Issue 163 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! August and September have been a whirlwind of business. So many new customers from around the world and so many regulars returning as well. What a joy to show this city to everyone and experience it through photography.
That said, it’s more than just an incredible city and the joy of photography, it’s also about sharing your experiences with photography and in life in general. Photography, like art, is nothing if not personal. We all bring something different to the world and in our photography.
Thank you to all the readers of the newsletter, everyone who has taken my workshops and all the wonderful reviews that people have written. I am very grateful.
As always, Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
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.
My Journey
It was 1966 when I began my photography journey. I mention that date as it was the beginning of using an SLR camera. I’m fairly certain that I had an Instamatic before that. But memory fades after all these years.
Access to the world of photography was very limited in the pre-Internet age. My father gave me that camera and it was probably the Nikon FE. That’s the camera I remember most. I might buy another one someday.
Photography was (and still is) an activity for me. I just took a lot of photos of everything in my field of vision. While I can tell you that I don’t have many outstanding photos in my early years, it is a necessary part of your development to just shoot everything. It’s how you learn about what works and what’s important to you. Experience not theory.
I tried my hand at shooting many different things. I quickly discovered that available light photography was my niche (rhymes with quiche.) And to the day that is true.
I never had an interest in landscape photography or using a tripod and I quickly realized that concert photography was not my thing even though I had friends who had their work published in rock magazines on a regular basis.
People are often apologetic that they’re new to photography or they haven’t shot street photography before. I think that it’s unfortunate that photography can make them reluctant to get involved or to undermine their pursuit of it.
My journey has been a long and slow one. Perhaps you can say that I’m a late bloomer. By the 1980s I was really beginning to shoot on a more regular basis with ideas in mind of the things that I wanted to shoot.
But without a network of other photogs and a method to view and share work it was still a bit difficult to see and make any real progress. I recently had a feature in the Glass App and I mentioned that
Photography is a rewarding form of communication and, without sharing it with others, it is merely a monologue.
Someone asked me who wrote that? Me. I happen to think that shooting and not sharing is like choosing not to communicate with others. It is who I am warts and all.
There are so many possible things to photograph. Why limit yourself? If you see something that attracts your attention you should try it out. I loved these shoes. Photography should be something you enjoy.
In my group and private workshops, I concentrate on helping you find your voice in photography and of course in seeing with new eyes. You have to start somewhere and it should be something that interests you.
I recently had a private workshop with a man who mostly shoots landscapes. All the fancy gear and the recipes on how to get the shot. He has mostly approached photography from a technical standpoint. He told me that his eyes were opened to a new approach to photography. How thrilling is that!
I am the opposite of a technical person. I am an artist. My camera is the tool that I use to create just as a painter uses a paint brush. When I’m shooting street photography, I don’t want to know what I’ll encounter. I call myself a backward painter.
Street photography is a spontaneous activity and it never disappoints. My photography journey will last as long as I’m able to press the shutter and I always look forward to the next day of shooting, even when it’s my work.
Photography is addictive for me because I am always looking for new ways to shoot and seeing new things. Street photography is about humanity and my enthusiasm for it even when all signs tell me that I should lose hope about the fate of the world.
This is my abbreviated story of my journey. I’d love to hear about your journey and share it with others. Don’t worry, I won’t use your name. But we can all learn from each other.
ISO - First Things First
One of the most important things you can do when shooting street photography is master your exposure settings. I’m not saying that you have to understand your camera inside out and backwards, merely that you can get your camera to do what you want it to do so you can concentrate on shooting.
Beginning a day of shooting, the first thing I do is set my ISO. It is the primary setting that affects all other exposure settings and it’s often the one that we forget about. When you shoot film, ISO is the first consideration. The film you use makes the decision for you.
Most of the time I use Auto ISO as it works really well on the Fuji cameras. I realize that this isn’t true of all cameras, but I suggest you do a test run on your camera to see how well it works.
That said, I set my Auto ISO so that the Shutter Speed doesn’t go below 1/200th of a second. I recently had someone in a workshop that hasn’t done street photography before and typically shoots in Manual Mode.
He was getting blurry photos in Aperture Priority Mode and was ready to go back to shooting Manual. I suggested that he start by choosing 400 ISO. Problem solved. AND he was able to stop previewing each photo and get into shooting without interruption.
In a nutshell, ISO (International Organization for Standardization) controls the amount of light that your camera lets in and it has an important impact on optimal Aperture and Shutter Speed settings. If you choose ISO first and when the light shifts, you will find that it’s easier to obtain good exposures.
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Rule of Thirds
There are so many different ways to use the Rule of Thirds. I like having the subject exiting the frame. Creativity is always encouraged. Think about where your subject is in the frame when possible. You can create a sense of motion, a leading line etc.
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.
Further Viewing
Here is Charlie Phillips’ photography journey.
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! The new Substack App is a very cool way to access this and many other newsletters.
Thank you Leanne for sharing your vast knowledge so generously! I enjoyed reading about your beginnings – a process that feels very relatable as a novice. Your ISO introduction is also outstanding and your tips are liberating in an almost overwhelming array of camera functions. I can’t wait to put them into action!