I find my Inspiration from any number of places, these include books, photos, Films, music, and people.
Before I head out to shoot I might go through one of many street photography books I own like Subway, by Bruce Davidson or New York state of mind by Martha Cooper (pictured below). I can easily get lost for hours when going through these books, but I get so much inspiration from them and this is great for my own street photography, it really helps me focus.
I also have a ritual (of sorts) the night before I head to London or Cambridge, l watch the film Everybody Street, sometimes I’ll fall asleep while it's on, the film helps me relax and then I'll listen to the music used in the film while I'm traveling to the city. I get so much Inspiration from listening to the photographer's in the film talking and also, from the music used in the film.
Music plays a big part in my photography, I listen to music while I'm traveling and I even listen to the same playlist when I do my editing. However I never listen to music while I’m shooting, well I say never, but there are times when nothing is happening and I just can’t focus. I might stop for an hour and go and have coffee, maybe even watch a bit of everybody street, or on a very rare occasion I might put my headphones on and listen to something relaxing while I’m shooting, but this is very rare.
As for people, both Christian Cross and Craig Whitehead inspire me and it’s very rare I’ll have a bad day when I’m out with them. I can go out with anyone it doesn’t have to be a photographer and I’m not sure why, but I’ll end up being more focused on my street photography. Being with the right person, someone with the same values as me can be a huge influence in my work.
Find what inspires you and keep shooting
You can find more info about Everybody Street here
