs, the color of the lights and the light and dark created by the towering buildings. This was my introduction to street photography. I just found these old tiny digital jpgs from my trip there in 2005 and it's amazing how much has changed. These photos albeit not the greatest work, after two decades have become their own little time capsule showing a different city than exists now. This has shown me the value of street photography and focusing on everyday life and the importance of documenting it. Close to twenty years later and I'm still shooting street photography, or documenting areas I travel to. It's become almost a calling if that doesn't sound too pretentious.
Looking at these old photos has also shown me the value of keeping a small camera in my pocket. I don't expect it to perform like my high end bodies but the convenience of it being pocketable and something most people don't notice is worth the negatives and it gives me a larger sensor to than I could find in any smart phone. I'm currently carrying a Canon G7x mark iii and I will do another post about that camera soon. Cheers!
