Issue 133 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone. I haven’t been feeling well lately. So the newsletter is a little late coming out today and I may need to take a break from it. I have an appointment with my doctor on Thursday and I’ll have an idea then.
Meanwhile, things are really beginning to open up in New York City. I’ve had a few workshops and tours recently and I will continue to do so as possible. If you have a gift certificate and you’ll be in the neighborhood, let me know and I’ll see what we can do to arrange something.
As always, happy shooting and stay safe!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
Reader Comments:
One reader submitted their artist statement:
I haven't been paying enough attention to your excellent newsletter. Here's my artist statement:
My practice is to make pictures of the beauty I find where I am now in the ordinary and banal. I record the forlorn, the transient, the incomplete and the flawed. I look for subjects that are here now, but will be gone soon. . . Keep up the great work. I really enjoy it.
Bravo! That is a very clear and concise artist statement. And it doesn’t use any jargon or loaded words.
Another reader wrote:
"A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said ‘I love your pictures - they’re wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.’ He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: ‘That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove." Sam Haskins
To avoid boredom, I do not stick to any particular genre and am happy to try my hand at anything that is within the scope of my camera. If pressed, however, I would concede that I prefer street photography because it allows me the opportunity to capture people in their natural behavior, and I have garnered a collection of images that are unique to me and no one else. My photos tell stories and entice the viewers to interpret the emotions and activities captured. Street photography comes with many challenges, including the risks of being intimidated and physically abused
Thanks so much for your response to the artist statement challenge and what a fabulous quote! It was edited for length.
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Did you know?
You can like the newsletter at the top and at the bottom of this issue? You can also share it on all of the usual platforms. And, best yet, you can comment! Yes, your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Dialogue is cool.
Something’s Obscured
During my shooting this year, I started doing something that I hadn’t really planned or was even thinking about. I’ve been taking more photos of pieces of things and people.
Like the photo above, I started taking many photos of legs and shoes. Especially with shadows. When there are shadows I’ll be shooting them.
I’ve been focusing on what I see is the most important part of a photo and not so much concerned about capturing the whole person or even their faces.
Omitting everything but that which catches your eye can lead to some nice minimalism. While the women in the two above photos were probably attractive, that didn’t help the photo. More likely, it would’ve been a distraction.
Beauty does not necessarily make a good photo. We can easily be distracted by beauty whether it’s a person, a car, a landscape, whatever. Of course, we will all see things differently and choose what we think is the most important aspect of a photo.
While it is generally best to compose in camera, I don’t have a problem with cropping. In Issue 126 of this newsletter, I wrote about radical cropping. It took me more than 10 years to figure out how to use the above photo.
There’s always more than one way to work with an image and find a method to make it work. But I realize that not everyone will agree with me on this point.
A lens does not necessarily capture only the portion of an image that you would like to capture. We are limited by the shape of a lens.
Silhouettes are also a good method of obscuring a subject and they can create a dramatic look to a photo. The presence of a person is obvious and that that person is reading something. Perhaps nothing more is really needed,
Saul Leiter was a master at obscuring the subject. I guess I really started thinking about obscuring the subject as a reaction to all the many street photographers who think that you have to capture a full frontal image of a person for it to be considered street photography.
I’ve even started thinking that maybe the name street photography should be changed. It’s too easy to think that it’s only one thing. I often hear people tell me during workshops that they didn’t capture one foot or the entire head or something else.
Of course, not all photos will work no matter what style or subject that you’re shooting. Just seeing the man’s hand in Leiter’s photo above, provides all the information that we need to see.
Shooting the streets can be challenging as we never know what we’ll see and it’s always after-the-fact that we’re able to decide if a photo worked or not. Even so, the more that you look at photos taken by others, famous and not so famous, it gets easier to see what’s possible.
There are many different methods in which you can capture something obscured in a photo. Another method is when there’s something going on outside the frame. We don’t know what she’s looking at or who she’s talking to.
So it’s really best to be able to observe slowly and capture what you see and what captures your eye than it is to decide in advance that you only want to capture x, y or z.
I always look forward to your comments and suggestions.
Happy shooting!
The Social Media Corner
Forgive me for not writing about social media in the previous issue. Once upon a time, we took photos and shared them with friends and family and there wasn’t much more that we could do with our photos.
Now, with the internet and social media, we can share our photos with the entire world and with people that we would never be able to reach in the past. But of course, with that also comes a few problems.
Social media we love to hate or hate to love it. I am happy that we have the Facebook group for Shoot New York City and that people are doing a great job of sharing, commenting and getting to know each other.
If you’re subscribed to this newsletter and/or you’ve taken a workshop with me, you can join the group. You just need to request to join.
But I also realize that not everyone uses Facebook or even wants to be part of it. If a different format for sharing comes available, I’ll be the first to create another group for everyone. For the moment there’s not much more that I know about that we can use.
Instagram is the biggest thing out there at the moment and it isn’t without problems. Aside from all the common complaints, it isn’t really possible to create a community there. If you hear about something let me know.
Issue 133 on Social Media
So many people generally seem to feel frustrated by social media or not even interested in it anymore. But there are many many others who somehow manage to do it on a regular basis.
It is time consuming. But, I try to find a method to fit it into my schedule. I have 2 main accounts on Instagram. One for Shoot New York City and my street photography and another for my lens-based and abstract art.
I am often inspired by the artists on Instagram and especially those that don’t have thousands of followers and likes. They tend to be doing work that is very much individual and less concerned with conforming.
On the street photography side of things, there are far too many collectives and groups and they most often feature photos by photogs with tens of thousands of followers or only those that are part of their collective.
So my method is to mostly follow people who I know, people that have taken a workshop with me, or people that really inspire me and also follow me. There are a few exceptions to that. But perhaps you could say that I attempt to game a system which seems to discourage creating relationships even if they are only virtual ones.
My method of using social media is not an all or nothing choice. Rather it is I do it when I can and with people that are more interested in having a kind of mutual relationship.
I look forward to hearing about your thoughts and methods using social media.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Something’s Obscured
Throughout this newsletter I’ve discussed so many different ways that you can capture something’s obscured. It the above photo we don’t know what he’s looking at. When the subject of the photo exists outside the frame that is one more possibility.
As usual, the photography assignment is open to your interpretation and it can include people or not. And it’s always about having fun.
If you don’t use any of the social media, you can send me a photo and it’s also possible that I can add it to an upcoming newsletter if you like.
Don’t be afraid to post creative photos. As well, if you want to supply us with information about the photo that’s great. It gives others a reason to comment on them. Also, 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.
Upcoming Workshops:
I am currently assessing upcoming group workshops. I’ll have a better idea later this week about what I’m able to do. So you can have a look at my site and you can also reach out to me.
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.
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!