Stepping out of my comfort zone at London Pride|Visual Annotations #2
If you read my first Visual Annotations post, on Japan, you’ll know that outside of some travel photography, I don’t normally do street photography, and I am far from reportage or documentary photography.
I’ve always found street photography nerve-wracking. I feel like I need a good excuse to allow myself to photograph random strangers on the streets (especially being a tiny woman!). With London Pride, I had that excuse, and I knew it was going to be a safe place to give it a go. So, taking my camera along was a bit of a bet with myself.
It all started a bit at the last minute. After seeing some of my friends' Instagram stories that afternoon, I literally went "fuck it, why not, let's try!". I texted my good photographer friend Mehmet Emin Hassan, stating I would meet him in Soho.
I arrived in central London late afternoon, around 5:00 pm. On paper, I’d missed all the parade and the morning fun stuff, but it turned out to be the best time. If you think about it, that’s when people start getting tired but still want to party, while the evening party animals come out. It’s a great mix of feelings and looks.
Finding My Feet in Soho Square
I hopped on the Elizabeth Line, got off at Tottenham Court Road, and walked towards the Dean Street exit, as I knew I wanted to start with the square right behind it: Soho Square.
Coming out with my camera ready, I started shooting people on Dean Street immediately. But I felt that was the wrong approach. As soon as I got to the square, I put my camera away and started to have a little wander around, just taking it all in, observing in a silence ritual, like a kid in a candy shop making the most important decision as to which sweet to buy.
Once I finished that first walk around the square, that’s when I started taking pictures.
The Bit I Love Most About Photography
I walked a couple of rounds with my camera and managed to stop a few people for a portrait. My heart was racing! The first one was a very beautiful soul (first portrait, below from left). You can tell I was nervous as there's a subtle little shake in the photos, but it really helped break the ice.
Photographs of the people in the square allowed me to relax a bit and feel good about what I was doing. While wandering around waiting for my photographer friend to arrive, I also had a really lovely chat with another person (second portrait above, from the left). We ended up talking about the photography of the naked body, at which point I had to give a shout out to my amazing friend Stuart Carruthers!
I think this is probably the side of photography I like the most: having little chats that open up like a window out to sea, where looking out feels almost infinite.
When Mehmet arrived, we started to wander more around Soho. It was fun watching a seasoned street photographer; I learned a lot in such a short time. The way he approaches people, almost unapologetically, and the way he looks, or better, scouts around ,waiting for that right moment...It all felt a bit overwhelming at first, but after a little bit I could feel all the adrenaline and endorphins kicking in (the Vitamin D boost helped with that too!).
Four Hours on the Street
I spent about four hours on those streets, looking around, waiting, and fire! There was a lot of "go-go-go", but also the pauses and the deep breaths in, the quick food break and the small chitty-chats.
Everyone seemed to have a great time and was happy to be there , experiencing it all, including being photographed. Although some posed, I still preferred the stolen moments. Either way, I really enjoyed practising portraits outside with light changing, talking to people, and trying to come out of my little shell and comfort zone a bit more.
It was also nice to meet some new and old photographer friends and share our thoughts for the day.
Fun with Sequences
Before I approach the end of my post, I wanted to show you some sequences. Staying with a moment for a few extra seconds lets little stories unfold a bit more.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, I'm so glad I just decided to go! Pushing past that initial anxiety in such a welcoming environment was exactly what I needed.
Did you go to London Pride (or another Pride celebration recently)? Have you got any good stories or unexpected encounters from the day? I’d love to read them in the comments!
