How I turned Street Photography into a physical activity and therapy for the mind
First of all: after years of being fairly bland and inactive here in Mexico, I started exercising again: I ride a bike, I train with weights, I do some boxing. I take care of my diet and keep my immune system happy and therefore responsive. And what does all this have to do with street photography? Let me explain.
First of all we need to understand where I work: Mexico City elevation is 7,350 ft. and when you first arrive, if you were born and raised 0 feet above sea level is not that easy. Obviously now I'm used to it and some say that your physical structure also changes
As you know, I photograph every day, but two days a week I go in downtown. To get there, living in the northern part of the megalopolis, it takes about two hours by bus. This means that when I arrive at my destination I move to different places in the city to find interesting stories. I have calculated that in one morning on average I travel over 10 km, all on foot and almost non-stop. For me it's not a problem: I've always been used to walking a lot. Many of my students know this very well. In all these years I have been able to see the beneficial effects that this brings not only to my photography, but also to my body and mind.
My legs are naturally strong without doing gym sessions and I believe this is also genetic. We often see gymnasts with great structure on the top and with chicken legs. I can say to be pride of my legs and this is something that connects me to…Bukowski. In the last few months I have abandoned the bicycle but I intend to resume.
The benefits of street photography done in this way are also mental. If I am a little nervous or tense about something going out and taking pictures allows me to enter a state of meditation, and this is refreshing. Many times I happen to collect ideas, and it is not uncommon for me to come up with solutions for some problem. The time I spend in photographing is the time I spend alone with myself even when surrounded by people. The action of walker and photographer allows me to cleanse myself of the toxins of the tension accumulated in the most administrative and boring work that my activity entails. I consider street photography as part of my physical activity in all respects. The brisk pace of the walk is made up of sudden accelerations and moments done at a slower pace, depending on how much action and interesting things are in front of me to photograph. Sometimes it turns into an almost extreme physical experience. I can feel it as soon as I get off the bus where fatigue begins to make itself felt.
This article aims to be an awareness of the healthy effects of our activity as street photographers.Always as long as you are not a lazy street photographer or who stays in one place for a long time. Done a certain way, street photography can be a physical activity, with evident positive effects for our body and our mind.
