Shoot New York City Newsletter
15 January 2021 - Getting Inspired
Issue 124 of the Shoot New York City Newsletter
Greetings everyone! Have you pushed the reset button yet? That was of course the subject of the previous newsletter on January 1st 2021. It’s a new year and an opportunity to refresh our routines when shooting.
So what better method to refresh your photography than to try out new methods and styles. There are so many possibilities in photography. How many have you tried out?
Most of the photos in this issue are taken with film cameras. I just received the digital downloads so the file sizes are small but still adequate. One of the cameras is new and it’s the first roll of film that I’ve taken with it. Very exciting!
As the theme of this issue is inspiration, I think that one method of switching things up and becoming a little more inspired is to shoot film for a bit. It definitely shifts the focus on how you shoot. I know, I’ve been preaching to you about film for a long time now. But it isn’t one or the other. They are both equal and different.
Both of the film cameras that I used for the photos in this issue are considered toy cameras. Perhaps one day I will buy another range finder or SLR. But for the moment I am enjoying even shooting with point and shoot film cameras. You can usually pick them up really really cheap.
Shooting with film is different. And shooting during the pandemic even more so. You could say that photos are really more like snapshots when shooting film. There’s something even more spontaneous about it.
Happy Shooting no matter what kind of shooting that you do. I think that happy is important. Otherwise, why do you shoot? I miss everyone and I do hope that we will see each other again, soon.
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.
Marcel Proust
Reader’s Comments:
One reader responded to the previous issue:
First of all, I wanted to wish you a safe, happy, and prosperous new year. Second, I wanted to thank you for publishing the SNYC Newsletter. There is something about well-written prose that appeals to me more than podcasts or YouTube videos. I think it's an age thing.
Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Let’s dialogue! It’s so easy.
On Inspiration
Finding inspiration is something that we need to do throughout the year but perhaps January and February take the prize in this arena. After pressing the reset button, what’s next?
You review what came before and perhaps you find some photos that you like and then you think that maybe it’s time to do something new. I have a lot of experience in getting bored with what came before and feeling the need to do something new.
Now what? There are so many possibilities. Here is a list of some of the things you can think about doing. Many of the choices are really about doing the opposite of what you normally do.
They also have to do with your choice of subjects to shoot. Your method of shooting and even processing as well as exploring those aspects of your camera that you’ve never used and don’t know anything about.
I find it amazing how many choices that exist in digital cameras. Film cameras have so many fewer options and it almost doesn’t matter who made the camera as the basics are always the same on every film camera.
Creativity loves routine until it doesn’t. Upset the normal is a good first step. This list is not exhaustive. Towards the end of the newsletter, there are a few books that may also provide some ideas for inspiration.
Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom. Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1480
Do you normally shoot and/or process only in color? Do the opposite. Try only doing black & while for awhile. Is it because you haven’t been able to process in black & white in a manner that you’re happy with? So there you have a few new things to do. And if you shoot raw, you can always go with the color version. Don’t worry, be happy.
If you usually only shoot or process in black & white, do the opposite of the above instructions. For many years I had difficulty seeing in and processing in color. After spending time in Exposure (similar to Lightroom but better & cheaper), I finally found methods of processing color that worked for me.
The obvious step if the first 2 are typically a problem is to watch some tutorials on how to process your photos. While basic processing is easy enough, there are many things that you can do and explore to sharpen your skills.
Do you know everything that your camera can do? If you’re like most people, you don’t. Maybe your camera has the ability of doing double or multiple exposures. I really enjoy doing them. You can see a number of them in my gallery of abstract street photos. Most of them are multiple exposures and some are layered after-the-fact.
The pandemic has made it difficult to travel and perhaps go and shoot street photography. How about doing something a little closer to home? Maybe shooting doors, windows, still life and even portraits. But try to not get caught in the trap of thinking that you need to buy equipment to do it. I always overthink buying new equipment. Often I talk myself out of it!
Shoot film (see article below.) It’s funny how easy it is to get addicted to the preview screen and fiddling with all the different possibilities of shooting digital. Toy cameras are great fun and they come with many limitations. You choose the film and the subject period. It’s all about composition. Point and shoot! Rinse and repeat.
