Mike Chudley: Immortalizing Extraordinary Moments Through Street Photography
It’s not uncommon for creatives to pick up photography as a hobby; some even start picking up a camera pretty young for fun or out of curiosity. Eventually, it turns into a more serious creative pursuit for some, then a tireless pursuit for the kind of photography or style to settle on.
Such was the case for UK street photographer Mike Chudley, who was only 15 years old when his mum gifted him a camera for Christmas, and started taking photos of his friends at skateparks soon after. “I was obsessed with Jackass and all the thrasher skate magazines; we used to record footage and take pictures constantly,” he recalls.
Then, in 2017, he moved from Lincolnshire to Essex to pursue photography work. “When I first started wandering around London with my camera I instantly fell in love with the place and began to understand what street photography was all about. By 2019, I was fully obsessed with its history, and that hasn’t stopped since.”
Today, Chudley has come far from his skatepark photography origins, and even shares street photography tips on his YouTube channel to help beginners forge their own creative voice and practice. But as with any photographer, it took a lot of work, trial and error, and self-discovery for him to get there.
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Putting in the work
“From the beginning the one thing that has had the biggest impact on my photography is just being out there as much as possible,” Chudley notes on the importance of simply showing up on the streets with your camera. Nothing beats practice, and it’s not just something experts say to drive the point that the road to great work is long and arduous. After all, do something over and over long enough, and you’re bound to become better at your craft.
For Chudley, all the “reps and sets” had a hand in how he now sees the streets, what he finds interesting about it, and the moments that he chooses to immortalize. “After doing it week in and week out I began to notice patterns and ideas that I kept being drawn to,” he adds.
How you practice, of course, is up to you. You can tackle the technical stuff and master your camera and fiddle with the controls; or train your eyes and creativity to learn what makes a photo work. But what worked best for Chudley, was not overthinking and just keep going.
“A day of street photography usually starts with good coffee, I can’t walk around like a zombie,” he jokes. “But on a more serious note, it starts with me being as loose as possible, not taking anything too seriously, not overthinking it. If something catches my eye, I’ll take the picture…even if it’s crap. I just want to get the ball rolling. After that, you’ve got into the flow of things and the day is ahead of you.”
The more hours of work, learning, and practice you dedicate to your craft, the better you become. But Chudley says it’s both a blessing and a curse, as he realized that with street photography, the more you do it, the harder it seems to get.
“As your experience rises, so do your expectations. It’s a funny old pursuit. But generally, the challenge is the pursuit itself; good street photographs are rare…super, super rare. So being out there enough with a beady eye is all you can do, then hope the serendipity gods are looking out for you.”
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
What curiosity leads to
Another factor that proved instrumental to his street photography is curiosity and the possibilities that it could bring to the image. All the experimentation not only led him to find out what resonates with him, but also keeps him wondering about what could happen if he tries something different.
“Nowadays, I have an internal library of ideas and concepts that keep me curious. I’m always thinking ‘what if’ everywhere I go. Asking myself ‘what if’ usually leads my imagination to play out different scenarios, which keeps my eyes on the hunt,” Chudley shares.
After years of showing up on the streets, trial and error with his camera and compositions, and building a body of work, you’d think that he already has a more narrowed down idea of what he considers a good street photograph. However, he admits that defining it can be difficult since a great street photograph can be many things. Still, he describes his ideal image as showing an extraordinary, or even unbelievable moment in an ordinary time and place.
“It’s almost as if you can’t believe the coincidence. Something that looks completely normal but you can’t imagine actually happened on the street,” he explains. “This isn’t about a super complex composition or lighting or depth of field. I really, really enjoy images that look like the event just happened right in front of you, making you feel as if you are standing where the photographer stood, yet you can’t for the life of yourself figure out why or how that thing happened. Whether it’s confusing, or funny or dramatic, the moment carries so much life.”
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
The best camera is the one you always bring with you
Given how many street photographers engage in gear talk and get trapped by Gear Acquisition Syndrome, Chudley also has thoughts on what makes the “best camera.” These days, it’s less about the latest and greatest features, megapixel counts, and other technical details. Instead, it’s more about whether you actually pick it up and make it a part of your street photography workflow. His term for it? Pickupability.
“Pickupability is the number one priority here. How much do you enjoy using the gear and how likely are you to pick it up every day? Because the more likely you are to pick it up, the more pictures you take, and the better you get,” he reasons.
Of course, every photographer has their own criteria for their camera of choice. But for those who have just started doing street photography and are still looking for a main camera, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to settle with. The same goes for photographers who are thinking of switching or upgrading their gear. So, he also describes what makes some of his favorite cameras the best for what he does, which may give us ideas on what to look for.
“Cameras that are easy to carry, lightweight, feel good in the hands (build quality) and are often very simple seem to be the most effective for street photography. I don’t want 47,324 auto focus points and 30 fps burst modes. I just want manual control of my three settings and I’m happy. For me, that means the Fujifilm X100V has been a joy to use, and of course, the Leica M11 for digital and Leica MP for film photography. Nothing quite beats how those cameras feel in the hand.”
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
The novelty of a new place
As someone who does a lot of street photography across different countries and cities, Chudley admits that the novelty of shooting in a new place brings an advantage. Whether he knows a lot about the place beforehand or it’s a totally new location, he always finds his senses heightened, which makes it easy to get inspired.
However, apart from the excitement that being in a new place brings, he always goes back to the core of his ideal street photography. This is clearly evident in the story of his favorite photo, which he took during a trip to Lisbon, Portugal:
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
“My favourite image was taken in Lisbon, back in 2023. Three people gesturing with their hands in front of a poster full of hands. Everyone is placed neatly in the frame, the composition is clean, and the colours are good. But above the technical aspects, the moment is such a wonderful coincidence that people have asked me if I set it up. A small detail that makes me smile to this day is the little smiley face somebody has doodled onto the poster, it then looks like the gentleman in the frame is pointing right at the face. Everything in this frame came together perfectly, which is very rare.”
One thing about the novelty of shooting somewhere new or different is that it can be intoxicating, and a street photographer’s travel bucket list is often a source of motivation to capture unfamiliar sights, moments, and experiences. For Chudley, topping that list is Japan, which has become a street photography mecca; and the USA, despite feeling that documenting the entire country is an impossible task.
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
Copyright ⓒ Mike-Chudley
“Japan for obvious reasons: the culture is so different, their cities seem incredible, and we’ve obviously seen lots of amazing work come from Japan. I’d like to see it with my own eyes. And the USA because of how big it is and how different each state is. I feel like you’d never document all of the US in one lifetime. It’s so fascinating to me.”
Still, Chudley finds comfort and confidence in the familiarity of shooting in England, particularly in London, which he thinks has everything he needs for his street photography.
“If I had to choose one city, being able to shoot in London forever would be my preferred choice. The scale, history, diversity of people and culture are a joy to witness. I’m very lucky to have grown up in England and I’d happily take pictures here forever.”
Make sure to visit Mike Chudley’s website to see more of his work, and check out his YouTube channel for his street photography tips.
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