Issue 169 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone. I am back home from about 2 weeks of traveling to Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal and Madrid, Spain. It rained most everyday. I do love shooting in the rain. But, I had hoped for a little more sun and shadows. Like street photography, the weather can’t be predicted!
In every issue you will see the quote from Marcel Proust about seeing with new eyes. Yes, I saw with new eyes and experienced photography in a very different way. The goal of this trip was to disrupt my routine and take a break from work. I am always working when I’m home even if I’m not on the streets. That’s the life of being self-employed.
In this issue I’m sharing some of my experiences about international travel and a few mistakes I made as well as just attempting to shoot as normal when normal is not possible. (I’m still in the process of organizing photos so the photos in this issue are random.)
Thank you to all the new and previous subscribers and thank you to everyone taking my workshops and photo tours. If you haven’t done either with me, you can see more info on my website as well as reviews from more than 200 people about their experiences.
As Always, Happy Shooting! Is there any other way to be out shooting???
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
Are you looking for a gift for a photographer? I have gift certificates available and they don’t expire. You can even gift yourself as well. Sometimes we need to gift ourselves.
International Travel Lessons Learned - Part One
I know my way around the block in New York City and I provide instruction, street photography tips and tricks as well as photo tours and street photography workshops on a regular basis. I’ve been doing it for 13 years now. So it isn’t really a challenge for me.
But, I don’t often the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, until now. I just spent a few weeks in Lisbon, Oporto and Madrid and that really changed my visual perspective and also revealed a few things that I take for granted and mistakes I made as a result of not thinking ahead.
I did some research beforehand about neighborhoods and other things I wanted to do and see. I didn’t really plan so well about the technical aspects. Oops. Perhaps this issue can be considered part one of my learning experience in international photography.
My intention in my travels was to disrupt my routine and to get some time off from work. I achieved both of these goals. As well, traveling to new places is of course a good method of seeing with new eyes. That was also easily achieved.
I can now say that I understand the hesitation of travelers to New York City and also people who are a little shy to approach street photography even when they live here. It’s not that I didn't believe them. Rather it hasn’t been my experience very often to fully comprehend their situation.
People in Portugal and Spain are a little more aware of a camera that is pointed in their direction than New Yorkers who really don’t care about you or your photo. I understand why some people choose to shoot street with a phone as people tend to think that you’re just taking a selfie or some touristy photo. When people see a camera and you’re out of your comfort zone it is a very different dynamic.
Street photography always requires that you feel a certain amount of comfort where you are. I am able to provide that comfort here in New York City. If I had spent more time in the cities during my travels it’s possible that comfort would’ve eventually existed.
Number 2 on the list of things that was a real learning experience and one that I should’ve anticipated is that I needed to change the time zone when shooting in another location. All of my metadata is off not just the number of hours but also somehow it all got messed up and I’m still trying to figure out to fix it.
I’ve only been home less than 2 days as I write this and I don’t really have jet lag as much as brain fog. So things are not making sense yet. Hence my inability to fully explain the metadata issue. I’m hoping I’ll have that sorted out for the next issue. This is a first for me having to deal with. I don’t remember what I did when I was in London. But metadata wasn’t an issue.
So if like me, you don’t often travel across a few time zones, make certain that you first change your time zone in your camera before you start shooting. My guess is that many of you are already knowledgeable about that. But I haven’t really taken any time off and traveled for a number of years.
I didn’t really take nearly as many photos as I planned for and it’s my tendency to over prepare. So instead of buying a hub for the iPad and a small external drive, I could’ve just brought a few more SD cards and maybe just use one for each day of my trip.
In the next issue I’ll write about my experience in airports with film which was an absolute horrific experience as I understand that the security scanners destroy film. I will have at least one roll developed before the next newsletter and see how that worked out or not. At Newark airport it wasn’t a problem to ask security to pass it through without scanning. In Oporto and Madrid they insisted putting it through the scanner.
Using a digital camera is always a learning curve. There are so many bells and whistles to distract you and often it is difficult to find out how to do things. Unlike film cameras. But in the midst of mentally juggling new scenery, time zone changes, seeing everything new for the first time and even the exhaustion of flying, something is bound to go wrong.
I very much enjoyed my trip and captured a number of photos that I like. Nevertheless, I am happy to be back home in my comfort zone and finish off the year with a few group and private street photography workshops.
If you have experience with metadata issues when traveling, street photography in foreign countries or traveling through airports with film, I’d love to hear about it. I think that it’s important to share our experiences about photography so that we can learn from each other.
I write this newsletter to share my thoughts & experiences on street photography. 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.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Your Favorite Photos of 2022
As we did in 2021, this assignment is about the favorite photos that you took this year. This is a people’s choice award. So it’s time to have a look at your photos and see what jumps out at you. You might also find a pattern about your intention when shooting doing this. For bonus points it’s even better if you write why you liked the photo. Creativity is also a plus.
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
Ted Forbes is one of the original photography vloggers. I wish that he wouldn’t speak so fast. Great critique of photo books sent to him. Enjoy.
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!
What a coincidence, I just spent the last 2 weeks ... on holiday in Lisbon & Portugal.
If I had known, I'd have bought you a coffee and a pasteis de nata.
Love the lessons and excited for the next installment! I was intimidated by the slippery hills of Porto and didn’t get out as much as I’d liked and also wished for a smaller camera in locations like that.