Give yourself an assignment to only shoot; shadows, the color red, silhouettes, framing and the list goes on. Or as Dorothea Lange said “Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion. . .the subject must be something you truly love or truly hate.”
Find someone to go out and shoot with or even take a workshop! I’m still working when people are interested. I’ve been trying to find a method of hooking up people who live in the same city and that have taken workshops with me before. If you have an idea, let me know.
Are you looking for a photography buddy that you can meet up with on occasion? I know of many people all over the world who live close to each other, including 2 people in Albany, New York. I will play matchmaker and I’ll only share your information with your permission. Just drop me an email.
A woman who lives in Australia did a tour with me a few years ago, has created a series of socially distanced portraits of people standing in front of their houses. She took many many photos and it’s truly amazing how she was able to stick to a routine. My guess is that she has also made friends with some of them and at minimum gave people a sense of unity in lockdown.
Minimalism is a great subject. Strip your composition down to the bare minimum. Less is more. It is the composition.
Go through the rules of composition. Henri Cartier-Bresson is like an encyclopedia of the ‘rules.’ It’s all about composition.
Look at photos of other photographers famous and not and decide what you like or don’t like about their work and then find a way to incorporate the aspects that you like.
If you can go to a museum or art gallery, these are always great sources of inspiration. If not, many museums now have their collections online. And there are always books. I do love books for inspiration.
If you were forwarded this newsletter or read it online, you can subscribe and get involved in the dialogue about street photography and photography in general and never miss an issue.
On Shooting Film
If you’re in the US, there are 2 companies that I rely on for purchasing film and processing. The Film Photography Project sells amazing films like the Yodica Andromeda and Polaris films that I used for the photos in this issue.
They sell everything from standard film to creative films, 16mm film, cameras and darkroom chemicals and equipment. They ship worldwide though I have no idea what the shipping costs are. It wasn’t easy to find out.
They also have a podcast and a newsletter and you can find them on Instagram and a number of other social media sites as well. They’ve been around since 2009 and they are a great resource for beginners to professionals.
Next is The Darkroom Photo Lab. They’ve been in business since 1976! I use them for all my developing and they’ve done a great job. It seems that they also process film for international orders as well.
The turn around time is a little bit longer since the pandemic. Even so it only took about 10 business days during the pandemic to receive my recent order. For $12 they develop and upload low res scans to their site that you can download. And they mail your negatives and a cd with the scans.
You can opt to have higher res scans and prints as well. You can find them on Instagram and a number of other social media sites. They are a great resource for all aspects of developing film if you are interested in that.
Thirdly, I am a huge fan of Lomography. What is lomography? They are a cool company that makes and sells a number of toy cameras. Cameras include; both of the cameras that I used for photos in this issue as well as the Diana series and some very cool instant cameras as well. They just released the new William Klein edition instant camera and a line of La Sardina cameras which look like sardine cans. I should stop now because I want to buy them all!
Photography can definitely be a lot of fun and very inspiring. Try film photography, you might like it and it may just also inspire your digital photography as well. It certainly provides a very different perspective to shooting. By the way, Lomography loves to remind people to not overthink taking a photo. Just have fun!
Sharing is cool. And it’s easy to do! Just click on the button.
Curious Frame - Issue 13 On Inspiration
Curious Frame is for my thoughts on photography. This newsletter is where I write about the techniques of photography. One is about thinking. The other is about doing. Two entirely different yet important activities in photography.
January is often a month that feels like a long hangover and sometimes it is a real challenge to find inspiration. Here is an excerpt from the recent issue of Curious Frame - On Inspiration.
Sometimes inspiration hits while taking a shower, walking or even washing the dishes. I think of John Lennon’s lyric, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Just exchange the word life with inspiration.
John Lennon has provided so much inspiration to so many, including me. Different mediums are capable of cross-pollination. No need to just look at photos. Music is great for inspiration.
One reader wrote: “I also wanted to thank you for Curious Frame. I’ve been reading it and enjoying it, and best of all learning from it.”
You can subscribe to Curious Frame here.
Did you know that when you are subscribed to this newsletter you can participate in the Facebook group for Shoot New York City? All you need to do is request to join.
