Photography Outside of my Comfort Zone
2025 StreetFest, The Beaches, Toronto
Queen St E, Toronto, ON
I don’t typically photograph people, and I have very limited experience of doing it in a public setting. Street photography isn’t really my vibe; I have just never felt particularly comfortable holding a camera up and aiming it at another person.
Don’t ask me why. Maybe it is the introvert in me happy to remain unseen and observing the world in my own way, in my own space.
I had decided to join Toronto Camera Club on their outing to the StreetFest / Jazz Festival down the Beaches. This would involve me getting more uncomfortable, giving something new a real shot, and getting very, very sweaty.
Heading into the outing I had no preconceived ideas or pre-visualisation about what or how I wanted to shoot. I was working on the fly, really.
What became apparent during the first street performance is that I was taking photographs through the lens (I am sorry!) of my own introverted nature.
Details were noticed, faces were not being revealed (lots of back of head shots) and the framing was forming just through intuition. I watched some of the other TCC members stand right in front of the performers, or crouched down right next to an instrument to snap a close up portrait. Me? I was out the back doing my own thing.
If the opportunity for a portrait had presented itself, then I would have considered it, absolutely. I wasn’t searching for it though, not on my first outing.
What I did want to portray was the environment; the performers, audience, surrounding goings-on. Amidst the music (and still images are not great at sharing music) it felt like there was a lot going on, too much to observe.
As the evening went on I started to frame my approach and consider how the images would work individually and together. I started considering different angles, framing subjects and chasing the light.
I did catch a few interesting subjects but given the crowds and rapidly changing performances (the bands/ performers rotated through the evening) I kept focused on the live music . Maybe I was growing more confident?
What did I learn from this outing? Well, it’s that I did feel way outside my comfort zone; not least when my fellow TCC members walked straight to the front of the crowds!
It did teach me to be aware, to think on my feet and respond to the environment around me. This used me to work quicker with my camera - fix an aperture or shutter speed? Figure it out, and quickly.
I did also learn that you can find your own approach to different genre of photography. Photographing an event doesn’t need to be the a copy and paste job, it can be whatever you make it. What resonates with you? What reflections do you want to portray? How do you want to frame the event through still images?
This was a good and healthy learning curve for me, and one I am glad I went out to do. I’ll certainly be giving myself more of these opportunities to develop my skills in the future.
In Post
Black & white imagery was in my mind during the evening. Helping the viewer to focus on pieces of detail by removing colour was something I had on the brain. I guess you could say ‘mid-meditated’ because it certainly wasn’t ‘pre’.
The cropping to 16:9 was an after-thought in post production; it came to me most pronounced in a couple of shots, like the one above, when I wanted to isolated certain parts of the subject and their instrument while giving space for the audience. Everyone was on a similar level, and a wide angle would just distort the image. I think I like it. Thoughts?
With thanks to the fire fighters of Toronto Fire Station 227 for serving the Beaches. .
The Gear I Used
For this outing I went with the Fujifulm XT5 coupled with the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 lens. One setup, mini towel and bottle of water - it was very warm.
In hindsight, I might have liked a slightly longer focal length to give me longer reach for the approach I was taking. I wasn’t really in the business of taking full-frontal portraits of the artists, so a 50/85mm prime wasn’t in the starting lineup.
Substack
I have started sharing images and posts on Substack. If you’re not familiar, it’s a social media platform aimed at creating. So far, my experience has been pretty positive - a refreshing shift in the current social media landscape!