I love street photography.

It’s my therapy and has been since I started. When I feel low, I would pick up my Nikon D3200 and my oyster card and begin my journey towards the city. I would take photos of everything whether it be the buses driving past, the people analysing the bright shop displays or even just the sun setting on the horizon. At that point I wasn’t even worrying about my settings or composition I was just outside having fun and clearing my mind.

Overtime I made a habit of this and slowly but surely I began to get more technical with my work, trying out new ways of composing my images, understanding how different settings would produce different styles of work for my portfolio. And I continued this habit all through the year, through the spring, through the summer, through the autumn…

But I slowed right to a stop once it got to winter…

None of the photos above were taken during Winter. In fact, I actually found it very difficult to find any street photos during the winter season. The reason for this is simply because I absolutely hate the cold and unfortunately for me, London is notorious for its terrible weather.

When it’s hot in the summer, it’s sticky with no breeze which although can be torture at times is nothing compared to how it is when its cold in the winter. It’s freezing, your hands are numb, you leave your house at 3PM and by 4:30PM it’s dark.

It’s incredibly depressing and is probably one of the main reasons why we as British people consume so much alcohol in general…

But this winter just gone, I found myself annoyed at my lack of drive to indulge in some street photography. I had said to myself that by the end of the year I would have a folder for every month containing my photos and to be fair I did but I still felt a type of way about not shoot as much on the streets.

But I think as creatives whether you’re a photographer, a videographer, a graphic designer or musician we sometimes find ourselves adding extra stress onto ourselves by creating a new set of rules for our methods of work and the honest truth is that this usually does more harm than good.

These are some of the many photos I took during the winter going as far back as December 2022. All of these shots are pieces of work I’m very proud of and although it may not be photos of London, they are still amazing shots all the same.

I had been stressing myself out for the last two months of this year over a need to go out and take photos not for the sake of creating, but to tick it off a list. As I type this all out, I’m starting to wonder what kind of work I would’ve produced if I went out fully aware that my heart wasn’t really in it.

Would I end up even more frustrated if after a day of shooting I come back with nothing but mediocre photos?

Probably.

I guess what I’m trying to say in a very convoluted way is that I’m going to take more time to enjoy the process of photography and be fully invested in it when I am shooting. This year I want my work to do the talking. I want it to be made with intent and not because of algorithms telling me so.

So in saying all of this, street photography will be back on the menu once again when the weather won’t make me freeze to death and most importantly when I leave the house with not only some sort of purpose but passion as well.

It’s time for me to enjoy the craft once again.