Issue 177 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! I started this newsletter as a method to keep in touch with people who have taken workshops and photo tours with me. I am fortunate to have met so many amazing people from around the world. And I thank everyone for supporting my work. As an independent business woman it means a lot to me.
I now have many many more subscribers to this newsletter that have found me on the Substack network. Thank you to all the readers. I created the newsletter to also be a method of creating dialogue around street photography. So I hope that you will comment on and/or make suggestions.
As always, Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
I write this newsletter to share my thoughts & experiences on street photography. I hope that you find it of use in your journey. If you are able to, you can support me by buying me a coffee. No sweat if you’re unable to contribute. The newsletter is free for all. Thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee!!! Maybe one day we’ll be able to have a coffee in person. Mucho love.
Fear of Photography
The more conscious I am of why I’m taking it, the less successful the picture turns out to be. Fay Godwin
I’ve worked with so many people on street photography and there’s one consistent theme throughout many of them, fear. Fear can arise for a multitude of reasons and often it shows itself as a kind of hesitancy.
I’ll attempt to address the most common examples that I come across in this issue. Many of the fears can be fairly easy to overcome. And in my workshops people are often surprised at how easy. Advanced photographers often have a fear of letting go and just enjoying the process.
Fear of calling yourself a photographer is perhaps the first at the top of the list. People often say ‘it’s just a hobby.’ Photography is an activity. It’s a verb. If you spend time taking photos, you are a photographer.
Being a photographer does not assume that you make money doing it. It doesn’t assume that you know your camera inside out and backwards. It doesn’t mean that every photo you take is perfect. (Perhaps you’ve already read about my thoughts on perfection.)
There’s a very long list of what it doesn’t mean. It just means that you take photos. Just do it!
For some people, photography is all about the technology , I experience photography as a creative activity. The technology can be intimidating. People often say to me upon first meeting that they don’t know how to shoot in Manual mode. First of all, I don’t suggest shooting in Manual mode for street photography.
I often help people relax and shoot. There are many techniques to get beyond the technology and just shoot. And it’s fun too. I believe shooting should always be fun. If it isn’t, why do it?
We often fear shooting street photography because of the arrogance of a small number of photographers who can make us feel small as if we haven’t taken enough photos, haven’t sold our work, don’t use the correct equipment, don’t have enough followers and likes, and haven’t been published or exhibited.
Photography is the great equalizer. It is certainly a symbol of democracy in action. You don’t need a degree to shoot, unlike many artistic forms where you need to have spend endless hours learning techniques.
One of the biggest fears is that your work will be judged. I ask, judged by whom? Take photos for your own satisfaction, not approval by others. Photography is always about experiencing and learning. I have not hit the ceiling of all that I can do. Fortunately, I don’t think that it exists.
If you are hung up on the idea of taking perfect photos and having your working exhibited in museums you will have set yourself up for a difficult path. I’m not saying that it’s not possible. But you have to learn patience. You need to learn to walk before you can run. Patience is a virtue.
When you let yourself just shoot and enjoy the process of observation and pushing the shutter, it eventually begins a process of creativity. Fear has the opposite effect. It paralyzes you. You should be made to feel worthy. Small victories lead to success.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Framing
Framing is fun and there are so many options including windows, doors, architecture, hallways etc. etc. It’s always about being creative.
This is a voluntary assignment if you want to take part. You can submit your photos to the Facebook group for Shoot New York City and also on Instagram tag @shootnewyorkcity. If you're not a member of the Facebook group yet, all you have to do is request to join.
The app is a very cool way to read this and many other newsletters at your leisure. The archive of the Shoot New York City newsletter is available for the issues published on Substack. Thanks for subscribing and reading.
Further Viewing
A little inspiration from the past.
Upcoming Workshops
Workshops are a maximum of 5 people Workshops are only scheduled on weekend days. If you would like to have a weekday workshop or a workshop in other areas of NYC, let me know with some lead time and I’ll see if others want to also attend it. Otherwise I continue to provide private workshops on weekdays and in other neighborhoods.
For those who haven't done a workshop or photo tour with me in the past I have a number of reviews on my website and also on TripAdvisor! Workshops are both for people who live here and also travelers, as are photo tours.
Photo tours are one-on-one and arranged on an individual basis for both neighborhood and photographic style and can be designed as a workshop as well. They are customized to your interests and level. Thank you for your patience and Stay Safe!