Issue 186 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! I am already missing the long summer daylight hours and the heat. That said, the back to school and time to get organized feeling is moving in. My photo library is a bit of a mess and I have just been shooting like crazy without any projects in mind.
All of the photos in this issue are from a street photography workshop in Soho on 26 August 2023. I am trying to actually go through my library and process photos and even delete a few. I am not very good at organizing my photos. I am hoping to work on that now.
Thank you to all of the new and returning customers for taking my workshops and tours. It is very much appreciated. And thank you to all the subscribers of the newsletter. I hope that you can gain something from them in your own photography.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Happy Shooting!
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.
A Visual Journal
The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. Dorothea Lange
Street photography is one of the methods that I use to experience life. It is how I make my way through the city. I’m not checking my photos to see how I’m doing anymore than asking myself how I’m feeling. As if it should be done every time you press the shutter.
There are so many ways that you can get distracted in life and that is also true in street photography. It really is about being in the moment to the best of your ability so that you capture the things that you see as you see them. You need to leave the other things that are going on in your life at home. Put them on hold.
One of the biggest distractions is when people want to capture the best photo that they’ve ever taken, a perfect photo or they already have in mind the photo they want to get.
Photography is pretty simple stuff. You just react to what you see and take many, many pictures. Elliott Erwitt
Preparation is everything. For me, having slept the night before. A good cup of coffee. A meal. And making certain that my gear is prepared. Clean sd card and fully charged batteries. I want to eliminate all the things that can get in the way of being able to respond to the moment as I see it.
Street photography isn’t a competition for me. It’s merely an activity. Street photography is like a visual journal of my life. Street photography is kind of like a dance. Whether it’s slow, moderate or fast, you are more focused on the movement around you.
So rhythm is key. When you eliminate distractions you can get into a rhythm. Whatever you have achieved you will discover at the end of the day. But the first most important thing is, did you enjoy it? If you aren’t enjoying it then you need to rethink how you’re doing it.
I fell in love with photography because it was an excuse to wander around alone. Alec Soth
A really easy way to not enjoy the process of shooting is to continually preview the photos that you took and not be happy with them. That will definitely change your mood and the way that you shoot.
At the end of the day I typically have a handful of photos that I like. And most of the time I don’t even remember taking the photo. That’s the joy. Discovering what you captured after the fact. It’s like getting a roll of film back from developing.
Actually, I often don’t really look at my photos for a period of time after shooting them. I like to let them marinate for awhile. And I shoot so often that I don’t always find the time to go through them all. I am years behind in going through my photo library and I’m not very methodical about it either.
The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street. Ernst Haas
In life we sometimes have good days and sometimes not so good days. The same is true of street photography. The more pressure that we put on ourselves to create perfect photos, the less likely we are to be happy with the process and it’s also very possible that we will be missing out on some really good photos by doing so.
Shooting street photography is very spontaneous. I just shoot what I see. Composition isn’t always an option. If I could plan and compose a photo in advance I think they would be less interesting to me. The fun is in the not knowing what you’ll see and capture.
Are you happy shooting? If not, you can try a street photography workshop with me. Or you can also just comment here and maybe we can find a solution. Maybe you can think about street photography as a visual journey of how you experience life. Thank you.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Layers
Layers are a great method of providing depth to a photo and it can be created in many different ways. Yes, creativity is always 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
Daido Moriyama is one of my favorite photographers. His book How I take Photos is a must.
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. Thank you for your patience and Stay Safe!
Photography as a way to experience life, that's very well expressed and I sympathize with that. Even though Joel Meyerowitz is a great photographer I never liked the title of his book "Bystanders".
For me both dates would work. Just have to figure out if I can commit.