I did a boatload of walking yesterday afternoon, especially in Harlem, but I was content just to wander and take in my surroundings. Photowalking is sometimes an oxymoron: if I’m taking photographs I cover very little ground.
Usually what I try and do is get a feel for the area first on foot and shoot later, but the other reason why I didn’t take photos in Harlem is because I stood out like a sore thumb and felt very self-conscious. Everywhere I looked I saw excellent street photo opportunities, but I couldn’t bring myself to dig out the cameras because it called even more attention to myself. As a general rule I try my best to blend in, look nondescript, and thus go along undisturbed, but whenever I thought of taking a photo it wasn’t long before I changed my mind. And it wasn’t as if people were staring at me like I was an alien just arrived from outer space — a phenomenon I’ve experienced elsewhere — but I just felt intrusive taking shots of ordinary people engaging in ordinary activities in their Harlem neighbourhood. I’m not feeling bold that way these days, I suppose. It’s a good thing I don’t do this for a living, I’d starve.
Last night after the New York Photobloggers event, LarimdaME and I were joined by another Flickrite, JimmyOK, and set off on a quasi-pub crawl around SoHo and NoHo, ostensibly as a bit of a photowalk for me. In the end we only made it to two places and barely took any pictures, but the conversation and company carried us into the wee, wee hours. These guys are, in a word, stellar people — I’ll look them up next time I’m in town.
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