Always Be On

Always Be On

(Please note: this is the original manuscript, so some of the terms are dated and in the process of being edited and updated.)

Everything I am about to explain in the following sections, on what I do while out shooting street photography, will amount to nothing at all without this one bit of advice: you must be constantly ‘on’. From the moment I step out that door, after preparing my gear as explained previously, I let go of everything from my mind – including the camera. Oh, it’s there, but only so far as to be aware of it enough to know that it is working, mostly through feeling the mirror-slap against my chest as I trip the shutter. Sometimes I hear the shutter, but that’s not something I rely on as will be explained later. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, that slight comforting thud against my chest is missed. And in a panic, I come snapping back to reality and look down and take a random shot or two just to be sure the camera is still working. But after shooting like this for so long, this sense of mistrust of my gear has completely relaxed; my camera doesn’t let me down. But I’m getting ahead of myself, but don’t worry: all will be revealed.

So again, as I step out onto the street, everything in my mind slips away until I am in a complete sense of concentration to my surroundings. I see everything. I am constantly scanning and my mind is completely in the moment. Everything else is gone. I go out alone. I don’t listen to music: I listen to the street, to the pulse of the city. And there is this sound to the city, it’s hard to explain, but as soon as you go out that door it hits you. Maybe you haven’t been aware of it, as you’re likely talking to the person you are with, or on the phone or listening to music. But when you go out just for the going, to do nothing else but to take it all in, it hits you like a tone of bricks. It breathes, and sometimes it growls and roars. But it is there, and it is very much alive with all the activities of the people that inhabit this crazy thing that we call a city. So, I let myself go, stop thinking about anything else, and start taking in everything I experience before me. I’m constantly ‘on’. And there I will remain until the end of the day, with only a break for dinner. In fact, as I park the car or hop off the train, the first thing I will do is fill myself up with a coffee and some food – so that I’m not even distracted by those cravings. I have no time to waste. When I’m on the street, I’m there to make pictures. Even before I step out that door, after going through all the checks that will soon be explained, I have already let everything else go from my mind. From the moment I step out, I am prepared to make a picture.

I have to be prepared, or I’m wasting my time. As I explained before, I always follow this preplanned route throughout the downtown core of my city – with all the special locations I’ve accumulated over the years. And I always start out at one of my favorite intersections, so I have to be ‘on’ and prepared to make a picture. Because these pictures happen that fast, and you have to be ready. But this readiness never turns off as I am out on the street. I equate it to the concentration of a race car driver – it’s always one hundred percent, or you’ll crash. I don’t want to crash. I’m there to make a picture, not take a snapshot. I’m out to make a once-in-a-lifetime shot. It’s that important to me, otherwise, what am I doing? To know I’ve missed a shot, for whatever reason, crushes me (the really good ones rarely come along). That is one thing that will snap me quickly back to reality, because I will be so frustrated with trying to find the reason why I missed it, and to come up with a quick solution so it doesn’t happen again. Why am I so hard on myself? Because I’ve learned over the years that these pictures are gifts; they’re priceless. And I cannot afford to make a mistake when they appear before me. And they will appear, over and over again, but only if you are ‘on’ and open to the experience, and ready.

So, as I hit the street, what lies before me is the only thing on my mind, and there it will stay until the end of my day. In fact, I get so tuned into this state of mind that even when I’ve gotten back in my car to drive home, I’m still seeing so many shots, especially for the fact that I happen to drive by one of my best locations. It almost makes me pull over and jump out to start shooting again! But I take comfort in knowing, God willing, there will be another day.

What I’m trying to explain here about being ‘on’, is that I’m constantly looking around me, focused on what I am experiencing. Obviously, I’m mainly focused on the people I encounter. But there is way more to it than that. I’m also concentrating on what they are doing, or more importantly, I’m anticipating what they will do next. I don’t always get this right, but when you’ve watched people as long as I have, you start to pick up on things. But it’s also how the light is falling on the subject, how their clothing is moving in the wind, or the timing of their walk – it’s all so important to notice these things. But even more importantly, you need to be instantly prepared to react to what you see, and to make a picture of what ever it was that caught your eye. There’s even a rhythm to the conversations people will have that you have to be aware of, so you are prepared to capture the expressions that go along with them. It’s everything. It’s overwhelming. But it’s wonderful if you let yourself become completely immersed in it and to be open to it. But don’t force things, don’t look for this or that, just let things happen as they will. Just be ready for them. And to do that successfully, you need to clear your mind and be fully in this moment.

Look everywhere. Look way ahead down the street at the people approaching you. Look behind you, and have a plan for what you will do if you see something. Be fully aware of what’s happening around you at all times, and be ready to shoot. This is no time to think about the camera; it doesn’t exist. The only thing that does exist is the connection you have to it through the shutter button. So, start walking and let yourself fall into the rhythm of the city, and most importantly, let the pictures happen. Be open to them entirely. Be ready. They will happen, if you fully let go. The reason I know this, is that pictures are everywhere. So, look everywhere. Be like that hawk up in the sky, looking down on the field, looking for that slight movement that gives its prey away, ready to pounce! In fact, it’s often said that street photography is similar to hunting – you’re always on the lookout for your catch. Keep your eyes peeled, or you’ll go hungry.

Now sometimes when you are out on the street, it will be completely overwhelming. Especially with the way I’ve explained how I like to shoot street: with crowds of people all around me, constantly moving. I absolutely love that situation. Why do I like this situation so much? Because there is often way too much to shoot, so much so that I often miss shots as I am in the middle of concentrating on making a different shot at the same time! That can be frustrating sometimes, but I’ve come up with a way to overcome that as well. See, what you have to understand here is that street photography is a practice of constantly letting yourself fail. That’s right. I probably fail 95% of the time when I go out shooting. My hit ratio is terrible. But I don’t let that discourage me at all, in fact I’ve learned to fully accept this failure. The reason is that I constantly try to learn from it, so that I can be better prepared to not make the same mistake in the future. It’s a constant learning experience when you practice street photography. But I’ve upped my game so much so, that I will get a shot. It may not be a good shot, but it will happen, unless I choose to not take it.

Now, don’t misunderstand me when I say that I love to shoot in a crowded situation. It wasn’t always like that. I certainly didn’t start off by jumping into the middle of a huge crowd and start firing away. I started off slowly, and I would suggest you start the same way. But here’s the thing with me: I’m very impatient. I hate failing, and I also hate wasting my time. When I finally get the chance in my busy schedule to go out and shoot, I take full advantage of it. And even before I started to practice street photography, I spent a lot of time studying and imagining myself in the situation of being on the street actually taking pictures. I put a lot of thought into this. And I made many mistakes along the way – I still do, and so I continue to study and practice and make adjustments to better my chances of making a successful shot. You could say I’m quite obsessed with this. And why wouldn’t I be? There is nothing like the feeling of coming home with a great shot, especially with knowing all that went into it to actually be able to get it. This is anything but easy, but I have found a way (many ways) of how to better my odds. So, as you continue to read, I will do my best to explain all that I have learned over the years. It will be up to you to decide if you want to use this information; it might be too much; you might not feel ready to go this far. But you must understand. I will do anything to get the shot. It is that important to me. It’s why I go out.

Thank you for being here, and for your time.

October 21, 2025 Michael Gordon White