I think Diane Arbus used to say that photographers should never put their camera away until they’re back home. And there are many times where I’ve indeed wanted to stop shooting after a long day, shove the camera in my bag, and carry on with life. But the truth is that I then realize that I’ll miss moments that would make for incredible photographs. Why does this happen?
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The reason why this often happens is because you’re so in the zone of getting an image that you’re sometimes even concentrating too hard. So when you tell your mind that your done, it will take a while to rebound back into the normal version of you.
This piece of advice comes from an article we did over a decade ago from Idene Roozbayani. “Yes. When shooting street, leave your lens cap off and your camera on at all times. Also make sure your camera is as inconspicuous as possible. Leave off the battery grip, the huge zoom lens. You don’t need that. You need your camera to look as bland and as ordinary as possible.”
I can understand and relate to this all too well. As a legally blind man, I go between using glasses and contact lenses. The contacts were custom-made for me and let me see in a totally different way. If I go between them and glasses, it can take a while for my brain to adjust.
Our brains work similarly when we turn on and off the street photographer side of our brain. So essentially, let yourself get out of the photographer-brain slowly and over time. And if something comes up that piques your curiosity, make sure that your camera is ready. When you’re back home or in your studio, turn the camera off and know that your work is done.