Issue 182 of the SNYC Newsletter
Greetings everyone. In this issue are photos that I took during my street photography workshop during the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. These are not the photos of the people in costume (except the photo above.) Those photos will be in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.
The Mermaid Parade is a celebration of the Summer Solstice. So no matter where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, it is officially summer now. Gotta love the long daylight days for street photography! I have even had a few days recently when I have 2 private street photography workshops in one day.
I have the great good fortune of meeting so many amazing people from around the world and shooting the streets with them. Everyone from different backgrounds and level of experience and with a desire to capture street photography and improve their photography.
Thank you to everyone who has taken my workshops, written TripAdvisor reviews and to all the new and regular subscribers to this newsletter. I share my experiences and feelings about street photography here and I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions. As always, 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.
Observing and Shooting
What do you see when you look at the world around you? We can both stand next to each other in the middle of Midtown Manhattan and see something different. We are after all both different.
So why is it that people feel that their street photos should look the same as other’s photos? With social media there is a tendency to feel a need to fit in to it all.
Is it acceptance that people are looking for? Or are you looking to use photography as a personal form of communication? It’s not that one is correct and the other is not. Rather, you should think about what your purpose is.
Photography has always been a personal form of expression for me. I don’t really know any other way. It is a journey of discovery and it is very much about experiencing life and observing humanity.
I shoot in the same neighborhoods over and over again. The only times that I find myself bored with them is when I’m tired or not feeling well. Or when trying to force the situation.
Sometimes you have to be patient. There aren’t usually multiple opportunities simultaneously. The best thing is to stand still and just observe. Perhaps it is similar to a meditative state.
But to achieve this kind of state of observation, you must first gain control of your camera. The first and most important thing you need to do is to be able to forget about your camera for the most part.
As you may have heard me say before, I’ve been shooting in full manual mode for a number of months now. And I’m really liking the results. I know, people are saying, really?
The majority of photos that you’ve seen here in the newsletter and on social media were taken in Auto mode with very minimal processing. That means I can really focus on the activity of shooting.
You should always shoot in the manner that works best for you. Make it simple and get beyond the technology. The most important thing when shooting street photography is observing and shooting.
Forget about previewing your photos. That’s for later. In my workshops, we always start by testing our exposures. Unless the light changes, you can forget about fiddling with the camera.
Observe and shoot and repeat. Oh, and always be happy shooting. It’s fun.
My Mantra
If you would like to become a better photographer, my mantra is this:
Shoot often. The more you shoot, the better you get.
Experiment. Shooting in Auto Mode was an experiment for me.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Some of my mistakes turned out to be a new method of shooting and that I learned to like.
Look at the photos of others. Not online. Books are the best. Libraries are a good source. Or like me, I buy a lot of books.
Just keep doing it!
Biweekly Photo Assignment -Messages
There are messages everywhere. Maybe it’s a street sign, a shop sign, street art, a message on a piece of clothing. Whatever you choose, it’s the written word in your photo. Yes, it’s always about creativity.
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
I love the photography of Ernst Haas. And Alex talks about experimenting in this video! What a coincidence.
The Substack app is a really good way to read this and many other newsletters at your leisure as well as reading issues from the archive.
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. Thank you for your patience and Stay Safe!
I definitely fiddle around too much with exposure...
To want to fit in is surely related to the want to be apprecieted, which at least I want to be. But of course the solution is not to adjust.