Why Street Photographers Keep Taking the Same Photos
How familiar visual habits take over—and how to move past them.
Photography lessons from the field
Watch, Read, Then Go Make Photographs.
I’ve pulled together the videos and articles I return to most when photographers ask how to improve. Start with the problem you’re trying to solve. These are lessons earned through assignments, personal projects, workshops, and more than twenty years of making photographs for a living.
Justin Mott · 20+ years in the field · 100+ New York Times assignments · Leica WITNESS campaign
Watch first
Three Good Places to Begin.
These recent episodes get directly to the habits, repetition, and decisions that shape stronger work. The player loads only after you press play.
What Bad Street Photography Is Teaching You
Your weaker frames can show you exactly what needs work next.
7 Habits of Exceptional Photographers
The repeatable behaviors I see in photographers whose work keeps improving.
Improve your photography
Build Better Habits.
Use these when you feel stuck, inconsistent, or unsure what to photograph next.
10 Things Photographers Should Do Between Shoots
Progress does not begin and end when the camera is in your hand.
Watch on YouTube ↗How I Help Photographers Fix These 7 Common Mistakes
A practical review of the problems I see most often in coaching and critiques.
Watch on YouTube ↗Five Photography Exercises That Will Actually Make You Better
Assignments designed to slow you down, sharpen your eye, and break a plateau.
Read the article →Why Your Photos Aren’t Improving
The real reason many photographers stall and the structure that helps them move again.
Read the article →Street & documentary
Make Photographs With More Meaning.
Move beyond visual tricks. Think about intent, ethics, access, patience, and what the photograph is actually saying.
The Street Photography Cliché You Need to Stop Shooting
A direct look at one of the habits making street photographs feel interchangeable.
Watch on YouTube ↗The Photography Ethics Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
What responsibility looks like when another person becomes part of your frame.
Watch on YouTube ↗No One Owns a Story
On access, trust, and photographing lives you are only passing through.
Read the article →Portrait Photography
Make Portraits With More Feeling.
Light, distance, background, and trust all matter. These lessons focus on making portraits feel observed and intentional rather than merely polished.
What the World’s Best Portrait Photographer Taught Me
A lesson in building emotional connection, directing less, and paying attention to what a face is actually giving you.
Watch on YouTube ↗The Portrait Technique I Use When Everything Goes Wrong
A simple, reliable approach to window light that I have used on assignments, NGO stories, and commercial work.
Watch on YouTube ↗Personal projects
Stay With a Story.
Personal work becomes valuable when you give it time, structure, and a reason to exist beyond a collection of single images.
The Photography Project That Changed My Life
Why committing to one body of work changed how I understood my own photography.
Watch on YouTube ↗How to Actually Improve Your Photography: A Real Plan
A straightforward framework for choosing a direction and following it long enough to improve.
Watch on YouTube ↗Why Staying With One Story Changed How I See Photographs
What a long relationship with one subject can teach that a portfolio of strangers cannot.
Read the article →Documenting the Last Two Northern White Rhinos
Time, trust, access, and the personal project that became a defining chapter of my career.
Read the article →Photography business
Make the Work Sustainable.
Pricing, licensing, prints, and clients are part of the job. These lessons come from running a working photography and production business.
How to Sell Photography Prints Online: The Honest Guide
What works, what does not, and what photographers underestimate about selling prints.
Watch on YouTube ↗Contracts, Licensing, and Usage Rights
The business details photographers often skip—and the money they leave behind.
Watch on YouTube ↗Why Most Photographers Are Undercharging
Price the use and value of the work, not only the time it took to make it.
Read the article →Leica & gear
Use Gear With Purpose.
Equipment matters when it helps you work. It becomes a distraction when buying replaces photographing.
You Don’t Have a Gear Problem
The photographic principles that matter more than the next camera.
Watch on YouTube ↗The Truth About Leica M Cameras
What I value, what frustrates me, and where an M camera belongs in real work.
Watch on YouTube ↗Leica M Cameras: An Honest Review After Years in the Field
The strengths, reliability problems, and compromises I have learned through actual assignments.
Read the article →My Working Photography Gear
The cameras, lenses, bags, and tools I currently use on assignments, travel, and YouTube.
Open the gear guide →Vietnam
Photograph Where I Live and Work.
Vietnam has shaped my photography for more than twenty years. These are starting points for seeing it with more patience and context.
One Hour, One Leica, One Photo Story in Vietnam
A simple time limit, one camera, and a reason to work with intention.
Watch on YouTube ↗Hanoi Photography and Travel Guide
Where to photograph, how to move through the city, and how to work respectfully.
Read the guide →Before You Book That Photography Workshop
The questions to ask before investing your time and money in a photography workshop.
Read the article →Put it into practice
Information Helps. Feedback Changes the Work.
If you want structure, assignments, and direct feedback from me, start with the AskMOTT community. If you need focused attention on your photographs or a project, book a private session.
