A3 EYV Further Reflection

Reflection on Assignment 3: The Struggles with Theme and Research

Looking back at Assignment 3, the biggest challenge was establishing a cohesive theme for the set of images. Street photography, even at its best, is often unpredictable. You hit the streets with the hope of capturing a compelling image or two, but more often than not, there’s no overarching theme to the pictures. Any themed set typically comes together retrospectively from various shoots or evolves from an extended period of work, guided by a clear statement of intent.

For this assignment, I spent six to eight weeks shooting under the loose theme of “mobile phones.” In hindsight, that amount of time didn’t feel long enough to fully explore the subject. I found myself grabbing shots that weren’t quite the best and resorting to familiar, perhaps clichéd techniques to make the images work. My lack of thorough research into other street photographers’ work also hindered my progress, as I was more focused on shooting than understanding how others approached similar themes.

Street style photography has always been a passion of mine, but it wasn’t until this course that I truly started to focus on a theme. As a result, I found myself often falling back on my “default programming” throughout the assignment. I tried to step away from the graphic, compositional style of Cartier-Bresson, understanding that the busy nature of Hong Kong would limit my options for shooting at specific times and locations. Instead, I aimed to capture people in their daily lives. While some of these images turned out well, they didn’t push the boundaries of the decisive moment as much as they could have. This was mainly due to my lack of research.

Before starting this course, I had a bit of an aversion to the idea of the “decisive moment.” It seemed to be something gatekeepers of street photography on social media took too literally, often rejecting images from sharing groups that didn’t align with their narrow vision of “pure street photography.” In retrospect, I now see that the decisive moment can be expressed in many ways. It’s not just about capturing that fleeting second but presenting it in a meaningful way. In my original submission, I missed this in some of my shots, as I was too static in my approach. However, anything can be a decisive moment if we present it thoughtfully.

The key takeaway from this assignment is that creativity must be nourished. Research is an essential part of that process. It’s not just about looking at what others have done—it’s about how we can replicate their methods, build upon their successes, and learn from their mistakes. By not fully engaging with the work of other photographers, I limited my own ability to interpret, adapt, and evolve my own style.

This is something I now recognize as crucial for my growth as a photographer. Moving forward, I will make research and self-reflection a top priority. Neglecting these aspects is like working with one hand tied behind your back. Focusing solely on my own images, without understanding the broader context, would be the worst mistake I can make in my future studies and photography practice.

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