Last week, a 28-second BTS video of me photographing a Texan cowboy on the streets of York unexpectedly went viral. It’s been a wild ride – a million views, thousands of new followers, and a flood of support (plus a few critiques). In this post, I reflect on the experience, respond to the “is it really street photography?” debate, and share what I’ve learned about riding the wave without losing the heart of what I do.
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Last week, something unexpected happened.
A 28-second behind-the-scenes video I filmed — just me asking a Texan cowboy to walk through York so I could make a photograph — completely blew up. I posted it to Instagram, and within days it had racked up hundreds of thousands of views. My phone didn't stopped buzzing since. TikTok? Over 100,000 views there too, despite me only just setting up the account.
Now, just two weeks later, the video has just passed the 1,000,000 views mark (with 59k likes and nearly a thousand comments). I’m, honestly blown away.
The response has been overwhelming in the best way. Thousands of new followers. Hundreds of kind, funny, genuinely supportive comments. And not just from photographers. People connected with the interaction itself – the mutual politeness, the spontaneity, the cowboy’s hat, the slightly out of place West Ham United jacket (which attracted a mini fanbase of its own). There was something simple and human about it that just worked.
Until this point, my content was often quietly appreciated by a small, loyal crowd. The so-called “200 view prison”. If you’re a creator, you know the one. You pour everything into your work, and the algorithm shrugs.
Not that I’m ungrateful – getting your art in front of any number of people is a real privilege. But this one? This one took off.
Once the video gained traction, I did what all the guides tell you to do, and what I’d previously rolled my eyes at. I replied to every comment. I kept the posting cadence high. Reels, carousels, stories, posts, captions, cross-posting. I went from casual content sharing to what felt like full-time social media management overnight.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had to charge my phone this often.
More importantly, I started thinking seriously about how to harness this moment without compromising my creativity. My background is in photography – street, documentary, and candid work – and what I love most is the realness of it. The unposed moments. But maybe there’s a way to show more of what goes into it. The behind-the-scenes. The POV perspective. The approach and the conversation, not just the final image.
If that 28-second clip can draw in a million people, maybe there’s room for more.
Of course, with visibility comes scrutiny. A few photographers pushed back, saying that because I directed the cowboy into the frame, it’s no longer “street photography.” That it’s not truly “unscripted and real,” as I describe in my Instagram bio.
Here’s my take:
Firstly, the interaction is 100% real. I saw someone interesting, asked politely if I could make a photograph, and gave a bit of direction. That’s not scripting. That’s not faking. It’s just being intentional.
Secondly – and this is where things get interesting – if I hadn’t filmed and shown the behind-the-scenes, you’d never have known there was any direction involved. And that’s kind of the point. The only reason this conversation is even happening is because I’ve chosen to be transparent.
Plenty of revered street photographers have blurred this line. Vivian Maier, Joel Meyerowitz, Garry Winogrand, Bruce Gilden, Diane Arbus – all of them, at times, engaged with their subjects. Some of the most iconic “candid” images in the history of photography were shaped by interaction and, yes, direction. Sometimes the decisive moment is created, not just observed.
Ultimately, I’m not here to gatekeep or argue over labels. I care about real interactions, strong images, and telling stories that feel honest. If that’s not “street” enough for some people, I’m fine with that.
I’ve been a musician for years. Released records. Played many gigs. Done the rounds. And in a very sobering twist of fate, this one short video has done more numbers in a few days than my entire music catalogue ever has.
That stings a bit, but it also says something. Success in a creative industry tends to rely very much on your ability to do social media well. With music, that was always a struggle. I didn’t want to make photos and videos about music. I wanted to make music.
With photography, this comes a bit more naturally. Instagram is the gallery. The videos and photos are not just about the art; they are the art. It feels a lot more comfortable.
Honestly? I don’t know where this goes.
Maybe the algorithm giveth and the algorithm taketh away. Maybe my new followers will vanish overnight. Or maybe this is the beginning of something. A new chapter. A fresh take on the kind of work I already love doing.
This twenty eight second video has brought thousands of new people into my life At a time when I really need more people to see my work. A time when I’m making photography my career, this could have made it. Over the last few weeks I’ve had numerous paid and artistic opportunities come directly from that video.
What I do know is I’m here for it. I'm going to keep showing up, keep sharing my process, and keep making the kind of photographs I want to make, just with a bit more behind-the-scenes, a bit more cowboy magic, and hopefully a bit more connection along the way.
Thanks for riding the wave with me.
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