Shoot New York City Newsletter
16 June 2022 - The New York School Photographs 1936-1963
Issue 157 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings to everyone new and regulars alike. We’re already half way through the year! How’s your photography going so far? Are you keeping track of the photos that you like? Are you finding inspiration?
Back when I started this newsletter 5 years ago, I regularly featured photographer profiles. Then I kind of stopped doing that. Now I’m planning on starting it up again. In part because of a reassessment of some of my previous ideas on some photographers.
That said, this issue is mainly a book review with individual profiles coming in future issues. Perhaps you will find inspiration in some of them as I do.
Thank you to all the readers and everyone who has taken my workshops and to everyone who has written a review. It’s never too late to write a review, and if you don’t use TripAdvisor, you can email me a review.
As always, Happy Shooting!
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
Reader’s Comments
The Shoot New York City newsletter exists for you, the readers. And, your comments and suggestions are always welcome. One of the major issues of social media sites is that there’s no dialogue.
One reader wrote about the previous issue:
What a great newsletter! Thanks for the tip on FujiXWeekly and film simulation recipes! I didn’t know about them. Perfect timing as my new camera will arrive soon. I also enjoyed exploring the work of the suggested street photographers. Thanks all the great tips and application suggestions.
There is much that we can all share about our experiences in photography and it’s so easy to comment on the newsletter. Just hit reply in your email or on the button below
I love coffee and I love it when I get treated to one :-) But 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 again. Mucho love.
The New York School Photographs 1936-1963
The finest books are written in a kind of foreign language. Marcel Proust
If there’s just one street photography book that I’d recommend, its The New York School Photographs 1936-1963 by Jane Livingston. It does not disappoint.
Lisette Model (1901-1983) is one of the 16 photographers profiled in this beautiful book. It’s a few hundred pages, a large coffee table book and weighs a few pounds. To my delight, it’s under $50.
Lots of photos to get lost in as well as very good text about each of the photographers in it. It is, like an encyclopedia in that it’s a great appetizer to lure you into delving further into each of the photogs.
The photographic style of The New York School is characterized by a conscious breaking of the rules of photography, yet it’s creators do not care about these rules, or about their violation. Jane Livingston, The New York School Photographs 1936-1963
Looking at photos on social media can lead to inspiration. Internet searches can be great for research. Galleries and museums are wonderful but rarely are they comfortable enough to spend more than a minute with an image, if even that long.
Books however are fabulous as you can get lost in them. Tune out from all things digital and take a journey. While this book has great quality reproductions, it also has very thorough writing on each of the photographers as well.
Sid Grossman (1913-1956) cofounded The Photo League of which the members of the cooperative is a who’s who in the photography world. Check them out.
Louis Faurer (1916-2001) had thought that he’d work for Disney illustrating cartoons. Then he discovered photography. Faurer is often forgotten in the mix of great photographers.
Of course, the photos in this book are all film photography and they are reminiscent of days gone by. There is only one color photo in the entire book of about 200 full page photos. One thing that is obvious is that there is often a soft focus and/or a shallow depth of field.
We take for granted that we can shoot with high ISOs and obtain crisp photos. Yes, I am not a fan of sharpness. What’s the most important aspect of a photo is not necessarily that it’s in focus but that the eye focuses on the most important element in it, the subject.
Ted Croner (1922-2005) is another name that of ten gets lost in the shuffle. While we think of The New York School as street photographers, that is not what their work was called at the time.
Each photographer has a style that is uniquely their own. Photography is like poetry. It’s easy to get lost in so many of the photographs in this beautiful book like Croner’s photo above. It’s like a painting that was made with a camera.
I have always instructed people who take my workshops and readers alike to find their own style. I am always still developing mine. Any creative endeavor is a work in progress.
While each of the photographers has their own style, there are a few things that they all shared in common. Yes, the photos are in black and white. Color film was new and costly.
They are all New York photographers and for the most part their work represents the decades from the 1930s-1950s. Their photos represent the times that they lived in.
The above photo by David Vestal (1924-2013) is one that you can still take today. You will need to substitute the cars with modern ones and the hat as well. But perhaps the angle, lines and shadows are enough.
Anyway, this is my brief review of the book and introduction to upcoming photographer profiles. I do hope that you can find some inspiration so far. I love discovering photographers that I was not familiar with and finding new ways to look and shoot.
Biweekly Photo Assignment - Celebration
Celebrations of all sorts, parades, Pride, parties etc, etc.
As usual, you can interpret this assignment and don’t be afraid to post creative photos. I think that it should really be an enjoyable exercise.
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.
By the way, the Substack app is a great way to read the newsletter and you can access previous issues as well.
Further Viewing
Here you get to hear part of an interview with Ted Croner and how he captured this photo. Amazing.
Upcoming Workshops:
Workshops are a maximum of 4 people (with the exception of the Coney Island workshop). Workshops are only being 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!