The fear of being seen 📷
When I started the weekly photo challenge, I thought it would be purely about technique. Each week, a new assignment would push me to explore a different aspect of photography. The first few weeks felt familiar, leading lines, rule of thirds, techniques I’m very familiar with and use often. But this week’s challenge, framing, exposed more than just a gap in my skills. It reemphasised something I already knew: how much I fear being seen when holding a camera.
Framing, can be about putting anything in a frame, but at its core, to me, it’s about patience. It's about waiting for the right subject to align within a window, doorway, or structure. The best examples often involve people — a figure perfectly placed within the frame, bringing life and story to the image. I admire those kinds of photos. But when checking my archive I couldn’t find many of these shots. Not because I hadn't seen those opportunities, but because I had avoided taking the shot.
Most of my photos are taken while out with family or during a run. Those moments rarely allow for waiting. I snap what I see and move on. But with framing, you need to pause. You need to observe. And more often than not, you need people in the frame to make it truly interesting.
That's where the discomfort kicks in.
On Wednesday, I found myself at a restaurant with the perfect opportunity. The open kitchen design created a natural frame, with the chefs working behind the counter. It was exactly the kind of shot I wanted to capture. Yet the moment I lifted my phone, my heart raced. What if the chef noticed? What if the staff thought I was being intrusive? What if other guests were watching me, wondering why I was sneaking photos?
I took a few quick snaps, not because I had found the perfect frame, but because I wanted to get it over with. The result was ok, but not something I call a great shot. The fear of being seen had overpowered the desire to take the photo I truly wanted.
Looking back, I think this fear is one of the reasons I gravitate towards landscapes and empty scenes. There's no judgment in a mountain or a sunset. No one to explain yourself to. But at the same time, I'm drawn to the emotion and stories that people bring to photograph. I take these shots when with my family, but almost never when I’m out in public.
Part of this fear might come from how I feel when someone would take a picture of me. I'm careful about what I post online. I never share anything of my family, once something is out there, it's visible and usable. So how would people feel if I took a shot of them and posted it online? That thought lingers in the back of my mind every time I lift my camera.
Being an introvert also adds to the difficulty. I don't like drawing attention to myself, and using my phone or fixed-lens camera forces me to be close to my subject, putting me more at risk of being noticed. A tele lens would let me blend into the background, but I don’t want to carry all that equipment. I want to travel lightweight.
There's also the question of patience. I don't often go on dedicated photography walks, most of my shots happen in the moment. A nice sunset, a reflection, things perfectly aligned. I capture what I see and move on. Slowing down doesn't always fit into how I approach photography, but maybe that's something I need to learn.
This challenge showed me that photography isn't just about what you see, it's about how comfortable you are being seen while you’re out. And I realize now that if I want to grow as a photographer, I need to become more comfortable with that vulnerability.
Maybe the lesson isn't just about waiting for the perfect frame, it's about staying in the discomfort long enough to see what happens next.
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