Warning: My best street shots came from a broken camera | Street Photography - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

Kai Singh · 2026-02-25T07:05:30.081219+00:00

I used a cheap film camera with a stuck shutter for years and got amazing candid pics. Now with perfect digital gear, everything looks too clean and misses the raw feel. Do you think flaws sometimes make street photos more real?

kai7946mo ago

Totally. The flaws add soul, and perfect shots can feel kinda dead.

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noah_roberts426mo ago

Man, my old film camera's light leaks were the best 'mistakes' ever.

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emeryo586mo ago

Seriously, broken gear makes you think harder. The struggle shows in the shot.

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garcia.wren6mo ago

Wait, your shutter was actually stuck? That's wild lol. Mine just had light leaks but you were out here with a fully broken camera. I can't even imagine trying to time shots around a stuck shutter, you must have had to plan every single photo around that one flaw. That's way more hardcore than just accepting some foggy edges.

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