How Street Photography Teaches Me to See the World More Clearly
For writers and artists alike, taking the time to slow down and observe the world around us can be a truly eye-opening experience.
Starting June 1 at Narratively Academy, Ben Fractenberg is teaching our first-ever photography class, an in-person workshop in NYC. This week only, we’re doing a flash sale on this class—enter the code FLASH to get 35% off. For today’s StoryCraft piece, we asked Ben to share a little bit about his process, and why this practice can be rewarding for anyone.
A photography professor of mine said that writing and photography are opposite forms of creation. The writer starts with the blank page and strives to create something out of nothing. The photographer starts with everything, the entire world around them, and decides to focus on one small aspect of it. How we observe can be one of the most important decisions we make on a daily basis—and it is something we do less and less of these days.
Indeed, most of us walk through our daily routine on autopilot. We scroll while we meander to the subway. We barely take notice of people while we rush to the office. Modern life seems to make it harder and harder to be present in the moment.
Street photography is the art of observation. It requires awareness. To see things with fresh eyes. To capture moments both intimate and mundane. It requires us to notice. To see the colors, the textures, the movement of life all around. And it asks us to think about how we fit into this world. Why do I choose to focus on certain things and not others? What details have greater meaning for us? What do interactions between people, no matter how subtle, tell us about the time in which we live?
The act of taking pictures in public is a practice of mindfulness—of quieting our assumptions and trying to look with fresh eyes.
As with all art, understanding how some of the greats went about composing their images is essential, and always open to interpretation.
In the Street Photography Workshop, we will look at some of those greats’ art with fresh eyes. We will see how each of us interprets the same environment differently. We’ll discuss why we captured what we did. And why we chose to frame the world in such a way.
Yes, street photography is a lesson in technical precision: how to best use light, how to create the right depth of field, and how to quickly frame an image. But most importantly, it is a lesson on how to be in the moment. How to really see and think more deeply about your relationship between observer and observed.
Ready to get out there?
The Street Photography Workshop starts June 1. Award-winning photojournalist Ben Fractenberg has shot for The New York Times, Daily News and THE CITY, among other outlets. In this three-session hands-on workshop held in New York City, you’ll spend time out in the city shooting, then come back together to review, refine, and push your work further. Whether you’re brand new to street photography or looking to get more intentional about your practice, this class is about learning to see—and capture—the moments most people miss.
I SO relate to this. Photography is a powerful vehicle for learning to SEE.
And seeing things differently enables us to write powerful stories the reader can see.
Street photography taught me to leave things out. You start out trying to cram the whole street into one frame and it turns to mush. The shots that work usually have one thing in them and a lot of empty space around it. Took me longer than it should have to see that writing is the same.