What is interesting? Stop taking pointless street photos!

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I wonder how many of Eggleston's photographs back in the day would be deemed boring and void of any merit? The patina of time can sometimes take an ordinary scene and give it value. I guess also the real trick is to find what you as the photographer find interesting and not Instagram etc.

Taking pointless photographs can also be seen as a warming up excercise as you become more comfortable being among people and work yourself towards the meaningful photograph. It's not just about the image but the interaction and overall experience

Just to add to my previous comments...I am 79 yrs old and when I look back on my 'silly' b& W pics I took 60+ yrs ago I am so glad I took them for different reasons.... cheers 😀

I've taken a bunch of useless photos and one day while looking through my photos, I randomly found one of the best photos I've ever taken. I have no recollection of taking it but it's now my background everywhere lol.

Best composition for me was near the end. The girl sitting outside the bar, bathed in lots of warm red light with reflections. Each to their own but i find anyone that seeks attention best avoided, that includes street performers

“Photography is not about the thing photographed. It is about how that thing looks photographed.” - Garry Winogrand

True but in the end, beginners need to take a lot of pictures. that way they can learn, evaluate and asses their work. pointless picture is not so pointless after all. they can be a great tools to develop many beginner's view in photography. Pick 1 theme before going out on the street kinda works for me but sometimes "no theme" is also a good way. you can't predict let alone control what's on the street anyway. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

I wish more people see this video. I'm so tired of all this "street photography" photos which are just a random snap in the city with a blue tint preset slapped on it. Interesting: 000000000

Try shooting film. Make each of those 24 or 36 shots count. This way you'd be careful of every shot, instead of just "spray & pray", hoping that one of your thousands pics your digital card might hold may have a few good ones.

I have been learning from those who love looking at my photos and make comments about how good of an eye I have, etc. However, it's always about what I like to see, not what other people like. If you're involved in photography just to produce photos to please other people, then photography is not a hobby you can enjoy. It's a job that can get boring.

99% of YT street photographers take pointless, meaningless cliche images including myself but we all think we are the best. Watching some of the legends and some of the newer ones with vision like Mark Fearnley, Eduardo Ortiz, Alan Schaller and a very few more, they should to realized this field is not for them. When I got a book by Alex Webb's The Suffering of Light I realized I have to forget street photography and do something else. Good to see you back, anyway.

Great video Gareth, nice to see you put into words, where I felt, I was going wrong. 'BUSY LIVING LIFE' for me! 😊

You are the real deal. Thanks for sharing your precious points with us. Look forward to see more content from you

Nice to see you back and with an interesting video. I get what you’re saying about certain shots being boring but in years to come, it’ll be an insight to how things were and everyone will be raving about how great they are!!!!

Interesting - I actually entirely disagree, and I'm not a professional by any means but have been shooting street photograhy for about a year, both digital and film. I'd be rather sad going out for 5 hours and taking 1 photo, I'd feel like my eyes weren't open. I'm not really fond of taking pictures of street performers etc, it looks studio. I prefer unique lighting spots, scenes that look movie esque and interesting places. I kind of have an idea in my head of what I want to shoot that day and I look for it and I enjoy it. My mind is digging like I'm looking for a pokemon and I love it, some of my favourite shots are ones I thought ''this might look boring'' and it ends up the opposite. I took a picture of a women with a rainbow umbrella infront of a Rainbow here in Scotland at the city centre. It wasn't until I got home I realised the womens jacket was red, the guy next to her had an orange jacket, the chair in the middle was yellow and the guy sitting on it had a blue jacket and green hat. This almost (it lacked 1 colour) was the exact colour of a Rainbow, that was most certainly a ''is this good?'' and it's one of my most liked images on social media haha.

Brilliant to see you back Gareth, great content, thank you.

Good to see you back Gareth, I do agree with you on most things but think if someone is taking boring, people on the phone but no obvious interesting point well at least they are taking photos, they may be new and nervous or scared of confrontation and this is giving them confidence and also helping them hone their skill, better focus etc. The biggest issue for me is when people, and I’ve been guilty of it myself in the past, try and make something out of every shot they take, if it’s out of focus, we’ll let’s turn it B&W etc. No one, and I mean no one, ever gets 100% bangers, not you, not Alex Webb, not Cartier-Bresson, and definitely not me, no matter what genre of photography you shoot. I do enjoy these educational type of videos, more so when accompanied with a P.O.V too, keep them coming.

I really enjoyed you going through the process and showing the “almosts” along with your “nailed it’s”. I finally got to London a few months ago and it was fun to know where you were along the river.

“If it’s shyte, don’t make it black and white” 🤣🤣 When out it is so much fun to press the shutter, but at heart know is often pointless. Less is more?