Streets are noisy—especially Indian streets. Can you find your inner silence?
Streets are noisy places, and you can get lost in the bustle. If you are walking on a European street, it may be easier to collect your thoughts. Most of them are quiet, compared with Indian streets. Streets in the West are not dusty or crowded.
As you walk on some of India’s streets, you will contend for space with other pedestrians, carts, cattle, vehicles, peddlers, small eateries, people eating, the police, etc. The list can stretch to infinity; you will be disappointed if you expect people to stand by and wave you on your way with a polite smile. They won’t. The streets are an urban jungle, and only the fittest survive. In this chaos, can you find your inner silence?
Population rises. But, our geography remains constant.
When I was born, India’s population was 0.45 billion people. Today, it is 1.43 billion people. We’ve added a billion people since I was born. The declining birth rate cheers me, and I don’t know why people are fussing about the declining birth rate; our geography has not expanded.
We sold 24,000 passenger vehicles when I was born and 4.1 million vehicles in 2023. Our geography refuses to expand.
We had 175.6 million cattle when I was born and 304 million in 2023. Yet again, our geography refuses to expand.
What does this mean for a pedestrian? These numbers suggest that, at the most basic level, the roads have become crowded, noisier, and dustier. Construction continues unabated, and green spaces are shrinking.
Your inner silence is shrinking, and you will discover chaos shattering your peace.
How do you focus?
When you walk on the streets, you must take care of your physical self and ensure no one picks your pocket, nips something out of your bag, or damages your camera.
With so much going on, how do you focus on photography? Photography demands concentration. If you cannot concentrate, you will miss the action on the street. When you are out doing street photography, you have a few choices.
One, only focus on the photography and nothing else. You are now a single-minded individual, looking for angles, shadows, different points of view, and ways to create abstract street images. Many photographers adopt this approach, and it works well for them.
If you are like me, you can chat with people, make a few human connections, and share a few stories. This approach works well for me and may also suit you.
Third and last, you can combine still photography with videos. In the last few months, I have been adopting this approach. My street photography is not abstract; it is humanistic and journalistic. After processing it, I create the final image and decide whether I want a warm one, gritty or monochrome.
I do not suggest you adopt any specific method of creating photos on the street. You choose what’s best for you.
Find your inner silence.
However, there is one common factor in every approach.
Focus. You must be able to focus and concentrate. In India, we’d use the word ‘dhyana.’ ‘Dhyana’ is not a Buddhist word: it is an Indian word, arrogated by Buddhists. In modern terms, you may say, you ‘must be present’ or ‘mindful.’ Choose the term that suits you.
You must find inner silence to take excellent photographs or shoot videos on the streets despite the pushing, the dust, the noise, the glaring light of the sun, and the pollution.
Inner silence goes beyond keeping your mouth shut. You can converse with someone and maintain your inner silence. Or, you can zip your mouth and listen to an active medley of voices inside your head.
Achieving a state of silence will require a lifelong struggle. I do not ask you to disappear into the mountains or jungles to a vipassana retreat to find silence. You can seek silence wherever you are.
You will find you take your best photos when you stop the inner chatter.
Think about that statement.
