Issue 187 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! I’m teaching again at the JCC. The class is once a week for 8 weeks. Photos in this newsletter are from our second class where we shot in Times Square and ran into a Fashion Week event.
I’ve been working quite a bit these days. Meeting amazing people and showing them around the city and photography and street photography workshops. Thank you to everyone. I am so happy to be able to make a living doing what I love.
If you have a photo exhibit coming up or an announcement or publication of your work, let me know with a little advance notice and I’ll mention it in this newsletter.
Thank you to all the subscribers new and ongoing. And thanks for all your comments. 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 Photo is a Photo
Forgive me while I rant here for a bit. But a photo is a photo. Social media is creating some really bad habits and distractions. Why are we giving into it is a mystery to me.
A photo should stand on its own. Period. It doesn’t need all the bells and whistles that have become so popular on Instagram. And quite frankly I find it annoying. (I’m ShootNewYorkCity on IG).
I realize that it can be intimidating to see amazing photos by others. We should really try to not compare our photos to those of others. We should always strive to capture photos that match our vision. And yes, that includes imperfections.
Photography is not a competition. Sometimes we are really happy with our photos. Sometimes they are the best that we can do on a given day. They always reflect our experiences.
The problem for me is all the additional things that distract us from actually seeing photos. First of all are videos. If you are creating video art or music videos or whatever, that’s a different thing.
How can you enjoy a photo when it flashes by in less than a second? Does the photo mean less to you when you make it part of a video? Okay, I have lots of questions here. Maybe I’m just old as I really don’t get the way social media has transformed.
I tend to pass by the videos. I rarely watch them. And I get most annoyed by the videos in which people feel a necessity to show you how they captured the shot. Isn’t that what YouTube is for?
I really don’t have the time or patience for most videos. The same is true of reels. Actually, I don’t know what the difference is between the two. Few people have the time and ability to be really good at both still photography and videos.
Your photo really doesn’t need music either. What if I don’t like your choice in music? Music distracts from viewing a photo and also often tells you what you’re supposed to see or think. No! The viewer should always make that decision on their own unless you think that they don’t have the intelligence to understand the photo on their own.
You don’t need to and shouldn’t have to explain what your photo is about. Let the viewer decide for themselves. Which brings me to quotes. Does a quote actually help the viewer understand the photo? Is it used to validate your photo? Seriously, you don’t need quotes with your photos.
If you are shooting film it’s okay to mention which camera and film you are using. If you are shooting digital there really isn’t a good reason to mention which camera and gear you are using. Are these companies paying for your equipment? Are you thinking maybe the camera company will notice you and give you free equipment?
Less is more. Give the viewer the benefit of doubt. Let them ask questions if they have them rather than answer them even if they didn’t ask. Perhaps the problem is posting photos on social media and thinking that they will be treated as photography.
It is my feeling that you are lessening your work by adding all of these unnecessary bells and whistles to your photography. Definitely ask people what they think if you like. Or find ways to engage your audience. But leave the other stuff behind and let your work speak for itself.
I always find social media challenging. I do what I can to just share the photos that I like for whatever reason and not be overly affected by the likes. I have a number of regular people who follow me and like and/or comment on my photography and for the most part, it’s mutual.
At any rate, these are of course my opinions. It’s possible that my age is showing and that if I was much younger I would feel differently about all the bells and whistles. But I think not. For me, it’s about the photography period.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about social media and how you post photos. You can disagree with me.
If you’re looking for a method of sharing your photos without the social media aspect, I really like the Glass app. No algorithms, no ads, no videos, no music. Just photography. If you click on the link above you can get $10 off. It’s normally $29 a year. Oh, they don’t sell your personal information either. If you follow me on Glass, let me know.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Words
You can use signs, logos, ads, parts of words, letters, numbers etc. It’s about the messages we see everywhere. Creativity is welcome.
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.
The app is a great way to read this and many other newsletters at your leisure and you can also access back issues of this newsletter as well.
Did you know that I have a few photo zines available for sale in my shop? Triste Noir is a limited edition signed and number book. Check it out and I ship everywhere.
Further Viewing
I really like the photography of Trent Parke.
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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.
Your comment about music resonates with me. I agree about everything you wrote. I have strong feelings about it and I am glad someone ( you) agrees with me.
Wonderful images Leanne and your post resonates deeply. I just don't see instagram as a place I want to be - it's no longer about photography. That's not to say I don't think it has a place creatively - well, it COULD have a place creatively if every other thing you see wasn't an advert. I like the idea of mixing media - but it's NOT what I want to see when I'm looking at photography.
I still like flickr ( as people here will know because I so often bang on about it ) - it's far from perfect, but at least it is mostly photos, no adverts ( I pay ) and being able to see photographers favourites is a wonderful way to find new photos - but for me, the killer function, is galleries - I love being able to see curated galleries of images that people have created.
To be honest I think there is space for something new. Something radically different. Something where the experience is tailored to the person viewing - if they want to see just photography, then they can configure this ( here's the key THEY can configure - not some shonky algorithm that thinks it knows you ) - something that supports video, music, words, but doesn't force it upon people. Something where you could set a time limit on your photos to make people slow down ( i.e. it's on the screen for at least 30 seconds before you can skip ahead ) - I don't know - at the moment any alternative platforms just seem to be the same thing ...
I'll get off my soapbox now lol!