Issue 168 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greeting everyone! If there’s one unifying statement that I can make about my street photography, it’s that New York City is my muse. On a good day I’m able to capture the energy of this vibrant city.
The wheels are always in motion. The sheer quantity and diversity of life is inspiring. The first time that I set foot in this city in 1969, I realized that I should’ve born here. I moved here 10 years later.
My goal is always to capture photos that somehow illustrate that energy and diversity. They are a translation in images of my experience of this city. That said, I never tire of it and I can always do it better and find new things to shoot.
Thank you to all the new and returning people who have taken my workshops and tours, to all the reviews that you’ve written and also to everyone reading this newsletter. I am very grateful!
Happy Shooting!
Do you have a muse in your photography? I’d love to hear about it.
Would you like to participate in the 2022 Fave Photo contest but you’re not on Facebook? Let me and we’ll see about working out a method to get it done.
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. 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.
Out of Town alert
I will be traveling the first 2 weeks of December. So you’ll see photos of Portugal and Spain in the near future. The next newsletter will likely be a few days late.
I have 3 workshops in December and the first one on the 18th is almost sold out. So the 24th and 31st are the last for this year. I do have some space for private workshops during that time.
Don’t Overthink it. Just do it!
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug a camera around. Lewis Hine
Photography is magic. But we take it for granted. One hundred years ago it was new and people looked at photos with amazement. To be certain, photography is a kind of alchemy. Whether film or digital it is amazing.
We are bombarded with millions of photos on a regular basis and the majority appear to us without our choice and for the purpose of selling us something. They are designed to attract our attention and get us to spend our money. They interfere with our ability to see quality photos. We are no longer amazed.
The process of photography happens in many different stages. The act of shooting being the primary one. But after that is the organization of your photos, the processing etc etc. So many things to think about that it’s easy to lose focus about the main activity..
The thing that I don’t write about often is the process of writing about photography. I should say, not what I’m doing here. But writing about what your photos mean to you.
The reason I bring this up is because recently a photographer wrote about their frustration with not being able to put words to what they intended in their photos. As if this is an important part of the process.
Simultaneously, they found themselves uninspired to shoot except when they travel. Then immediately stated that it would be unfortunate if that’s the only time that the urge to shoot would surface.
These two things are very much interrelated. If you set out for a day of shooting with expectations that you need to shoot with intention, you will only find what you’re looking for. That can create quite a problem for shooting street.
Let me start with this idea that you need to be able to write about your photos and the intention you had shooting them. It’s not something that I feel is necessary.
Photography is a language. It’s a form of communication all by itself. Being able to write about your photography is not an easy thing for most people to do. Ask an artist about their experience writing an artist statement. It’s typically a painful one.
If you can write about your work after-the-fact that’s great. But it requires a different learning curve and if your sense of photography and shooting is a more intuitive approach then there may be intentions buried in there, but you may need to work to get them out and in writing.
If your intention is to capture shadows and light or to capture the alienation of people in their environment these are broad enough to work with without interfering with the process of shooting.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t feel as if your photography is lacking because you aren’t able to write some kind of intelligent dissertation on it. There’s always more than one way to approach street photography.
Shoot and be happy capturing photos that please you. Then you get to work on your processing skills and assessing your portfolio of work, and organizing them etc etc.
When you have a period of time when you get sit down and have a look at your photos for more than a few minutes, with an open mind you might stumble upon something. Especially when you look at a series of photos. You may notice a pattern that will help you write about why you shoot and what attracts your eye.
You might also want to read about what other photographers and artists write about their work. The most important time to be able to write about your work is for a gallery exhibit or a grant for a project. In those cases it is necessary to do so. By the way, it’s always easier to talk about photographs by others rather than your own.
As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.
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
Alex is always good for some insight and inspiration. Perhaps you will discover some photographers that you like.
Upcoming Workshops - the last 3 of 2022
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!
The new Substack App is a very cool way to access this and many other newsletters including the archive of Shoot New York City from its beginning on Substack. Issue 123, January 1, 2021.