Eternally Conflicted

My friend Jeff sent me a link to public radio WNYC’s exploration of New York City street photography; its roots, what some photographers try to achieve, and even a street shot challenge open to everybody via Flickr.

There is almost too much here to see at one sitting, so either clear out your schedule for an hour or bookmark it and come back, because it deserves your attention.

So far, my favorite part is the videos of street photogs at work talking about what they do. I love hearing other photographers talk about photography, and the three I’ve seen so far have not let me down.

Jamel Shabazz
“When it comes to the drugs, the violence, enough of that stuff already. I’m looking for something different.”
Sandra Roa
“The truth is it’s not that easy…It’s about trust and that means time.”
Bruce Gilden
“If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, it’s a street photograph.”

I spent a few years living in Rego Park, Queens just over 10 years ago and did some street photography while over there. Actually, I had no clue what I was doing, so calling it street photography might be a stretch (usually a grasp of f-stops and shutter speeds help when you take a picture). I did come up with a couple of shots, some how, some way, that, at least to me, still stand up. Maybe someday I’ll go through my negatives again and see if I lucked into anything else.

A few photos from a two-day series the paper put together on our local emergency room. Day one focused on the people who work there while day two looked at the patients.

I took my Rolleiflex film camera in and did what I could. I was actually really happy with the way these came out. It’s strange using a manual focus camera with a viewfinder that makes you look down instead of directly at the subject. On the other hand, it forces you to go slow — in a good way — while increasing the connection to whoever you’re photographing.

Plus you get to work with film, which I still love. Just something about it…maybe a warmth, but not in a color sense.

Girls playoff soccer — a fun game to shoot that went into double overtime with the home team putting together a come from behind victory. One of those games that made the hair on your arm stand-up.