Break the Pattern: How street photographers can avoid copycat shots
“Originality comes from intent, not imitations”
Tired of chasing the same old subject walking in front of a building, a car reflection or every silhouetted figure in a tunnel? You’ve seen these a thousand times on Instagram.
Creativity is key to get out of the lazy shooting habits, but how can we find uniqueness in a genre filled with already great shots?
This blog will focus on tips and create a fresh mindset for you to explore the streets in new ways.
My friend and colleague, Thomas from Photobreak, has been shooting for years. Night, street, nature, portraits, you name it. Over time he has expanded his work, built a following and with his bag of tricks, together, we’ve created a guide that is simple and easy to apply in your every day photo walks.
Light over Landmarks
Everyone seems to capture landmarks, but the greats like Alex Webb and Saul Leiter followed the light.
Exercise 1: Walk for ten minutes and totally ignore everything, except the light. Look for shadows, reflections, streaks across walls, everything you see the light touch.
🔥 On Photobreak walks, we include “light chase” segments. Participants track shifting light around a block instead of focusing on what’s actually around them. The subject becomes the play of light itself.
The Pain Point
”Both new and experienced photographers often shoot what’s popular instead of what’s personal”.
We believe the best photos come from a place of honesty, and combined with seeking for what moves you, a beautiful moment will present itself.
One day you might feel the blues, embrace that, your emotion are real and powerful in this type of searching also.
* We’ve all seen these shots before, while I enjoy composing them, they are not the creative vibe we seek.
Scenes, a split second and your state of mind give that personal creative touch that no Instagram copycat has in their work.
These are what will makes you stand out and create great work again and again.
Own the moment, you stopped here, something Made You Look.
Personal Photo Rules
Let’s touch on creative constraints. Narrowing down what your mind is searching for already makes for a more personal shot.
I find all these steps important in the pursuit of fresh creativity.
This could be as simple as only shoot vertical, only shoot objects touching the ground or maybe only photograph people reflected and not directly.
Exercise 2:
📷 Only shoot vertical
🪙 Only shoot shadows
🚫 No faces allowed
🔥On our Photobreak walks we assign creative restrictions to keep things fresh, shoot only blue subjects, avoid fast shutter speeds, or only through glass.
Now you eliminate the typical, find a man in a hat, a bicycle shadow, a lonely coffee cup etc.
We don’t want to list things up before shooting.
We want to build stories on the go, creative photographers is always wondering; What’s happening here? What is the emotion? What to include and exclude in the composition.
* examples of focus on triangles
Photograph the `in Between`
Imagine the classic Cartiere Bresson jump shot, or a kiss, handshake. Moments people expect.
Now, what about just before the action happens? Or the moment just after. The expression after it all ends might be an even stronger one.
Gary Winogrand was a master of this. So try not to press the shutter when the obvious happens. Shoot the hesitation. The awkward glance. The quiet after.
* I love this portrait, but the shot just before has an even stronger emotion.
B-Side
When everyone is shooting the same intersection, murals and neon lit alleys. The result? A thousand images that look the same.
There is nothing wrong with taking all the shots that’s already been made.
In fact, when you are starting out, you probably should as this will make you learn faster and the urge of just pressing the shutter is still there.
When ready, go where most people don’t.
Conclution: Originality Comes from Intent
Breaking the cycle of copycat photography isn’t only about avoiding popular spots. Most important is shooting with intent.
Crative photographers resist the urge to capture what’s expected and search for something personal.
🔥At Photobreak, our street photowalks are built around this principle. We’re here to help you see better and continue growing our own vision.
Throw away the cliche. Step off the main road and together find our own angle, one that only we can see.
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