Issue 129 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere and the weather and the light has been delightful for photography. Business has begun to pick up here. Certainly the weather helps.
Also, the pandemic has slowed down a bit due to the number of people who have been vaccinated and most people in New York City are really abiding by social distancing and wearing masks. But we aren’t out of the woods yet and I am playing it safe with an overabundance of caution.
We’ve been having a great time out on the streets shooting and I welcome all the new people that have taken my workshops. Mostly they are people in the New York City and tristate area. I do hope that by August things will be able to open to international travel. We can only wait and see.
In the meantime I’ve been hearing from more and more people who are once again taking photos and have found new ways to adapt to shooting what’s available and safe and it has been an enjoyable new experience for them.
We should always think about the new ways that we can explore and expand our photography. Sometimes limitations can actually be a good thing as they force us to get creative and do things differently.
I wish everyone well, and hope to see you this year. Happy shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
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You can like the newsletter at the top and at the bottom of this issue? You can also share it on all of the usual platforms. And, best yet, you can comment! Yes, your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Dialogue is cool.
You Are What You Shoot
I guess you could say that this issue is part two of Photography is Life that began in the previous issue. While I realize that many of you are experiencing photography in new ways, I am too!
I don’t think that I will ever arrive at the end of the line in the discovery and joy of photography. I don’t think that it’s even possible and I’m happy that this is so. I’m not giving up photography anytime soon.
Photography has become so automatic that we possibly lose consciousness of what we photograph. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably better that we stop trying to direct and instead respond to the environment. I try to be open to the possibilities that are there directly in front of my eyes.
I wonder why it is that I am constantly taking photos of shadows, silhouettes and reflections? This is not something that I question often. It is instinctual. What I do question is whether a photo is one that I am happy with.
When I think about this blind obsession I realize that these kinds of photos are always unique in some way. Well, perhaps we can say all photos are unique. We never take the same photo twice. AND it’s very possible that the idea of a perfect photo doesn’t exist. If it did, what would be the point of continually taking photos?
For quite awhile, almost all of my photos were taken with a fixed focal length lens with a 28mm full frame equivalent. I was photographing those things that my eye was attracted to. Perhaps, I stubbornly continued to shoot wide angle because that’s what street photography is or supposed to be.
Since I am teaching street photography it led me to believe that this is what I should be doing. It seemed right. And don’t get me wrong, I still shoot straight street photography. But I also work with people on an individual basis and we explore what they like.
Street photography comes in many flavors. Not everyone likes all of them. As you likely know, I adore the work of Saul Leiter and I don’t think that he even used a wide angle lens. He also wasn’t really concerned for the most part with having a person’s visible likeness be part of his photos.
When I look at many of my photos that I took, they just didn’t work the way I wanted them to. It wasn’t what I saw and what I intended. So I was using a wide angle lens and not cropping my photos.
Upon closer examination, the photo that I wanted was there. I just needed to really crop the photo to get what I truly wanted. I created my own limitations that left me feeling unsatisfied with what would have been perfectly good photos. (In a previous issue I wrote about radical cropping! I may do more of that.)
What a difference a lens makes. I think that I can’t discount how the pandemic has changed everything. You may have noticed that my street photography workshops also include “seeing with new eyes” in the title.
For those readers who are new to this newsletter, you will see the same quote from Marcel Proust after the intro. It refers to the real act of discovery is in seeing with new eyes. That is something we can all hope to have when we are out shooting the streets.
But everything is new now. It has all changed. So what better time than now to also change the way you see things and to try shooting with a different focal length. That is just one of many possibilities.
The above photo was taken during a private street photography workshop with a woman who is working on doing street portraits. That is to say, asking for permission. It’s a lot of fun to do and this photo is one example. But you never know until you ask if people will agree. That are a lot of amazing people in the world!
So not all of my photos are abstract or abstract street. But maybe genre isn’t really that important. It’s not about fitting in. It is about developing your own style or styles as it were. And if you want to do straight ahead street photography I’m happy to work with you on that!
I always try to be open-minded in my approach to photography, art and all things in life. But sometimes I catch myself falling into a trap by buying into ideas that shouldn’t really be thought of as hard and fast rules.
I hope that I provide you with the courage to experiment with photography and always that it is an enjoyable experience. Do not believe those that tell you that you’re doing it all wrong.
I recently had a workshop with yet another person who was being told that they weren’t doing things properly. The instructor is a professional which makes it all the more damaging.
I would really like to hear about your recent experiences shooting. Have you gotten into doing new things? Using a new lens? Also, what your experiences have been taking workshops or even what you would like to learn. Let’s dialogue about photography!
Shooting in the Pandemic
I realize that shooting during the pandemic presents many challenges to us. Many people, including myself, are not always crazy about capturing people wearing face masks.
I am hoping that in the not too distant future we will look back on these days and photos of people wearing masks and we will no exactly when it was. In the meantime, I have to say that masks really put an accent on the eyes.
We learn quite a bit through working with the changes that we cannot control. At any rate, I am happy that people are wearing masks. Stay safe!
Photo Assignment for the next 2 Weeks - Leading Lines
Leading lines are always fun and there are so many ways to achieve a photo with them. One way is to shoot into a wall on an angle. Another is to shoot up as in this photo.
As usual, the photography assignment is open to your interpretation and it can include people or not. And it’s alway about having fun.
If you don’t use any of the social media, you can send me a photo and it’s also possible that I can add it to an upcoming newsletter if you like.
Don’t be afraid to post creative photos. As well, if you want to supply us with information about the photo that’s great. It gives others a reason to comment on them. Also, it’s maybe best to post them individually so they don’t get buried.
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 @shootnycity. If you're not a member of the Facebook group yet, all you have to do is request to join.
It would be great if as a group people would comment on photos submitted as well. Let's have fun! Happy shooting and sharing! And you can connect with other people that you share an interest with.
Further Viewing:
I have admired the work of Anton Corbijn for many years now. While his work is mainly portraits of bands, he has a style that is unique and there are things which can be borrowed for it. He uses differential focus (also called selective focus) and also high ISO. I like these videos by Alex but the sound doesn’t always match the video. I do hope that you are inspired as I am by Corbijn’s photography.
Upcoming Workshops:
Workshops are now a maximum of 3 people. Social distancing and masks are required. And with fewer people in each workshop everyone can gain even more individual attention.
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!