Ventilation

My friends and I were exploring an old neighborhood in the city area where residential flats were still standing amidst the vast development and modernization in the surrounding area. Walking around residential locations, I was being conscious about not intruding into the privacy of the residents there. After all, street photography is valid only in public, communal spaces which excludes private properties and residential buildings. Admiring the old architecture and building structural designs (I was a civil engineer after all) I decided to whip out the smartphone to utilize the wide angle lens, which I did not have with me on my OM-D camera at that particular session. The ventilation wall at the stairs drew my attention and I paid closer attention to it. All images were shot with Motorola G5S Plus using Google Camera App (ported over).

 Count the birds

 Count the humans

 Ventilation wall

 Stairs vs Vents

My friend actually teased me because I wasn't shooting any human subjects (out of respect and acknowledgement of privacy at residential spots) and that it must be a boring outing for me. I have learned long ago that if we truly keep our minds open, we will see subjects that compels us to shoot. I have trained myself to find beauty in ordinary things, not necessarily things that are out of the usual of spectacular. There is beauty and photography opportunities all around us, we just have to grab the camera and walk out to capture them. If someone says "there is nothing to shoot" then something is very wrong with his mindset when it comes to shooting. Being a passionate, hungry and growing photographer, you should never run out of inspiration and drive to shoot. Your fingers will be unbearably itchy anytime you are away from you camera.

To me, doing a photowalk is not necessarily about shooting the subjects that I want to shoot. Sometimes it gives me an opportunity to explore beyond my own comfort zone, move out from what I like to do and experiment with different approach and shooting styles. There are times I do need to see things differently and find an unusual approach to get the shots. After all, the more we shoot the more we learn about ourselves, our vision and voice in photography. It is an on-going process and the journey never stops.

So my question to you, have you spent enough time shooting lately? If not, what are you waiting for, grab that camera and go out and make some nice photos! That camera is not going to click by itself.