Issue 185 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone. I can’t believe that we are sliding into the end of summer already! I love the long daylight hours for shooting. Someone asked me the other day if I shoot at night. I always mean to but I burn out all my energy during the daylight hours.
I always have been mainly a daylight photographer. Perhaps I will soon make a resolution to shoot at night. Do you have any photography resolutions? I’d love to hear about them. Perhaps I could publish a list of the responses to the newsletter.
Thank you to all the new and returning customers to my tours and workshops. It is such a pleasure to meet everyone. And thank you to all the new and regular readers of this newsletter. I write about my thoughts and experiences shooting street photography and I hope that you are able to gain something from them.
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.
Beyond the Technology
Probably one of the worst things to happen to photography is that cameras have viewfinders. John Baldessari
I have been shooting for more than 50 years now and I think that in one form or another, the technology side of things has dominated my shooting for well over half of that time.
Technology talk and shopping for new gear is something that I haven’t done for a really long time. That said, I recently bought a Fuji X-Pro 3 as my X-100 V was acting up and I needed another camera as it is my work.
The beauty of the X-Pro 3 is that you have to flip out the back to preview the photos taken. It means that I really can’t see what I’m shooting most of the time as my tendency is to shoot freestyle from the hip or just lift and shoot as in the above photo.
It is incredibly liberating to use the camera in this way. Since I don’t often look at my photos until I upload them to computer, it’s a little like shooting film. You have to wait! Oh no, it takes patience.
The activity of shooting street photography is so much fun and if you’ve been on one of my workshops you are likely one of hundreds who have told me that. I always write happy shooting in the newsletter and I mean it.
Shooting without looking is so wonderful. It sounds scary until you start doing it. And once you start doing it you may become addicted to it like me. It will change your photography and your relationship to shooting.
There are a few considerations before shooting freestyle. First off is the lens you use. I am shooting with fixed focal length lenses on both of my cameras and they are both equivalent to 35mm full frame.
Your lens needs to be wide angle and it’s best if it isn’t a tele lens so you’re not fussing with it. It takes a little while to get used to a focal length and to know approximately how far away you want your subject to be from you.
And you have to be happy with getting angles in your photos. I know that some people really don’t like it when their photos aren’t straight. I happen to really like angles.
The very first thing that we do in a workshop is set up the camera. Starting with the ISO. I use Auto ISO. Then you choose your settings. I have been shooting ALL AUTO for at least 6 months now and I am really loving how it’s working out.
Once you do a few tests for your exposure, it’s no longer necessary to preview your photos unless the light changes in a big way. The next thing you do is to observe and shoot. And have fun doing it.
A large portion of my street photos are taken while I’m walking. Others while standing in one place. All are spontaneous and require that I am keeping and eye on what’s going on around me. Not fiddling with my camera.
The joy of street photography is not knowing what you will encounter and the pure spontaneity of it all. Finding a shooting method that allows you to do this really makes a difference in the freedom you have to really be in the moment.
Street photography is always about making your luck. It isn’t just technique or just luck. But it is about being able to capture the moment as you see it. Being prepared with your camera and your ability to observe.
I still shoot using the viewfinder. I’m not likely to stop doing that anytime soon. That said, until I’m able to get cataract surgery, the viewfinder is less helpful. And different situations require different techniques.
I don’t nail every shot shooting freestyle. But the same is true using the viewfinder or the back screen. And it’s so much fun when you do. Have you tried shooting freestyle or would you like to share a particular style of shooting? I’d love to hear it.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Angles
There is so much you can do with angles. Shooting at an angle or shooting angles and lines. Have fun and be creative.
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. Thank you for your patience and Stay Safe!
Interesting to hear about your style. I sometimes shoot from the hip, and like it, but have been thinking it's considered kind of "bad style". Stupid... So now I'll go on doing it!
I love using my X-Pro3. It’s very liberating to avoid the back screen.