Issue 153 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! The beautiful spring weather and longer daylight hours are here and both travelers and locals who want to do a workshop or tour are booking! It’s open season for photography.
Below you will find information about how to vote for the 2021 Fave Photos Contest if you haven’t done so already. Perhaps you will find some inspiration in them.
Often people feel intimidated by viewing the work of established photographers. But inspiration can be found in many places and photos need not be by the famous only.
This newsletter is hopefully providing inspiration in different ways and making the idea of street photography something you can do almost everywhere you are. Of course, if you’re in the New York City area, you can look me up for a group or private workshop. No matter what, Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
Reader’s Comment
The Shoot New York City newsletter exists for you, the readers. And, your comments and suggestions are always welcome. One of the major issues of social media sites is that there’s no dialogue.
There is much that we can all share about our experiences in photography and it’s so easy to comment on the newsletter. Just hit reply in your email or on the button below.
If you like this newsletter you can buy me a coffee. Just click on the link Buy Me a Coffee page
I love coffee and I love it when I get treated to one :-) But 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 again. Mucho love.
Looking at Pictures
The 2021 Fave Photos contest is closed to new entries but not to voting. (see below for voting.) I think it’s a good time to stop and look at what we’ve done so far this year and what we’d like to work on moving forward.
It’s good to look back at the end of the year at what we’ve done. It’s also really good to go through your photos every 3 months or so. It certainly makes it easier to gather all your favorites at the end of the year if you do this more often.
As our vision changes about the world we live in, so does our vision for photography. That is true of both what we’re shooting and what we like in the work of other photographers.
My mantra that I’ve been repeating multiple times over the years is to shoot often, experiment and not be afraid of making so-called mistakes.
This is what I do all the time. It’s no different than any kind of routine that you set up. Maybe it’s like your exercise regime.
What attracts your eye when you’re looking at the photos of others and what would you like to see in your photos? I’ve been preoccupied with stripes and icons in my photography lately, like the above photo.
I’ve also been saying that it’s really good to spend time looking at the work of other photographers both famous and not famous to find the elements that you like or the ones you don’t like.
When I see a black and white photo with an American flag in it, I instantly think of Robert Frank. But, Lee Friedlander (above photo) also has a number of well-known photos with a flag in it.
Even having a look at the entries for the contest can be a good start. Of course, it doesn’t have to be street photography. But I think that street photography can be an inspiration for all kinds of photography.
I am often inspired by art and cinema. Inspiration is of course key to growing your vision as a photographer. That is also where experimenting and making mistakes comes in.
My beginning as a street photographer was purely accidental. I had no idea what street photography was and I was really just concentrating on architectural photography.
One really good thing you can do if you aren’t already, is use a fixed focal length lens most of the time. By limiting something as simple as this you will likely see things in a different manner. [All of my current photos are with a fixed focal length lens as that is what my camera has. The lens is fixed.]
In the biweekly photo assignments I hope to provide ideas for inspiration and different ways and things that you can shoot.
The 2021 yearend contest is also a very good place to see some of the possible things that you can shoot. I was inspired by all of the different subjects and styles in the contest.
So as a slightly different kind of assignment, I’d love to hear from you about how you’ve found inspiration, different photographers that inspire you, or that you’re having difficulty being inspired.
It’s likely that many other people are experiencing the same things and would also be inspired by the photographers that you really like.
2021 Fave Photos Contest
Thank you to everyone who submitted their photos for the Fave Photos of 2021 contest! And thank you to everyone who voted.
There are many people who didn’t vote and not to worry, there’s still time to do so. You will see a link to the entires in the 5 categories below.
There are a million contests out there and in many of them you have to pay to enter. You are also at the mercy of judges that have very particular tastes. Winning a photo contest becomes very similar to trying to win the lottery.
Voting closes on 8 April 2022. On 9 April, I will begin to tally all of the votes and I’m hoping to have it completed and ready to announce the winners on 15 April 2022 for that issue of the newsletter.
In all of the categories except street photography, you can vote for 2 entries. In the street photography category you can vote for 3. Some people only voted for 2. I will contact you if you only voted for 2 or you can submit your 3rd choice.
Below are the links for each of the 5 categories of entries that you can vote in if you haven’t done so already. And yes, there are prizes!
Show your love for the photographers by voting! No special skills required.
This is a viewer’s choice contest. To vote simply hit reply and provide the title of the photos you are voting for. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and to everyone who votes!
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Signs, numbers, letters etc
Signs, numbers, letters etc includes street photography, advertisements, the use of logos, street signs etc etc.
As usual, you can interpret this assignment and don’t be afraid to post creative photos. I think that it should really be an enjoyable exercise.
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 @shootnycity. If you're not a member of the Facebook group yet, all you have to do is request to join.
It would be great if as a group people would comment on photos submitted as well. Let's have fun! Happy shooting and sharing! And you can connect with other people that you share an interest with.
Further Viewing:
Ted Forbes has been making videos on photography since before most have. This video is interesting because he shares some of the photo zines that people have mailed to him. Enjoy!
Upcoming Workshops:
Workshops are a maximum of 4 people. Social distancing and masks are followed in crowded areas and for the comfort of people attending the workshops. And with fewer people in each workshop everyone can gain even more individual attention.
Workshops are only being scheduled on a weekend day now. 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! The new Substack App is a very cool way to access this and many other newsletters.