“STREET PHOTOGRAPHY” – (n) photography that features the chance encounters and random accidents within public spaces.

Nelson.

What do you practice?

I practice…some people call it street photography. But I’m just going to call it photography.

I’ve been practicing it for about a year and a half now.

Why do you just call it “photography”?

Some people really like to define genres of photography and I guess what I practice would fall into the category of street photography. But for me, it’s just kind of taking photos of life. So I guess I can call it “life” photography.

How do you practice life photography?

It started out with me just carrying a camera with me to and from work on my commute. I work in San Francisco so there’s a lot of people, a lot of interesting scenes, and a lot of expression to witness and capture. I just wanted to make my commute a little bit more interactive and make myself pay more attention to my surroundings. Photography seemed like the best way to do it.

Why photography specifically?

When I first moved to San Francisco I took all my stuff with me. As I was unpacking I noticed that I had a small collection of cameras, and it just kind of clicked in my head. I was like, “Oh! Huh maybe this is a skill I could develop and nurture.” I’ve always struggled with trying to find my own artistic voice and it seemed like photography was something that was relatively accessible. And, with my commute there’s definitely no shortage of subject matter so I just kind of took it and ran.

Photo credit: Nelson Lau. See more of his work here.

What was it like to get into the habit of stopping to take pictures? It’s probably a habit you have to get used to. You have to remember to stop, but also you have to get used to people watching you stop and take photos.

It’s definitely not natural and takes some time to get comfortable doing it. But I think what helped me grow accustomed to this type of photography was just (and this is romanticising it a little) realizing the truth that there are really beautiful moments in life, and that a lot of these moments are very fleeting. And the ability to capture these moments and preserve them on film or on a digital camera…something about that seems very noble. Maybe that’s not quite the right word. I justify my actions as “creating”. That kind of made it easier for me to shoot in public.

I’ve never been confronted. But if anyone actually does confront me and ask what I’m doing I’ll just tell them that I’m doing art. This is my craft.

Photo credit: Nelson Lau. See more of his work here.

Did photography change your commute?

At times. It really made me not only enjoy my commute but also take more time in my commute. It’s a force of habit — everybody wants to go to work as soon as possible. So did I. At least in the beginning.

Photography allowed me to slow myself down. Luckily I have a job where it’s flexible what time I go in, so if I get a little bit carried away trying to get a shot, it’s okay.

Photo credit: Nelson Lau. See more of his work here.

Have you ever thought of working within a different time window?

The commute hours seem to work out for me. I think some people make it a practice during lunch time but I tried that once and I realized that I enjoy eating lunch more than taking pictures. *Laughs* Lunch is important. Lunchtime shooting is just not really for me.

I have tried to go out on the weekends, too, but it’s a different vibe and it takes more energy to get out. The commuting hours…it works for me for now.

What’s the different vibe you get during the weekend?

I take photos during commuting hours, so naturally I’m surrounded by everybody who’s going to work. All the other commuters. Being caught up in that wind is very different than, let’s say, if you go into San Francisco on a Saturday or a Sunday. There’s a lot of people who are there on leisure, people who are touring, people who are shopping. It’s a very different vibe. People aren’t rushing to get to one place and rushing to get to another place.

Photo credit: Nelson Lau. See more of his work here.

Do you have a style? If you do, would you say that the commuter vibe is a part of your style?

I don’t know if I’ve been practicing this long enough to say I have a style. But I definitely could say that restricting myself within certain hours on specific days does restrict my “muse”, I guess? What I’m inspired by. I only see one thing when I’m shooting but in a way I feel like this fixed scene of people commuting kind of forces me to be a little more thoughtful about how I could be more creative. Finding moments that fall out of those commuting frames.

But I definitely do want to branch out eventually. It’s just that right now, this is what works.

Photo credit: Nelson Lau. See more of his work here.

What is it like when you’re actually out practicing photography?

In my head, I guess the only thing I think about is, “Do I need to adjust my camera?” Other than that, I’m just constantly on the lookout for a scene. And if I see a scene then I need to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time in order to capture it. Most of my brain activity is just dedicated to watching.

What are some of the other things that have helped you get into the practice of photography?

A lot of research on YouTube. There are a lot of photographers — a lot of really knowledgeable street photographers — out there on YouTube who want to share their knowledge and their experience with the world. So I get a lot of schooling from there.

But also, self reflection. Seeing the purpose of photography, and what it is in my life and the world. I’m doing the best I can just to be as honest as I can. I want my photography to be honest. And I think that’s maybe why I do street photography instead of studio photography.

What’s the difference?

I think with studio photography — I mean there’s nothing wrong with it — it’s just a very different style. It’s a lot more posed, there’s a lot more planning, there’s a lot more thought. Well, I take that back. I feel like there’s just as much thought put into studio photography as there is in street photography. However, with studio photography you’re in a very controlled, almost clinical environment. If you know exactly what you want…you can make it happen. But for street photography it’s literally a jungle out there and you have to go out to find what it is you want. I think that they both require a sense of foresight, an ability to envision what it is you want.

I think that’s why I shoot film — because I think it’s the best medium to learn on. You have so many restrictions. It’s like writing on paper instead of typing on a computer. You’re forced to be a lot slower. You’re forced to be a lot more deliberate. When I only have 36 pictures per roll, and when every roll costs money to buy and process…I tend to make my shots a little bit more valuable. If I were to shoot digital, I’d be all over the place. I don’t have the self restraint to value digital shots yet.

What about when you’re not in the field? What kind of practice or process exists there?

I think the process is retrospective. The way that a writer will read what they write, as a photographer I look at what photos I take. Right now I still feel very much in the infantile stages of finding out who I am as a photographer. I think the only way to figure it all out is to look at my photos and try to make sense of all the randomness that is my photography. It’s all over the place right now. But, I have a feeling that within a couple of years I’ll probably find a style that I really resonate with.

There’s one photographer who had a pretty good quote. He said, “Photograph who you are.” I really like that quote. I don’t really know who I am as a photographer yet, but I’m trying to figure that out.

What does your practice mean to you?

Photography for me is finding out who I am. Because I think the more I take photos of the world around me, the more I understand what it is I pay attention to and what it is I find important enough to capture on film. It’s kind of sappy and romantic. But I just think about how I see so many people around me who are very distracted. Especially on my commute, I see people who are glued to their phones. They’re worrying about work. They’re worrying about life–things. And here I am standing around, watching all this.

Loving photography — it was a gradual process. In the beginning I wouldn’t bring my camera with me everywhere. There have been moments where I’d see a scene and I’d be caught without my camera and I’d be like, ”Noooo! That would have been perfect!” So I try to be very deliberate in being sure that I have a camera with me every day. Not just Monday through Friday, but on weekends too. On vacations. Anywhere I go, I want to make sure I have a camera on me. It doesn’t have to be a film camera. It could be my phone. As long as I can be ready to capture life as it happens. There definitely wasn’t a pinnacle moment where I was like, “Whoah, this is it.” It was a slow falling in love.