While the majority of my street photography is taken while wandering aimlessly, I occasionally set myself a task to spur on some creativity. These tasks focus on creating a collection of images over time—whether during one single walk or over the course of many outings.
The projects are usually based around one specific element: colour, location, a certain subject, or even weather conditions. This approach isn't uncommon—many street photographers use it as a way of building cohesive portfolios and developing stories that come together naturally.
However, aside from the end result, I've discovered one major benefit to setting yourself a project: it's an incredibly effective way of beating creative lulls and boosting motivation. When you force yourself to work systematically and with intent, rather than spontaneously, it often brings about a spike in inspiration.
One of the great things about street photography is its randomness—finding stories in scenes you stumble across and creating moments from the everyday. Limiting yourself to specific rules makes things trickier, but it also gives you a clear path to follow.
Sometimes I get what can only be described as 'cloudiness.' The world feels almost too busy to find meaningful scenes and stories. Limiting your view to certain guidelines helps dissolve that cloud and brings focus back to your work.
After a significant period of feeling lost, demotivated and creatively stunted, I took to the streets of London with a specific mission: capture unique, abstract scenes that put colour at the forefront. My aim was to utilise motion or reflections to capture colour that filled the entire frame.
It proved to be an enjoyable and motivational task that helped pull me out of the funk I was stuck in. The reason was simple: it was so unlike what I usually do that I had to really think and focus on how to obtain these sorts of images.
I ended up with some images I'm genuinely proud of. The middle image below shows a textured window in a Soho bar, with lights creating a scene that resembles a painting rather than a photograph. The one on the right captures reflections from wet ground in Piccadilly Circus. By slowing down the shutter speed and giving the camera a gentle nudge, I created an image full of motion—a blurred figure staggering through the frame, drenched in what almost looks like the Italian flag.
Are they my favourite images I've ever taken? Are they technically outstanding? Will they win any awards? No, and that's fine. I did something different, set myself a task, and as a result I hold these images dear because they're the result of a mission I gave myself.
The moral of the story is simple: sometimes, limiting yourself allows you to see more.
You can check out some of my favourite projects here.
