Street Photography Magazine Podcast

Our guest this week is Ashley Tillery, a street photographer from Arlington, Virginia. Raised in a military family Ashley moved around a lot as a child which exposed her to many different cultures and places. But it wasn’t until after college while working as a folklorist in rural Alabama that she found the inspiration to begin photographing communities of color. And she has been doing it ever since. Fast forward to today, armed with only an iPhone she continues to follow her passion documenting the people she meets in the DC metro area. Currently she shoots in the Gallery Place / Chinatown area of downtown DC. Here she focuses on making compelling and personal street portraits of perfect strangers. It’s through her work that Ashley was invited to join the DC Street Photography Collective, which is high praise indeed. Don’t get me wrong, Ashley does more than make portraits. She captures candid moments on the street too. All within her mission to document the lives of people of color. Ashley is smart, friendly and funny which enables her to connect with her subjects in a very personal way. She gets close, not just physically but emotionally which is evident in her work. It’s obvious that she gains the trust of her subjects who respond in kind. The result is a visual narrative of a community most of us only see from a distance. After you listen to my conversation with Ashley be sure to spend some quality time with her work. A Selection of Ashley’s Photos Links From the Show Ashley’s WebsiteAshley’s InstagramAshley’s FacebookDC Street Photography CollectiveDC Street Photography Collective InstagramRobert Trejo Jr.Eyes on Main Street

Lifelong New York street photographer and educator, Harvey Stein, has published 9 books throughout his career and I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with him about several of them over the years. When he finished his latest book, Then and and There, Mardi Gras 1979 we got together on a Zoom call to discuss the book and what he’s working on currently. This book is quite different from Harvey’s past monographs. Its created from a collection of polaroid photos he made over 40 years ago at the Mardi Gras with a Polaroid SX70 “instant” camera. Something used by millions of consumers at the time to photograph family holidays and vacations. In fact my mother had one and it’s still around here someplace. There is only one printing of the book, once it’s gone there will be no more. You can obtain a signed copy directly from Harvey by sending him an email at hsteinfoto@aol.com. During our conversation I learned much more that the backstory behind the photos. Because it’s also about how Harvey made a real book, one that will be in peoples’ personal collections and in libraries for generations. All from a box of photos that he had tucked away in a drawer and almost forgotten. It’s a story about how putting yourself out there and taking risks to show your own work can lead to unexpected opportunities. It’s a story about overcoming the restrictions of the pandemic by using your photographic vision to tell stories about the people and places near you that were overlooked in the past. And it encourages you to follow your interest and imagination to create projects that will hone your own skills and enrich the lives of your subjects. Harvey is always a gas to speak with, and I always learn something new each time we speak. I come away from those conversations looking at my own work a little differently. I hope you will too when you have a listen to our conversation. About Harvey Harvey Stein is a professional photographer, teacher, lecturer, author and curator based in New York City. He currently teaches at the International Center of Photography and has taught in several undergraduate and graduate photography programs. Stein frequently lecturers on photography both in the United States and abroad. He was the Director of Photography at Umbrella Arts Gallery, located in the East Village of Manhattan from 2009 to 2019 until it lost its lease and closed.  He has curated 66 exhibits since 2007. His photographs have been widely exhibited in the United States and Europe-89 one-person and over 165 group shows to date.  His images are in more than 57 permanent collections including the George Eastman Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago,  the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Bibliotheque Nationale.  He has had nine books of his photographs published, including Coney Island 40 Years (2011) and his two recent books, Mexico Between Life and Death (2018) and Then and There: Mardi Gras 1979 (2020). His work is represented by Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York City. See Harvey’s work on his website www.harveysteinphoto.com and @stein.harvey on Instagram. Photos from the book Links from the show Harvey’s WebsitePhotographing People with Intention Zoom Course 10/6/20 – 11/10/20Harvey’s InstagramHarvey’s Facebook Other Interviews with Harvey on Street Photography Magazine Street Photography Magazine Featured Photographer July 2014New York Street Live “Briefly Seen” by Harvey SteinMexico Between Life and Death – Interview with Harvey SteinPodcast Interview November 2015

One of the great frustrations in the digital age is that e easy it is to make your photography available to the world, yet so difficult to get people’s attention and to take the time to look. Street and documentary photographer Chris Suspect, the Street Photography Magazine featured photographer in August 2020 issue, has figured it out. He regularly enters his work in competitions, attends festivals (at least he did when you could do that sort of thing) and just getting to know people personally. And most recently is self publishing a series of photo books, which have been very successful. After speaking with Chris I realized that he is the living embodiment of the old adage “Don’t wait for the phone to ring.” In this free sample of the interview from our most recent issue of SPM, Chris Suspect, shares the details about how he creates and promotes his self-published books. Plus he tells us the story behind his latest book, Old Customs. Links from the show Chris’ website Chris’ book Old Customs Chris’ Instagram Photos from Old Customs

