Photo Journal #002
5.24.2025 | Some Words to Live By / Photo Review
I’ve recently been reminded of the quote by Henri Cartier-Bresson: “People think far too much about techniques and not enough about seeing.” It’s a particularly good reminder for any photographer, especially those drawn to street or documentary-style photography. It’s a reminder that the most important skill for a photographer is their ability to see, noticing the moment, the emotion, the light, and the story unfold. It’s about being present, observant, and connected! However important it is to know your camera, understand settings to achieve what you have in mind, it’s much more important to train your eye to see.
That’s where I believe too many people get caught up. They focus too much on the gear, too much on ‘what settings’ they need to use. Beginners who take up an interest in these forms of photography are concerned mostly about those topics. If you want to be a good photographer, learn how to see. That will be the most promising skill you develop.
I’ve recently been sharing some shorts on social media that were created from some of my older videos on my YouTube channel. In line with the above thought, I have this to share with you.
In addition to that spur-of-the-moment thought, today, I’d love to review some old photographs from March 2017. Today was another day I wasn’t out physically doing new photography, but I’ve been enjoying going through older photographs.
Now, a few words about the following images. I noticed right away the difference in photographs from my last post and these images. (Last post, if you’re interested, is embedded below.) Most of the images that I’ve been reviewing up until this turning point in today’s selection have been images captured using my 50mm lens (That’s 50mm, but with a 1.6 Canon crop sensor, meaning it would be similar to an 80mm if you’re using a full-frame camera.) From today’s reviewed images, I’m now using a 24mm lens. (Same crop value, making it similar to a 35mm or 40mm on a full-frame camera).
That being said, there’s now a completely different approach to street photography. I’m either getting much closer, or I’m incorporating much more of the environment in the shots. In actuality, it’s most likely a good combination of these two scenarios.
But with that also comes an issue. Going from shooting further back with the 50mm, I was used to having such a distance. Something new to me at the time, with my new 24mm. I noticed when going through the photographs that I was often missing focus. As the subjects were closer, my focus was further back. This, coupled with a wider aperture because I was shooting at night, made this very noticeable in some of the images. For this reason, some of the images fail to meet the mark, in my books, unfortunately. That being said, I still feel like sharing! 😅📸
Today’s Adventure:
Review of 34 Images from March 2017.
Re-edit of 9 Images.