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Howarth draws a parallel between street photography and fishing. Like a fisherman, you can't force the catch — you find your spot, stay patient and present, and respond the moment something comes alive in front of you. It's about receptiveness over control.
The practice:
1. Find a spot that draws you in — good light, an interesting background, a feeling. Commit to staying with no agenda.
2. Don't seek, don't force. Treat it like a moving meditation — respond intuitively to changing shapes, colors, characters, and moods. Resist the urge to review or edit mid-practice.
3. Notice your thinking mind. When your brain starts labelling or storytelling, acknowledge it and let it go rather than following it.
Increasingly while I'm out and about, I force myself to stop at an active spot, take out my camera or phone, and spend 5-10 minutes just observing and capturing. Sometimes it will be at the bus stop (images below) or a bus stop or a park or while I wait in line for something. It's a really fun and interesting way to capture!
By taking time in one spot, I am observing different things that I wouldn't have normally done if I was just doing a basic "photo walk". It can sometimes feel uncomfortable at first but you do get used to it almost as a zen photography moment. A lot of where I'm doing this is in urban environments but I'd like to try this in more rural or other open environments to see what else I might attract.
If your photography has become too goal-oriented (or you're just looking for a break from goals), I'd recommend The Mindful Photographer by Sophie Howarth. The photo-fishing concept alone is worth it.
Please share your own photo-fishing shots, I'd love to see what you caught.