When you ask Kevin Fletcher of Portland, Oregon what he does he’ll tell you that he’s an image maker. Like all good elevator speeches there’s so much more to it. Professionally he is an independent Directory of Photography who does commercial work around the world, most recently for Netflix. And he’s working towards doing more narrative work like short films. As a visual artist he is also a damn fine street photographer who applies the rigorous skills of filmmaking to his still photograph. Earlier this year he completed a personal project titled 82nd Avenue of the Roses about an urban street in Portland. That project won the Lensculture 2020 Street Photography Series award against some tough competition. We include some of the images in this article so you can see for yourself. During our discussion Kevin tells us about his motivation for creating the project and how is cinematography experience influences his street photography. In the process he gives us insight as to how filmmakers think throughcomposing and lighting scenes and how those skills apply to photographing in the moment on the street. One thought that really stuck out to me from our conversation is that Kevin says not to make editing decisions while shooting. Basically do only one thing at a time. When you are making images, don’t think about which you will keep or discard later, just keep shooting and focus only on making photographs. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Links from the show Kevin’s Website Lens Culture 2020 Street Photography Awards Stephen McLaren Drive Lincoln Project The Third Man movie Endeavour television series Selections from Kevin’s 82nd Avenue of Roses Project

Our guest this week is Montana documentary photographer Kelly Gorham is a former photojournalist, filmmaker and Director of Visual Media at Montana State University. As a filmmaker he is about to finish a PBS documentary film, titled Mavericks, about the story behind the ascendancy of Montana skiers to the heights of competitive freestyle skiing. In fact Kelly is a former competitive freestyle skier himself. Well into his career, Kelly attended the prestigious Kalish Workshop for Visual Storytelling in Rochester New York. He says it was an amazing experience that changed his life and how he approaches his work. As a lifelong resident of Montana he learned patience by photographing wildlife in Yellowstone National Park near his home. He would seek out a beautiful background and wait for hours and sometimes days for animals to wander through to make a few good frames. He uses this same approach when photographing on the street in the cities he visits while traveling. Whenever I conduct an interview, whether for our podcast or the magazine I always try to learn at least one new thing from our guest. I figure if I learn something you will too. Recently I’ve been trying to do more documentary work and I’v been looking for ways to become a better visual storyteller. I knew I was missing something fundamental, but I didn’t know what. It’s been a frustrating experience trying to figure that out on my own. Then during our conversation Kelly explained how he approaches a new documentary project I had an “aha moment.” You know the old adage says, “when the pupil is ready, the teacher appears?” That’s what happened to me. Kelly opened my eyes to something that has been in front of me all along. I didn’t quite realize it at the time. That little piece of advice means a lot to me. I need to thank him for it. So please take the time to listen to my conversation with Kelly and I hope you will benefit from it as much as I did. Links from the show Kelly’s website Kelly’s Instagram Mavericks documentary film Kevin Carter’s Starving Child and Vulture photo Kalish Workshop for Visual Storytelling Arnold Newman, portrait photographer A selection of Kelly’s street photos Street scenes in New York City. January, 2020. Photo © Kelly Gorham. Bremen, Germany ©Kelly Gorham Minneapolis Airport © Kelly Gorham

Although the Coronavirus is not currently in the headlines that doesn’t mean it’s gone away. On the contrary it’s still there and just as dangerous. Now that we’re collectively letting our guard down I fear that it will come roaring back. But I hope I’m wrong. Like you, I’m sick of hearing about it. The disease has taken it’s toll on family and friends, the economy and to a lesser extent our work as street photographers. It’s been a drag being locked up for the past few months and to be honest I’ve been in a funk. It’s caused me to put aside many of my good habits and I’ve lost interest in getting out to make new images. That’s why Ashley and I pulled together a panel of longtime street photographers to discuss how the pandemic has affected their personal work, businesses and psyche. The panel is Lauren Wellesvaler from New York, Valérie Jardin in Minneapolis, and Jens Krauer in Zurich, Switzerland. We got together in a live town hall format via Zoom on June 3. I knew intuitively that we’re all facing the same issues, but the act of talking about it with other photographers made it sink in. For me it was a cathartic experience. Valérie said that this has been a stressful experience for everyone and dealing with stress requires energy. We only have so much energy available so something has to give. Why didn’t I think of that before? For your convenience we embedded the replay video in this podcast post in case you prefer to watch it. But because this is a podcast I assume you’re on the go and not able to sit down to watch. Therefore this episode includes the audio portion of the discussion for your listening pleasure. Up next is our discussion about Street Photography during the pandemic. Video Replay

