Importance of Momentum In Street Photography
I recently spent a month away from the streets of Tokyo, away from any street photography at all, in fact. After the Christmas and New Year vacation (Japan's New Year's is very big). I became sick with a common cold. It was quite strong, and I took my first week back off. Just as I began to feel better and plan my first days of shooting in 2026, halfway through January, I came down with the Flu. Not the start of the year I wanted.
On the 21 of January, I had a street photography keynote to deliver, which required a live edit of a recent shoot. I had previously decided to do the love edit blind. This would be more authentic for the audience. I wasnt able to go and shoot until the 20th of January, the day before the presentation.
This blog post is about what I learned in Shinjuku on the 20 th of January 2026, in preparation for a street photography keynote after having shot for more than a month. (I already understood these experiences, but this day put it into a context that allows me to share)
What is meant by momentum in street photography?
In street photography, momentum refers to the mental and physical “flow state” a photographer enters after spending time fully immersed in the environment. Unlike the “decisive moment,” which captures a single instant, momentum is the sustained energy and heightened awareness that keep the photographer in sync with the rhythm of the street, especially when this immersion is consistent over many days and weeks.
There are two kinds of momentum I want to discuss: the “flow state” type mentioned above and the “state of being” that comes from being in the “flow state” regularly. It is the second type that I struggle with, and the connection between the two that I have come to understand.
What is flow state in street photography?
Flow state momentum in street photography is when your body, mind, and intuition fall into sync: your walking pace naturally matches the crowd, your camera handling becomes instinctive, you stop worrying about settings or social anxiety and start seeing compositions before they fully form, and you even begin to anticipate how people will move or how the light will change seconds before it happens.
Maintaining momentum in street photography provides both tactical and psychological advantages. It helps you push through the initial discomfort or creative “dryness,” carrying you past that early resistance to where the strongest images are often made. With momentum, you also develop an “invisible presence”: you move with purpose, blend into the urban flow, and look less like a predator hunting for subjects. This makes you feel more natural on the street and helps you remain unnoticed by the people you’re photographing.
Momentum also sharpens your responsiveness and creativity. As your mind warms up, the gap between noticing a moment and pressing the shutter narrows, shifting you from merely reacting to actively anticipating what will happen next. At the same time, you become more creatively fluid—more willing to take unconventional or experimental shots—because you’re less fixated on perfection and more deeply engaged in the act of shooting itself.
At times, I fail to reach this flow state; when I do, there is no realisation moment until it's past. When I do the logistics for some of the contemporary street photography masters' Tokyo workshops, their flow state is directly observable; they jump in and out of it at will. If observed over weeks, I assume they all achieve a state of being regarding momentum in street photography.
What is the state of being in street photography?
This type of momentum is the ability to turn the flow state on and off like a light switch. It comes from more than just studying the greats, producing quality street photography, or having a large social media audience. It stems from the consistency required by dedicating one’s life to creating art.
That is to say, you are in the trenches day after day with the simple goal of taking the next shot. Not lost in the idea of being great or what the next post should be, but present in the moment—moment after moment, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Time fades into the peripheral.
Finding this state of being is what separates the good from the great. It is something I came to understand intrinsically many years ago, but didn't have the words to share it outwardly until recently. I realised this after the long break and made the mistake of thinking I could produce something great for my keynote. The opposite happened: I shared my mediocrity with everyone, but I also shared the concepts of flow state and a state of being with them. To a greater extent, what happens when you have neither state working in your favour is average at best.
As I look back at 2025, particularly the second half, I was shooting every day, and the feeling was extraordinary. I failed greatly, but I also succeeded just as greatly. I was creating images every day that I was thrilled with. I wrote about it, shared it, and jumped in again day after day.
The goal for 2026 is to get back to that state of being and keep myself there as long as possible.
How do you get the flow state in Tokyo?
Step one is not to overthink it. This is about feeling, not intellect. When I struggle to get into a shooting day, whether it's a long break, a new location, or just plain old social anxiety, I go with what I know. I get those first few frames out of the way, then add a layer of difficulty by slowly stepping out of the bubble of what already works.
I did this exact strategy in shooting images for the keynote live edit. I even went to a location that had worked for me before. I shot at spots I know will produce, then tried to find something new. I repeated this process all morning to find my flow state. The anxiety did fade; some of the shots were good. Due to the lengthy time off, I need to repeat this process two or three more times before it feels natural.
I won't be counting how many shots or how many different locations it takes; I will, however, keep shooting every day. This is a process that requires you to feel, not think. This blog is the place for perspective, the streets are a place of now, a flow state. You find that by shooting and shooting.
As always, I would love to hear your story in the comments below. If you feel so inclined, share a coffee with me. I am a flat white kind of guy. Happy shooting, everyone.
To book a tour, visit my photo workshop/photo tour website, or email directly jeff@tokyoforgeries.com
