Issue 197 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! All of the photos in this issue are from a street photography workshop that I held in Soho on the 4th of February of this year. I shoot pretty much all year around. I just love street photography and New York City that much that I tolerate the cold weather that I don’t really like much.
I make my living providing private and group street photography workshops. I am very fortunate to do what I love for a living. And I thank everyone who has taken my workshops and also to everyone who reads and subscribes to my newsletter. I hope that you find value in reading it and that you are able to use some of my tips on your photographic journey.
A very big thank you to everyone!
Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
This newsletter is about my thoughts & experiences on street photography. I hope that you find it of use on 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.
How I Take Photographs
How I Take Photographs is the title of the book that I think is the best book on street photography by Daido Moriyama. And it is the title of this issue of the newsletter as I will attempt to share with you how I take street photos.
If you ask me, I’d say that street photography is perhaps the most difficult form of photography AND the easiest at the same time. It is the most difficult for many people because of one of 2 or 3 reasons.
The first reason that it is often difficult for many people is getting comfortable with your camera. You don’t have to know it inside out. You do need to set it up so that you can forget about it and just shoot. For that reason I often suggest that people shoot in Auto mode. All the other modes are fine as long as you can spend your time shooting, not fidgeting with your gear.
Of course, a sharp eye is fundamental. And of course you have to be alert, sensitive and responsive, at ease in your own body, so that you can react to the stimuli around you immediately. But above all, you have to have desire. . . If you don’t have desire, you won’t see what’s there. Daido Moriyama.
The second reason is that people often have a fear of taking photos of people that they don’t know. That is something that is made easier by being comfortable with your camera, with the place where you are and in my experience providing workshops, taking a workshop or being with another photographer.
I have many regular customers who just feel more comfortable shooting with me and many customers who have never done street photography before who are surprised at how easy it is.
If you are comfortable with your camera and where you are, that’s half of the challenge. But even before that, you need to be comfortable. I find it important to have a good nights sleep, coffee, not be hungry and to dress for the weather. I don’t want any distractions interfering with shooting.
You’re not going to develop a discerning eye unless you hone your ability to give something your full and undivided attention. Daido Moriyama
Photography looks easy. That’s one of the biggest challenges. But when you begin with getting rid of the distractions you can find your way into a zone where shooting becomes a little easier. It’s kind of a Zen state of mind. So for that reason I begin with preparing myself as best as I can to just focus on seeing and reacting.
Perhaps you have heard me say that to get better at shooting street you need to shoot often, experiment and don’t be afraid of making mistakes as well as spend time looking at the work of other photographers and see what’s possible. You train your eye by doing these things.
Yesterday, for example, I took an enormous number of shots, but I haven’t looked a single one of them. To spend too much time wondering whether a shot is good enough or not contradicts the whole point of a snapshot - that would be a contradiction in terms. Daido Moriyama
In the beginning, you need to shoot everything including eye candy. Get it all out of your system and please wait to decide what’s good and what isn’t. Don’t preview your photos unless the light changes and you want to be certain that your exposure is good. Street photography is the activity you should be fully involved in, not all the other things that happen after that.
I let my photos marinate. That is to say, I take my time before actually spending time looking through the photos that I’ve taken. In fact, I am years behind in going through my photo library. Street photography is for me, an activity that I thoroughly enjoy and it’s the main reason I shoot.
Observe & Shoot! That’s the whole thing. That’s what I do and that’s what I suggest. Repeat the process over and over again. Observe the light, the feel of the environment, the smell of it and of course the people.
I walk slow or stand still so that I take in everything around me. If you’re moving quickly you’re likely to miss out on many things that are going on. Look around you. And always be prepared to shoot.
I shoot using the viewfinder and also from the hip or chest and sometimes I even shoot free style. Just lift and shoot. Walking and shooting. There are so many ways to shoot and I am also exploring ways that I can capture photos. Do they all turn out? No. Of course not. But they do surprise me on a regular basis.
When I go out for a day of shooting, I don’t want to know what I will encounter. For that reason I don’t often shoot events, parades and protests. I consider those opportunities as documentary photography.
Street photography is always candid and in public. Within that realm there are so many possibilities of styles that can be explored. As you may know by now, I am always doing all kinds of street photography.
I photograph what catches my eye and over time different things become of interest. Vision evolves the more you take photos and look at the work of other photographers, Street photography is addictive because I am always learning how to see things differently. It’s never boring. I will be shooting as long as I have the ability to see things.
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Lines
Lines, lines, lines. Leading lines, crossing lines, stripes etc. Lines are fun and interesting. Yes, 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
This video is 35 minutes. The first part is about Daido Moriyama and the second part is how to take photos like him. It’s maybe a bit too long but I enjoyed it.
The Substack App is a great way to read this newsletter and back issues at your leisure.
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.
Great shots and loved the video. Moriyama is such an inspiration.