Bob’s Lent: What Would a Street Photographer Give Up?

Every year when Lent rolls around, Bob starts thinking.

Not about chocolate.
Not about coffee.
Not even about cider stops on his long Toronto photo walks.

He thinks about what he would give up… as a street photographer.

Lent isn’t just about food. It’s about discipline. Reflection. Resetting habits. And if anyone has habits, it’s a guy who’s been walking the streets of Toronto with a camera for over a decade.

So what would Bob give up?

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1. Bob Would Give Up Overshooting

Bob loves to shoot. Especially with his trusty old Sony NEX-3 — the same camera he bought back in 2011 when they first announced Line 5.

But during Lent?

He would limit himself.

Maybe:

• 36 exposures per walk (like a roll of film)

• No “spray and pray”

• No machine-gunning at intersections

Just thoughtful, deliberate frames.

Like shooting film again.

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2. Bob Would Give Up Chimping

You know that thing photographers do — check the back screen after every single shot?

Bob would give that up.

Take the photo.
Trust the exposure.
Keep walking.

It’s street photography, not a lab experiment.

Let the moment breathe.

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3. Bob Would Give Up Complaining About the Weather

Toronto is not a tropical paradise.

Snowstorms. Slush. Wind tunnels at Yonge and Dundas. Freezing fingers on metal lenses.

But for Lent, Bob would stop saying:

“It’s too cold.”

Instead:
Layer up.
Get the shot.
Be grateful the city is still alive.

After all, some of his best photos came from storms.

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4. Bob Would Give Up Over-Editing

This might be the hardest one.

No heavy presets.
No dramatic sky replacements.
No turning every photo into a Hollywood poster.

Just:

• Light crop

• Basic exposure correction

• Maybe black and white

• Done.

Street photography should record a moment in time — not rewrite history.

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5. Bob Would Give Up Ego

No chasing likes.
No checking Flickr stats every hour.
No worrying about awards.

Just walking.
Observing.
Telling stories.

The same way he did when he started.

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What Lent Would Really Be About for Bob

It wouldn’t be about giving something up forever.

It would be about remembering why he started.

Not for:

• Cameras

• Gear

• Recognition

• Competitions

But for the joy of wandering Toronto streets and noticing things other people miss.

The preacher on the corner.
The empty PATH food court.
The Line 5 trains finally rolling after 15 years.
The snowstorm that makes the city glow.

Lent would remind Bob:

You don’t need more.
You need less.

Less noise.
Less rushing.
Less proving.

More seeing.

And maybe — just maybe — when Easter arrives, Bob would keep one of those habits.

Because sometimes the best thing a street photographer can give up…

…is everything that gets in the way of the moment.