I spent some more time in New York a couple of weeks ago… I had planned on a formal, big lights, full on Street|Portraits set-up, but unfortunately things didn’t quite go according to plan… I wouldn’t say that it was a total and complete disaster because gear issues not withstanding, I did manage to get setup in SoHo to make a few images. During a normal Street|Portrait session I would say I generally average about a 5 to 1 rejection-acceptance rate when approaching people to make portraits. That day was seriously about 25-1. At a minimum. Actually, I don’t think that I have ever been rejected so much in my life (and there were some surprisingly hostile rejections thrown in there). It was kind of discouraging actually. To this point my Street|Portrait sessions have been pretty smooth sailing. Lots of interested and interesting people, lots of great interactions. I really learned quite a bit from this flop of a session. Better ways to approach, better ways to set-up, better ways to interact. Anyways, live and learn, right?
A few of my favorite images from the setup:
I brought the little G10 again and kept it slung over my shoulder for most of the trip. My favorite street photography images are ones made in transition. Images from planes, trains, street corners, sidewalks… Beyond that, I enjoy images that evoke a general feeling, a sense of place. These kinds of images work best when viewed in tandem, collected and lumped together. No one image has to be the greatest single photograph on the planet, but rather the hope is that each shot builds on the one before it, next to it, until you have a resonating, cohesive, emotive sense of place. If you have been to New York, I would hope the images help you recall the sights and the sounds and the smells you have stored in your memory of the place. Street photography works best when it sparks something already inside you.
So, in that context, here are a few images made in transition:
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