1. Because it is the most inherently candid genre of photography there is.
Of all the genres of photography, street is definitely the most candid. (Fun fact: it's also commonly referred to as "candid photography.") You go out on the streets and you capture what you see. There's no clear subject, no clear model, you're not asking anyone to tilt their head a certain way, and no one is asking you to get their good side-you're just shooting what you see. Which brings us to our next point.
2. Street photography is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you're going to get.
For me, a typical day as a street photographer looks something like this: plan out where I want to go and how much public transit costs, vaguely overview how to get there, pack all my essentials, get there, start taking pictures, see something cool and end up completely different from where I meticulously planned out. And repeat.
3. Street photography changes the way you look at the streets around you.
A true street photographer is always on the hunt for that one moment that captures your eye and sparks your interest like no other. You learn to appreciate and capture subtle moments that you never noticed before, such as the little kids tugging on their parents to drag them into the toy store, or the local Starbucks manager feeding a homeless man nearby. You become more observant to the world around you and you learn to appreciate all that is going on in your time.
4. Being a street photographer grants you unique social experiences.
Since I picked up my DSLR and walked around the streets of SF, I've had so many unique conversations that I would most likely never had if I didn't have a camera hanging around my neck. As a person who's generally pretty shy, I can definitely say that street photographer has made it much easier for me to talk to people. I've found that when people see the camera on them, they tend to give you some pretty unique insight on what it is that they were doing.
5. Street photography is not just a form of art — it's a form of history.
When I first started shooting on the streets, I did it because I loved the aesthetic pleasure of taking shots. But then I started taking pictures of protests and other local events, and I realized something very exciting: street photography is quite literally a documentary of modern history. Capturing moments on the street gives you this unique, untouched, unobtrusive history of the world in that moment in a way that no other genre of photography can give you. And perhaps that's one of street photography's great pleasures: knowing that you're helping to capture a piece of history that otherwise might have been lost in the future.
