Issue 193 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! So this is the last issue of the newsletter for 2023! Another year passing us by. And I am looking forward to the Winter Solstice and the beginning of longer daylight hours. Yes, I know that some of you are in the Southern Hemisphere! I’ve always been an available light photographer and a lover of the sun.
I have 3 group street photography workshops left this year including one tomorrow. And some other private work between them. But it’s also the beginning of a slow down in work for me. At least usually, January and February are slower. So maybe I’ll actually dive into my photo library and do some processing, key-wording AND deleting!
It is a good time to review what you’ve done this year and think about what you’d like to achieve next year. A good time to dream and look at photo books.
Thank you to everyone who has taken my tours and workshops. Also, to all you subscribers. I now have over 1,000 subscribers. How crazy is that? But I don’t hear from many of you and as always, this newsletter was designed as a place for a dialogue about street photography. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. And I will add a chat shortly.
Happy Shooting & Happy Holidays!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
I write this newsletter to share my thoughts & experiences on street photography. I hope that you find it of use in 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.
Shoot What Catches Your Eye
I am forever finding new things that grab my attention and that I like to photograph as well as a handful of things that I always work towards. People eating while walking on the streets of the city is one of them. Like the photo above.
When you follow your vision you will find that it becomes easier to see what you are looking for. Many years ago I asked a man who was taking a private workshop if there’s something that he was focused on shooting at the moment. He said banana peels. Okay, I thought that maybe this would be a challenge. Guess what? He spotted 3 or 4 banana peels during our 4 hours together.
Perhaps you could say that you find what you’re looking for. I am always pointing out possible things to photograph to give people an idea of the possibilities. The thing is that if it’s something that you feel strongly about then somehow the photo works better. Certainly over the passage of time. things improve.
Another favorite is capturing smokers on the streets. I have a very large collection of people smoking. No, they’re not all great. Of course not. But it’s the activity that counts for me. Sometimes it just works.
For a photo to be good, there only needs to be a story or a question there. Something that draws the viewer into the image. Like I say, spend time looking at photos and see what You like and incorporate it into your work.
But also, when you view the photos of others you see what’s possible. Sometimes you will find that photos that you took and didn’t like much all of the sudden look a little better. Yes, I like to let my photos marinate. At the moment I am so far behind in my photo library that they are getting plenty of time for that.
Shadows and shooting into the sun will probably always be a favorite. And of course, high contrast black and white. It is typically in late afternoon that I will switch gears and focus on this subject. At this time of year that is a rather short amount of time in a day of shooting.
But tomorrow I’ll be leading a street photography workshop in Chinatown and in all likelihood it will be raining. I’ve trained myself to work with whatever the elements provide. Short of extreme weather. Hoping to capture shadows tomorrow will most likely lead to disappointment. That’s a real killer of creativity and fun.
In the above photo I am using 2 things that I like to capture and they can both typically be done in any kind of weather. One is capturing stripes or lines in general and using them to attract attention.
Also, this is a freestyle lift and shoot photo. I had no idea if I would capture it or be happy with it. People are often afraid to just lift and shoot and continue walking. It doesn’t cost anything to do it this way and you don’t have to do it in every photo you shoot. But hey, it sure is fun when it works.
Is it a problem that part of his head is cut off and his feet as well? I’m not so concerned about that. Will it make it into my top 12 photos of the year? No. But I do remember having fun shooting it. Yes, fun is important!
I like to be open to different kinds of possible photos. Photos of people taking photos with their phones can get really boring. But sometimes you just walk right into a shot and so long as you’re ready you grab the shot.
Since I’ve been shooting in Auto Mode, my camera favors a wide open aperture and it created a shallow depth of field which I really like. In the above photo it works particularly well. The background isn’t so important.
Steam is a huge favorite and photos with body language. It isn’t nearly as easy as it once was to capture shots of people hailing taxis. That’s too bad. But on the occasion when they are there you can be certain that I’ll be clicking away.
Someone once said that the difference between professionals and everyone else is that we don’t see all the mistakes and photos that didn’t work from professionals. Maybe that’s true. But I share all kinds of photos that are not always my best work.
I don’t know what my best work is. Photos that I used to really like have faded into the past. Or as Imogene Cunningham said
Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I am going to take tomorrow.
In the meantime, have you taken the time to review your favorite photos of the year? I am hoping to do so over the next few weeks and perhaps I’ll share some of my favorites in the next issue or so. What catches your eyes?
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Favorites of 2023
Yes again, have you had a look at the photos that you took this year? The assignment is easy. Post your favorite photos from the year 2023. And it would be great if people comment.
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
Once again, Alex and I are in sync with our ideas about photography. He posted this video 3 days ago and I watched it after writing the newsletter!
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.
Steam: When I lived in New York and showed people around I always pointed out the steam and let them know it was put there by the department of Ambiance & Special Effects (part of the Mayor’s Office of Film & Television). They were usually amused but I saw one or two wondering if it was true. What was true was the ambiance that it did creare.
Also, I’m curious how you differentiate between workshops and photo walks/tours. I have led lots of free photo walks for Meetup groups here in San Francisco and keep thinking about moving it towards a business.
Yet, please don't shoot anyone on this list:
Villains directory
https://scientificprogress.substack.com/p/payback-time