If you’ve taken a tour or workshop with me or you are subscribed to the newsletter you can join in with some really cool people from around the world.
I realize that not everyone uses Facebook and I am hoping that sometime in the near future I will be able to create an option for everyone to participate. Suggestions are welcome and thanks to everyone for participating in the group.
Pressing the rest button - part two
In the last issue the first part of pushing the reset button which was really about some of the basics. Here I’d just like to mention that it is important to have a look at your equipment and decide if
Your camera needs cleaning and if you can do it or you need to get a professional cleaning?
Are your cameras and lenses in good working order and might they need repair?
And maybe even more importantly and easily forgotten, when was the last time you bought new SD cards and batteries?
I’ve gotten into the habit of marking my batteries and SD cards with the date that I purchased them to segregate them and decide when to purchase new ones.
Photography Quote of the Week
Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. – Man Ray
Photo Assignment of the Week - Be Creative
Whether you choose to do something that you don’t normally do or you choose to do a creative photography project, both are good. I prefer to not tell you what it should be as we all have different ways of seeing and taking photos.
Note: I’ve decided to make this assignment for 2 weeks to give people time to try out new things if you’d like.
AND I would like to start featuring photos from the photo assignments. This is not intended as a contest. But it allows the possibility of everyone being able to participate in a discussion about photography.
If you belong to the Facebook group you can mention that you would like to be included and let us know your thoughts about the photo and processing.
If you aren’t in the Facebook group, no worry. Just email me and let me know. I’m thinking that maybe it’s possible to feature 2 or 3 photos in each newsletter and a good method for us to receive and provide feedback.
Inspiration is about being creative and giving yourself the license to do so. I also encourage you to do. You have my permission! Photography should always be fun. In case you didn’t know, I also do abstract photography and lens-based art. So if you want to do photo montage that’s also cool. Yes, you can photoshop them.
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
My new creative experiment is with the Sutton Belair Panoramic Hydrochrome camera. What a mouthful! It’s a crazy cool camera with a lens that you add liquid to. I just used clear water. Next roll I’ll add some food color.
The film that I used is already wild enough. Yodica Polaris is what I used in this camera. But if you check out the Film Photography Project, you’ll find all kinds of film that is not what you can typically buy.
But if you don’t want to shoot film, the article above On Inspiration has some tips for digital photography and creativity.
Material to View
In my Curious Frame newsletter I started a series on further viewing. Some of these are videos that relate to photography. In this issue I want to share some unique videos. The first one is like a virtual tour of Manhattan’s Chinatown.
It’s very cool how they have mixed in historical photos with how it looks today and interactive features. So you can pretend you’re there. Perhaps the world will return to some kind of normalcy in the near future and you’ll be able to come to the city again. I look forward to the day when I’ll see you again.
Chinatown, Resilient and Proud. (link)
I follow Taylor Coble on Instagram, so do a few thousand people. I like his style of street and perhaps the fact that we both had a passion for making films first has something to do with. As well, I often comment on his photos and he responds and also comments on mine. I’m not certain that’s what Instagram was designed for :-)
This is a short and sweet film about his experiences in street photography and you get an idea of who he is as well. He does some really nice street photography. Perhaps you will be inspired.
Reading List - books for creative ideas
Carroll, Henry. Photographers on Photography: How The Masters See, Think & Shoot, Laurence King Publishing, 2018.
Duckett, Brian Lloyd. 52 Assignments: Street Photography, Ammonite Press, 2018.
Freeman, Michael. Fifty Paths to Creative Photography, Octopus Publishing Group, 2016.
Johnson, Steve. The Minimalist Photographer, Rocky Nook, Inc., 2013.
Moriyama, Daido. How I Take Photographs, Laurence King Publishing, 2019.
Upcoming Workshops
Workshops are now 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.
If you purchased a GiftUp gift certificate for a future workshop, you should be able to use that at the check out. Let me know if you have a problem as it is a new feature.
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.
I am gradually rolling out the different areas for both group and private workshops. So if you don't see what you're looking for, let me know and we can work something out.
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!
Note - I am still learning how to adapt to the new format of the newsletter in so many ways including the layout here :-)