I love discovering freedom in street photography. What does it mean for me?
Discovering freedom in street photography means (to quote lyrics from one of the most magical The Beatles’ songs, “You Never Give Me Your Money”)Â
Oh, that magic feeling / Nowhere to go.Â
When I hear Paul McCartney’s voice in the song, as mentioned above, I realize I can go anywhere. Undoubtedly, it is a freedom for me. I suppose that for many healthy people living in broadly defined Western countries, the fact that they can walk on healthy legs wherever they want is somewhat underappreciated. Every time I go to do street photography, I try to be grateful for the possibility of walking and enjoying the mundane life in Poland in the third decade of the XXI century (I wrote this text on the 29th of July, 2023, a time when street photography is thriving in Poland).
Many times, I see other passers-by in a hurry. Many of them want to get to their destination point as quickly as possible.
Luckily, while doing street photography, I am not one of them. Every time I walk, I try to cherish everything around me. Of course, some people seem chilled and just enjoy walking, as I do. I would be a liar if I stated all passers-by are in a hurry. Still, we are in the minority. In today’s text, I want to stress that I found my freedom symbolically in street photography. Freedom of movement and photographing everything I encounter is something I desire to experience daily.
To walk is to live.
To do street photography is to create. To create is to live forever in future generations’ minds and imaginations. I hope to accomplish this challenging task. Still, I will never know if I manage to do it. For today, it is impossible to travel in time. Undoubtedly, it would be another step in discovering freedom.Â
