016: From Hunting to Gathering: A Shift in My Photography

From Hunting to Gathering: A Shift in My Photography

I watched an interview with Alex Soth recently, and something he said hit different. He talked about how, for years, he approached photography like a hunter, always searching, chasing, taking. But over time, he no longer wanted to do that. He wanted to move differently, to let the images come to him instead of stalking them.

That stuck with me because I feel that shift happening in my own work.

I still move through the streets with that same energy, camera in hand, scanning, reacting, documenting. There’s a rhythm to it, a rush. Seeing something unfold and responding in the moment, that instinct is still in me. But I’ve started to question it, to rethink what it means to always be in pursuit. What happens when I slow down, when I stop chasing every frame? What do I notice when I let things come to me instead?

Long-term documentary and portrait work have been calling me. Not just the act of making images, but the time spent with my subjects, the conversations, the silences, the moments in between. I don’t want to just pass through people’s lives, snapping a frame and moving on. I want to sit with them, listen, understand. I want to document people over time, let the story unfold naturally, allow trust to build. I want my images to feel like they were offered to me, not taken.

My photography isn’t just about making trendy images, it’s about building something deeper. I want to document people in a way that honors them, that respects their space and their story. I don’t want my work to feel like a collection of moments I grabbed before they disappeared. I want it to feel like time was given, like the image existed long before I pressed the shutter, and I was just fortunate enough to be there.

So, I’m moving differently now. Less hunting, more gathering. Less extraction, more exchange. That’s why I’m drawn to longer projects, why portrait work has been pulling me in. I want my images to feel like a conversation, not just me taking, but something being shared.

That doesn’t mean I’m done with the streets. That rhythm is in me. But I’m learning to let go of the chase, to let the images find me instead of the other way around.

And maybe that’s the real shift, not in how I photograph, but in how I see.

frame 36 of 36.