Issue 198 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone! This issue of the newsletter is a little different from other issues in which I write about how to shoot street photography. But it seems that it took cataract surgery to change my focus to realize that the first thing should be talking about having sight.
Work has been gearing up. High season is near. And already I am meeting so many people from around the world. I thank everyone who has taken a workshop with me. I have a group street photography workshop on most weekends if I don’t have private workshops then.
Also, I thank all the subscribers and readers of the newsletter. I share my experiences in street photography and I hope that it is helpful for you. And your comments and suggestions are always welcome. It’s good to know that you’re there!
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.
Seeing With a New Eye
You’ve probably heard me say or read my favorite quote by Marcel Proust about seeing with new eyes as it is always at the beginning of this newsletter. I am always shooting in the same neighborhoods and I am always seeing new things. I don’t get bored or feel the urge to travel to take photos.
But in this issue of the newsletter I’ve turned that phrase upside down. I am in recovery from having cataract surgery. It hasn’t even been a full week yet and things are beginning to look very different to me. So far, everything looks brighter.
I’ve been telling people for about the last 9 months or so that I’m a blind photographer. I haven’t been able to see very well. I don’t know if my photography will change as a result of surgery or if I’ll still see the photos that I’ve taken in the same way.
The surgery was on my left eye. My shooting eye. Apparently a person’s dominant eye is the same as their handedness. Not me. I’m right handed. It’s a good thing that all of my digital cameras have auto focus so long as I am using auto focus lenses. I do shoot with a few manual focus lenses for abstract street.
I’ve also been shooting with a limited depth of field for awhile now. So I often have a bit of fuzzy focus. I do like that quite a bit. Perhaps you’ve heard me say that I don’t like sharp sharp photos. It’s possible that my recent photos reflect my vision before surgery.
Vision is interesting. When we talk about street photography, we talk about the vision of the photographer. It’s about the image that you have in your mind. It’s easy to take for granted the physical ability that we have to see things. But perhaps we really need to stop and think about the fact that we are photographers because we can see. We can imagine because we can see.
So yes, I guess that I’ve been taking for granted that I can see. It’s possible that most of us do take our vision for granted. And now is maybe a good time to stop and realize just that. Photography is so easy and so accessible now that it’s easier to take it all for granted.
We can talk about gear and we can talk about art. But even before that is that we can see! We should not under estimate this ability. Stop and imagine what your photography would be without sight. Yes, I’ve heard of a few blind photographers. But I can’t imagine that it would be as enjoyable.
It’s possible that the only reason that I discovered that I have cataracts is because I have glaucoma and I see an ophthalmologist every 3 months. I do suggest that you get a regular eye exam. You probably won’t know that you have glaucoma without getting tested.
We go to great lengths to protect our gear and our photos. But what about our eyes? What about our ability to see? What could be more important?
I haven’t yet had the opportunity to shoot with my new eye. I have a street photography workshop tomorrow in Soho and I’ll be testing it out. As I mentioned, everything seems brighter. Looking at my computer monitor is really bright. And it has a slight blue tinge to it.
People have said that colors are really different after cataract surgery. So far the only color that looks different to me is blue. Blue is really bright. But I am still primarily a monochrome photographer. I do sometimes go through a period of color photos. That is especially true of abstract street photography. Thank you Oscar for reading the newsletter and commenting on how you missed seeing my black and white photos!
I will of course be keeping you up-to-date on the changes in my vision in upcoming issues of the newsletter. Oh, I’m such a wimp when it comes to things like surgery. I was scared going into it. But it was very easy. So do yourself a favor and take care of your eyes. Your photography counts on it!
Did you know that you can read most of the archive of this newsletter in the Substack app? It’s an easy way to read it at your leisure and without the fuss of finding it in your inbox.
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Celebration
Easy assignment. Photos of celebrations. They are always fun. And yes, they can 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
3 blind photographers. Very interesting view of how they photograph and “see.”
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.
Very nice edition as usual. Take care of you and your eyes!