Issue 196 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! In this issue I am sharing some books on a favorite photographer that I am inspired by. The inspiration is ongoing. I am always writing about the different methods that you can find inspiration in your own work as well as different methods of shooting.
I do hope that you find this newsletter helpful in your photographic journey. Thanks to all the new and returning customers who’ve taken my street photography workshops and photo tours. And thank you to all the subscribers of this newsletter whether paid or free. It means a lot to me. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Happy Shooting! If you aren’t having fun, I want to hear about it. There must be a way to change that. If you are having fun, I’d like to hear about that too!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
This newsletter is about my thoughts & experiences on street photography. I hope that you find it of use on your journey. 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.
All About Saul Leiter in Books
I’ve been preaching for a very long time about the importance of spending quality time looking at the photos of other photographers. Quality time for me is to look at books. Whether you purchase a book or get one from the library, it needs to be offline.
Looking at photos is so very important to gain insight into other possibilities or ways to shoot and what works. I am always amazed at what other photographers are doing now and in the past. Inspiration is everywhere.
And if you haven’t heard me say it before, I think that street photography is like hiphop music, you are always sampling the work of other photographers. We should be borrowing the things that other photographers are doing and incorporate them into our own work.
So I am providing a shortlist of some of my new and favorite photography books in this issue.
It Don’t Mean A Thing - Photos by Saul Leiter & Text by Paul Auster
If you are a fan of Saul Leiter like me, this is yet another must have book. I currently have at least 10 books of his photography. This book is a bit different as the well known author Paul Auster has written text to go with his photos.
I just bought it a few weeks ago and so I haven’t yet read Auster’s story. The layout of the book and the quality are really good. I don’t feel like this book is redundant in my collection. I paid $50US for it! That’s how much I like Leiter. It might not be very easy to get a copy. I bought mine at Strand Books. There are over 50 photos and the text is in English and Japanese.
Saul Leiter Retrospective
There is a new retrospective of Saul Leiter’s photography. It is NOT as good as this book. I don’t think that I will purchase the new one.
This is one of 2 favorite Saul Leiter books. It is the kind of book that you want to hold in your hands and touch the pages. The layout and design are beautiful. Some of his paintings are included as well. And there are a number of essays that are very informative as well.
This is probably the most definitive of all of the books of his work and a must have book if you are a diehard Leiter fan.
The Unseen Saul Leiter
This is the other book of my 2 favorite Leiter books. For the most part, none of the images have been published in the past and they are all from color slide film. Also, the essays are very good. It’s a gorgeous book. Highly recommended.
All About Saul Leiter
If you don’t have the budget for the pricier books and really just want a good example of the breadth of Saul Leiter’s photography, I recommend All About Saul Leiter. When I first discovered this book it was only available as an English & Japanese version. It is also available as a domestic version in English.
There are 273 pages with almost as many photos that range across his body of work including classic street photos, abstract street, nudes, paintings and fashion photography. I believe it costs about $25US.
Saul Leiter - Early Color & Early Black and White
These are the classic Saul Leiter books. The black and white is 2 volumes in one. So it’s 3 books altogether. Beautifully designed by Steidl. They create perhaps the best photography books that money can buy.
Steidl is known for the painstaking process of perfectly matching colors and choosing optimal papers and layout. They are exquisite. I am a lover of books,
Early Color are photos taken 1948-1960 when most photographers didn’t dare to touch color film. It was seen as vulgar. I wonder if they ever regretted that???
I believe that these books are still in print and that they have never gone out of print. Last time that I was on Steidl’s website they had free shipping worldwide.
Metropolitan Melancholia - Sarah van Rij & David van der Leeuw
I was very excited to receive a copy of this book. This is a first edition of 100 copies. I was able to order it online from a shop in London called We Folk. This couple does the most stunning work of street. abstract street and fashion photography. They are both on Instagram and their work is very inspiring to me.
I don’t know that they ever mentioned being inspired by Saul Leiter, but they clearly follow in his footsteps. Perhaps this is Leiter 2.0. Taking his work a few steps further.
I am trying to learn how to layout my photos as you can see in the first 2 images in this newsletter where I created diptychs. I credit these 2 photographers and a few others that I follow. I am still in the learning stages and I’m a bit challenged when it comes to these kinds of things.
I hope that you enjoy my book recommendations. I will be publishing another one soon that isn’t Saul Leiter.
Do you have any suggestions of photographers and books that inspire you? I’d love to hear about them and I’ll see if I can publish a list of books in the notes section on Substack.
In No Great Hurry - 13 Lessons In Life With Saul Leiter
I bought a copy of this video years ago and I believe that it’s available to stream online including on YouTube. It felt like you are actually meeting the man in person. You see how he thinks and lives. You don’t really get an idea of how he shoots. If you are interested in Leiter, it is a must see.
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Abstract Street Photography
Abstract street can be as easy as reflections. I do love the imperfections in reflections. As usual, creativity is the name of the game. And having fun too.
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
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.
Saul Leiter .. What a reference!