Although Debby Cole, a former business owner and corporate executive from Austin Texas, spent spent most of her adult life as a landscape photographer she never considered street photography until she attended (almost by accident) a workshop with Valerie Jardin in Paris. Debby says it changed her life. Since then Debby has traveled the world to connect with people and sharpen her skills. Even during the height of the pandemic, Debby ventures out almost daily to discover new things to photograph in Austin. Her transformation into a passionate street photographer was so profound that she was compelled to record her experience in a new book, Letting Go, How Less Becomes More. Links from the Show Debby’s Photography Website Deborah Cole Connections Valérie Jardin Website Peter Turnley Website A selection of Debby’s street photos Better Together. ©2020 Deborah Cole High Tea ©2018 Deborah Cole Generations ©2018 Deborah Cole Errands ©2019 Errands Stripes ©2018 Deborah cole SoCo At Rest ©2020 Deborah Cole Morning Stroll ©2020 Deborah Cole

Like you I’m learning how to become better at the this elusive art form we call street photography. No matter how much I know or have learned there’s always more. It’s like crossing the ocean. Once you reach the horizon, what do you see? Another horizon. So each time I interview a street photographer for the magazine, our podcast or just a regular conversation I alway try to come away with at least one lesson or insight that I can apply to my own work. I ask about things that I struggle with hoping that they are issues that may affect you to. After all we’re all on different paths up the same mountain. Recently I had a conversation with Swiss street and documentary photographer Jens Krauer. I’ve been a fan of his work for quite some time and thanks to an introduction from writer and photographer Gina Williams I had an opportunity to meet him. Several years ago Jens left a secure career in the corporate world to pursue his passion for street and documentary photography. To finance his personal projects he takes on paid commercial photography video production gigs. On the street Jens is a keen observer of not only light, but the key elements in an often chaotic scene. Then zeros in to work the scene when possible. And is extremely mindful of the photos he chooses for public display by being a ruthless curator of his own work. Rather than publishing hundreds of his images on his website and Instagram he shows only a handful of his best work. Jens says he prefers to be known for five great images rather than being famous on Instagram. I found him to be very insightful, thoughtful and willing to share his experience. I’m sure you will too. Links from the Show Jens’ website Jens’ Instagram A selection of street photos by Jens

Matt Jerrams sheltering in place. I hope you’re are enjoying yourself sheltering in place. Of course not. It has been an interesting time, hasn’t it. Because we’ve been stuck inside Matt Jerrams and I got together the other day to record an episode indulging our favorite guilty pleasure which is street photography gear. If you are a regular reader of Street Photography Magazine or listener to this podcast you probably know that we don’t talk much about gear. But that doesn’t mean we don’t like like it. In fact, I’ve found most of us have a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). That’s why Matt and I got together to discuss some of our favorites. I know it may seem a little Fuji-centric at the beginning. That’s because we both shoot with it regularly. But Matt is such a gear head, he’s got plenty for everyone. Have a listen. Links from the show Matt Jerrams Instagram Fred Miranda Website Buy/Sell Forum KEH USCamera World UK RangefinderForum Gear Classifieds Fujix-forum Classifieds Fujixseries Classifieds Fuji-x-forum (similar name, different site): Fuji X USA Buy/Swap/Sell Facebook Group. Fuji Second Hand Market (UK/Europe) Micro 4/3 Forum Classifieds (Sorry for all the Fuji links. I had them in my bookmarks so I thought I’d share them)

I’m back from my trip to New Zealand and getting back into the swing of things. Sorry for being offline for so long. When we left the US things were relatively normal, and in New Zealand it seemed to be business as usual.  Although we watched the stock market melt down on television, out on the streets of New Zealand life was normal.   And on our ship (that’s right we were on a cruise) we were fat,  happy and almost oblivious to the rest of the world. Then all hell broke loose. Our cruise was suddenly cancelled and for a few days we didn’t know how we were going to get home. When we did finally get back (I’ll spare you the details) we landed in a world different from the one we left. Im still trying to get my head around it. I’m sure you’ve had enough Coronavirus talk to fill the rest of the year, so let’s put that aside and talk street photography. Today our guest is Shlomi Amiga. He’s a commercial photographer from Toronto Canada and very active street photographer who has just formed a new collective for Canadian street photographers. Shlomi was also the featured photographer of the month in our September 2019 issue, so be sure to check out him and his work after you finish listening to this. If you’ve ever thought of forming a collective with like-minded photographers this is a good time to do it. If you’re like everyone else you’re stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Shlomi put his group together pretty quickly by starting an Instagram account. So have a listen to my conversation with Shlomi Amiga where he tells us how he made it happen. Shlomi has very graciously offered to perform a few portfolio evaluations for free. If you’re interested you can contact him directly by email at shlomi@shlomiamiga.com or DM him on Instagram at @callmeshlomi. Links from the show Shlomi’s website SPYSPC Instagram Shlomi’s Instagram