{"id":5067,"date":"2026-03-28T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monicariveiro.es\/?p=5067"},"modified":"2026-03-28T15:01:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T14:01:57","slug":"fotografia-de-calle-sin-expectativas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monicariveiro.es\/en\/fotografia-de-calle-sin-expectativas\/","title":{"rendered":"Street photography: stop searching and open your gaze"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Walking Prague<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In street photography, when you arrive in a tourist city, there\u2019s an initial impulse: to explore everything.<\/p>

From there, if you stay long enough, something more interesting begins to emerge: learning to truly see the city.<\/p>

That\u2019s why, for me, it requires slowing down and tuning in to it.<\/p>

This time, it was Prague\u2019s turn.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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It\u2019s necessary to slow down and tune in to your surroundings.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s been a while since street photography changed for me<\/a><\/strong>. I used to look for specific spots in the city to compose with backlighting or frames where the human figure was the key element. Now I\u2019m after something harder to find: letting go of the need to search<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>

However, arriving in a city like Prague and finding streets filled not with local life, but with visitors\u2026 creates a kind of disconnection.<\/p>

The historic center, overcrowded.<\/p>

People waiting in front of a clock that promises a spectacle which, in the end, never quite lives up to the anticipation.<\/p>

Hundreds of phones held high, trying to capture the same thing. As if the city were caught in a loop, repeating the same scene over and over.<\/p>

I did it too.<\/p>

Being a tourist is exactly that: taking part in a collective ritual repeated generation after generation. We want to see what everyone else sees. To take home the same proof. The same \u201cI was here.\u201d<\/p>

Nothing new under the sun.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The first impact<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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For me, the first day in a city always carries a certain sense of anxiety.<\/p>

That feeling of wanting to take it all in. Of leaving nothing unfinished. As if the trip could be measured by a checklist of places crossed off.<\/p>

With Prague, that anxiety resolved itself in an unexpected way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sometimes, trips are measured by a checklist of places crossed off.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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I arrived one February afternoon, around seven in the evening. I dropped my bag at the hotel and went out for a walk. It was snowing.<\/p>

And without searching too hard, without following any specific plan, I ended up crossing the Charles Bridge almost empty.<\/p>

Prague at night, under the snow, has a special atmosphere. The light spreads and softens. Everything feels quieter, slower, more intimate. Yet, in fact, any city could feel that way in those conditions.<\/p>

It didn\u2019t matter that some of the photos were taken with my phone.\u00a0<\/p>

What mattered was being there.<\/p>

That moment\u2014the first one\u2014I experienced with an intensity that\u2019s hard to recreate. And, interestingly, it was also the one that allowed me to let go.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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That same night, I wandered through many of the places I \u201chad to see,\u201d almost without noticing. As if quickly crossing them off my mental checklist freed up space.<\/p>

Room for something far more interesting.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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In street photography, stopping the search for the perfect image is probably when photography truly begins.<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How Street Photography Changes When You Stop Searching<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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From that point on, the city changed completely.<\/p>

Street photography stopped being a search and started becoming a form of listening.<\/p>

Because the connection with a city doesn\u2019t happen when you\u2019re chasing images, but when you let the images find you.<\/p>

And for that, you need to be open and receptive.<\/p>

Relaxed<\/p>

Present.<\/p>

Without rushing.<\/p>

That\u2019s why I\u2019ve never really managed to connect with a city in just a day or two. I need to get through that first layer of anxiety, empty my expectations, and only then begin to truly see.<\/p>

In Prague, that connection appeared in everything my gaze fell upon: from the sky to the river\u2019s surface, and in the city that revealed itself between the two.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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My gaze began at the Moldava River.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Then my gaze rose.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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And between those two boundaries\u2014the water and the sky\u2014everything else appeared.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Looking up, looking down<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Street Photography When You Learn to See the City<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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My gaze began at the Moldava River.<\/p>

On its surface and in its depths<\/p>

An inhabited river: swans, cormorants spreading their wings in the air, branches leaning down to touch the water, beavers appearing and disappearing.<\/p>

Then my gaze lifted.<\/p>

To the sky.<\/p>

To the silhouettes of the birds, to the wires crossing the air, to the shapes that only appear when you stop looking at the obvious.<\/p>

And between those two boundaries\u2014the water and the sky\u2014everything else appeared.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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People passing by, unaware that they are part of an image. Trees that frame, conceal, or reveal.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Life.<\/p>

The streets that flow. People passing by, unaware that they are part of an image. Trees that frame, conceal, or reveal. Windows that hint at other lives within the same city.\u00a0<\/p>

Gray days. Overcast skies. No dramatics. No extreme contrasts.<\/p>

Cobblestone streets forming geometries. A feather caught on a branch, as if something invisible had passed by and left a sign.<\/p>

Small details that don\u2019t seek to be noticed.<\/p>

Yet quietly waiting.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Street Photography: Walking Without a Destination<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Strolling through Prague was exactly that: walking unhurriedly.\u00a0<\/p>

Step by step.<\/p>

Meter by meter.<\/p>

Kilometer by kilometer.<\/p>

Without trying to create a spectacular image. Without chasing \u201cthe shot\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>

Because this way of photographing\u2014so slow<\/strong>\u2014has nothing to do with collecting iconic places.<\/p>

It\u2019s about recognizing what, for some reason, calls to you.<\/p>

And that can\u2019t be forced.<\/p>

It only happens when you\u2019re in the right state of mind.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Una pluma enganchada en una rama, como si algo invisible hubiera pasado por all\u00ed y hubiera dejado una se\u00f1al.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The silent enemy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned over time, it\u2019s that one of the greatest enemies of photography is expectations.<\/p>

Traveling while expecting a specific light, a specific scene, a specific image\u2026 is the quickest way to end up frustrated.<\/p>

It\u2019s happened to me for years.<\/p>

Traveling and encountering harsh sunlight, a clear sky, a light you didn\u2019t want.\u00a0<\/p>

Waiting for rain that never came.<\/p>

Getting angry, even.<\/p>

Until I understood something quite simple: in fact, photography doesn\u2019t happen under the conditions you want. It happens under the conditions that exist.<\/p>

And that\u2019s where the challenge lies.<\/p>

Accepting the light<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>

Understanding it.<\/p>

Adapting<\/p>

Finding something that works within those limitations.<\/p>

But for that, you need a calm mind.<\/strong>.<\/p>

Open.<\/p>

And, in a way, empty.<\/strong>.<\/p>

One way I came to understand this way of seeing was through the work of Paul Sanders<\/a><\/strong>, who speaks precisely about slowing down and photographing from a place of calm, without expectations, letting the image emerge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Accept the light. Understand it. Adapt. Find something that works within those limitations.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Where the image truly lies.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the end, Prague wasn\u2019t, for me, a collection of recognizable places.<\/p>

It was something else\u2014once again\u2014that beauty isn\u2019t in the extraordinary.<\/p>

It\u2019s in what goes unnoticed, in the everyday, and in the seemingly insignificant.\u00a0<\/p>

In what isn\u2019t trying to be photographed.<\/p>

Perhaps that\u2019s where photography truly begins.<\/p>

When you stop trying to create something\u2026 and simply begin to connect<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Short video with reflections (English version)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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