Being alone at night

When I walk around the streets with my camera at night, I often tend to worry too much of the safety of my bag and equipment. Even if my plan was to take shots in night street food areas, I just couldn't get comfortable taking one or two shots in the same place and keep briskly walking around unnecessarily.

Even with the most innocent-looking 600D+24mm pancake and bringing as minimal as possible, I somehow still have little discomfort on my own. Either that, or I'm just not used to doing this. I do know a bit or two about safety walking around in my hometown, but I still have trouble being 'okay' just being in that place.

Are there any, uhh, mental thoughts I have to keep into to focus more on what I can grab to shoot instead of being needlessly wary?

The areas you want to shoot are they considered safe or risky places?

This reminds me of some past times when I would go into the skid row (homeless) area of Los Angeles to get street shots. The way the media portrays rampant crime and similar events is bound to create anxiety. That translates to any place in the world and one has to apply some diligence when in places alone. Stuff happens any place at any time. Recommend having a shooting buddy to accompany you since the extra eyeballs is good to watch out for each other. Let people know where you are and an expected time to be back. That way if you don't check in they can take steps to search or call law enforcement.

They're not exactly announced as risky places, but they're pretty crowded and one has to make sure they don't have their bags exposed due to common pickpocketing.

I guess going there with someone else is nice too. Thanks for the heads up!

I try to avoid taking pictures late at night, like I did last night in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, it is not easy finding a shooting partner.

FrostMonolith wrote in post #19411105
I do know a bit or two about safety walking around in my hometown, but I still have trouble being 'okay' just being in that place.

If you're not comfortable in that area without a camera, having a camera isn't going to improve your situation. Personally, if a place makes me nervous, I don't go back. I'm especially not using a camera in a place where I don't feel safe.

Pre-2020, I did a lot of street photography in NYC. NYC was very cool as people were generally good with street photography, though it was NYC so I had to be careful. I did some street photography at night, did a fashion shoot at night, and all was fine. That said, there was a time I found myself in a dodgy area in the city, and the camera went immediately into the bag and I got out of the area quickly. Following the riots of 2020, the new "catch and release" laws in New York State, the considerable increase in crime in NYC, and the consequences of the "defund the police" movement, my street photography days are behind me.