Issue 166 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! We’re sliding towards the end of the year! Have you been keeping track of your best photos of 2022? I’ll be planning on how to run the contest this year and I’ll let you know in the next few issues of the newsletter.
Out of town alert. I’ll be traveling, finally, for the first 2 weeks of December. I’m taking a much delayed and deserved break. I’ll be going to Lisbon, Porto & Madrid. So you’ll see a change of scenery in my photos after that.
I’ll be back at it in the 2nd half of December. So it’s possible that the 2nd newsletter in December will be a bit delayed.
Thank you to all the subscribers of this newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed, it’s easy and free. And a big thanks to all the new and returning customers who took a workshop or tour with me and who wrote a review! It is very much appreciated.
As always, 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. 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.
Photography is Everywhere
Photography in its broadest definition has become important to everyone! It is such a dominant part of our culture and our lives. Creating and consuming images is constant. We are flooded with so many images on a daily basis.
So how do we differentiate between the different kinds of photography? Are they all equal? Do we even understand the effect that images have on us? Visual literacy is a tricky subject. Especially when there’s barely enough time to understand it all.
I work as a tour guide as well as a street photographer. On a regular basis I come into contact with tourists taking selfies with major attractions in New York City. It would be difficult to not witness this everywhere in the city. I wonder what the actual value is of these photos? They are intended as souvenirs.
The idea that you can choose to remember something by an image or an object is in opposition to my reason to shoot. The strange thing is that souvenirs actually have a way of killing memories. They take on new meaning.
We no longer have to remember it. I don’t even remember taking the above photo. Perhaps the actual act of taking a photo is more important than the photo itself. That and the fleeting moment that it has a life on social media.
We designate a moment which we have predetermined to be worthy of remembering. We have scripted our lives in doing this. Yes, social media has warped the idea of taking a photo. It’s possible that the photos that are truly worthy of remembering are for the most part, the ones that we feel a personal connection to. I street photography the fact that we were there and took the photo might be enough.
Planned vs unplanned photos. My favorite photos that I’ve taken are not planned. They couldn’t have been planned. They are decided only at the moment that they are shot. Sometimes I like them. Others I don’t.
It’s always starting from scratch. Starting over with a clean slate. When it comes to street photography you can’t decide beforehand what you’ll shoot. It’s life in motion. By its very nature it is unplanned. It is candid. That’s what makes it street.
That is perhaps why I mostly don’t shoot parades, protests and other occasions which are planned in advance. I don’t want to know what I will see in advance. I consider those as documentary photography. That’s my feeling about it.
What are your thoughts about the barrage of photos that we are faced with on a daily basis and/or your sense of what street photography is? I welcome your comments and others will be happy to hear about them. Thanks!
Announcement - Glass App
I’ve been telling people about the Glass app for awhile now. I’ve been on it for a little over a year now and I really like it. It’s like Flickr 3.0. Just photography, no algorithms, no ads, no videos. Just photography.
They just announced a Windows version of the app and the Android version is expected to be launched soon. It’s currently available on iPhone, iPad and internet as well.
Photographer - Harry Callahan
Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters. I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting. Harry Callahan
Rather than provide a full bio of the work of Harry Callahan (1912-1999), I am providing a photo and a quote and an invitation to have a look at his work. whether you’ve seen his work before or not, I suggest spending 15 minutes having a look to see what makes his work interesting to you.
He is one of a small group of photographers like Saul Leiter who dared to work in color at a time when most ‘serious’ photographers shunned it.
Do you have a favorite photographer that inspires you? I’d love to hear about it.
Further Viewing
This short video provides a broad overview of the work of Harry Callahan.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Reflections
Reflections are fun and there are so many possibilities that you can shoot using reflections. Black is really good for capturing reflections. Creativity is always a plus. And as I always say, Happy Shooting!
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.
In the Shoot New York City Shop
Did you know that I have a photozine for sale in my shop? City in Color is a series of photos in which color became a dominant consideration in the process. Color is intrinsic to the composition.
This zine contains 27 full color photos in 36 pages. It’s saddle-stitched and measures 5.8" x 8.26". It is limited to 100 copies which are signed and numbered. (Get your copy before they’re gone.) You can purchase it through my site. Great gift idea for yourself or someone else. Thank you for supporting the work of an independent artist!
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! The new Substack App is a very cool way to access this and many other newsletters.
The only thing I don’t like about the barrage is that a lot of photos tend to be the same. It’s hard to be original sometimes so I think random and unplanned are the most original ones out there. Great post. Have great time in Portugal and Spain. My wife and I have been to Portugal twice now and we loved it.