Dare Workshop. May 26
Last weekend I attended The Dare Workshop in London, hosted by Gary Lashmar better known as The Street Thief, aka “The Smudge with a Grudge”. For anyone unfamiliar with Gary’s work, his approach to photography is about honesty, confidence, and stepping outside your comfort zone in the interest of becoming a better photographer. Lately, I’ve wanted to get closer with my photography, closer to people, closer to emotion, and closer to the uncomfortable moments I’d usually avoid behind the camera and that’s exactly what this workshop is for.
No Spoilers
What happens during the workshop is best experienced first-hand, there are no spoilers here. Let’s just say the methods are effective and you’ll definitely be challenged but in a good way. This isn’t a workshop about settings or technically perfect images. It’s about approaching strangers, engaging with people, directing subjects with confidence, pushing past hesitation and fear, and taking portraits with honesty rather than distance.
Stranger Danger
One of the biggest takeaways for me was becoming more comfortable photographing strangers and directing people. Anyone who photographs people regularly will know how much resistance can appear the moment you actually have to approach someone. Alongside photographing strangers in the busy streets of Camden, we also worked with models to create more intentional portraits. Working with Tink Face was a particular highlight with her dramatic poses, colourful styling, and expressive energy.
The more I reflected on the weekend, the more I realised this wasn’t really just about photography. It was about hesitation, fear, confidence, and learning how to step into uncomfortable moments rather than avoid them. The conversations we hesitate to start. The risks we avoid taking. And learning how to quiet that inner voice long enough to properly connect with the world around us.
It honestly doesn’t matter what kind of photographer you are, there’s something valuable here for anyone willing to push themselves creatively and personally. By the end of the weekend, I felt creatively re-energised and far more connected to both people and my photography than when I arrived.
“The moment you label something, you lose touch with what it actually is. You stop seeing the depth of an object, a person, or a place and instead see a flat, one-dimensional idea of it. We end up moving through life not in reality, but inside our own interpretation, a static, pale version of the living world.”
Gary LashmarA huge thank you to:
@the_street_thief @katie_dares
Assistants: @iris.straatfoto @millsyshoots Models: @tinkfacerh. @louislashmar
And with that… here are some of my favourite images from the weekend.
