Issue 147 of the SNYC Newsletter
Happy New Year to everyone! I know that this last year has not been an easy one for many of us. While we can’t change the past, we can choose how we interpret it. So looking back at the present year can be a good method of how we move forward in the new year.
Looking back at photos that I took throughout the year is a good exercise. I’m looking not only for my best photos of the year, but also the trends that occur in both methods and styles. This is something that I can really only see when looking back.
As well, I caution everyone that when deciding your best photos of the year that you don’t base it on how many social media likes you received. Social media likes have more to do with how many people are able to view your photo at any given time.
At any rate, I’ve always said that I like to give my photos time to marinate before making decisions about them. It is a different part of the process than shooting. I do hope that you were able to achieve photos that you are happy about throughout the year.
As always, thank you so much for taking workshops with me and being supportive of my work throughout the year. Also, your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.
Happy New Year and Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
I have created a Buy Me a Coffee page and I’m still trying to figure out how to create the button with the link on it. I’m a little challenged with some of the technical stuff
In the meantime, the link above should work. 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 still free for all.
Thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee!!! Mucho love.
Beyond Black & White Categories
I have stated many times over the last 12 years or so that I shoot Raw as I will always have a negative to go back and rework according to my knowledge of processing AND my current vision. Yes, vision is ever evolving as are moods for certain looks.
I like to know that I always have the choice. In fact, choice is an important concept for me in all aspects of my life. Don’t tell me I don’t have a choice! But. (There’s always a but.) I’ve started to shoot Raw and Jpg simultaneously in Acros.
I make a conscious decision to shoot and preview in monochrome and when it comes to street photography my preference is black and white at least 80% of the time.
When I’m out shooting street photography, I often have a sense that I’m going to go with monochrome. Other kinds of photos or weather & light conditions will more likely be color and for those I’ll shoot only in Raw.
Yes, it means that it makes a little more work for me. But when I see the Raw & the Jpg side-by-side it becomes apparent which to choose. The Raw versions of the 2 above photos are not good in color and the b&w versions are very similar.
Well, the Jpg version of the above photo is 16.51MB and the Raw version is 56.24MB. That is a really big difference when talking about storage space for photos. I have over 350,000 digital files on a 12TB external hard drive which only has a little more than 5TB of free space on it.
I’m not making a decision strictly on the size of a Raw file. Rather, I’ve come to the realization that many of the street photos that I take are just fine as Jpgs and I’m not likely to want to go back and reprocess them.
I see many people on social media constantly posting the b&w and the color version of a photo. It’s a rare photo in which I like both or at least both at the same time. You may also know about me that when I choose color it’s for very specific kinds of colors and light.
When I think of being ecological, it has almost always been about money. I don’t like to buy things knowing that I’ll just dispose of them. So in a way, choosing to delete the Raw files in favor of the Jpgs is similar.
So, if you ask me if I shoot Raw or Jpg, I’ll say both. I’m not for one or the other. Perhaps this is an example of the post-binary world. As if we always have to choose between black or white.
When you shoot, you may use different cameras, lenses, films, etc. You choose based on what you’re shooting. So why choose only Raw or Jpg? If you’re always happy with the in camera Jpg processing of your camera, go for it. But you are limited when it comes to processing features available.
I am so so far behind in organizing my photo library and processing my photos. Also, deleting photos :-) But it sure is fun discovering gems that were buried in the library. I would love to hear about your experiences with shooting Raw or Jpg or processing and organizing photos.
Instagram Account
My Instagram account was hacked. What a horror! I tried and tried and finally I created a new account. My new account is ShootNewYorkCity as it should’ve been to begin with.
So I’m starting over and trying to recreate it. So far I only have 6 photos posted. Well, by the time you get this it will probably be 7 or so. For the moment I’m only posting photos from 2021.
Perhaps they can be considered my best of the year. That is to say, they are my favorites. Not the photos with the most amount of likes as seems to be the trend for the Top 9 of the year.
Shoot New York City is my life. It’s my business. AND it’s what I love to do. If I’m not following you, just follow me and dm me. It will take awhile to get back to things as normal.
It is also giving me the opportunity to take a more organized approach. I admit, I wasn’t always organized about what I was posting. There never seems to be enough time. Ugh.
The problems with social media are not always easy to understand. While I apparently own my photos, my account is not necessarily mine and I am thinking about and will be writing about what can be done when you have an account that you are unable to access. At the moment it’s all rather confusing. Have you had experience with this?
Abstract Street Photography
Did you know that I do abstract street photography? If you book a private workshop we can focus on a number of different techniques. Most of them are really easy and they don’t require previous knowledge or special equipment. The photo above is just a reflection. And it’s a lot of fun.
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Your Favorites of 2021
Have you gone through your photos from 2021 and found your favorites? I admit that I’m still going through mine. We can look back and see what we liked and how we would like to improve or just new methods we would like to work on. And for extra points you can write about why you like it.
You can interpret this assignment and don’t be afraid to post creative photos. As well, it’s good to know why you chose the photos you did and it’s maybe best to post them individually so they don’t get buried.
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
Yes! I’ve been preaching about making mistakes for quite awhile now. I do enjoy his videos.
Upcoming Workshops:
Workshops are still a maximum of 3 people. Social distancing and masks are required. 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!
Thanks for sharing your insight -
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your black and white images. For me its often the mood I’m in that makes me going for bw or color