Category Archives: One Shot

Leica, One Shot, Street Photography

September 8th, 2017 … One Shot Per Shoot … Leica M

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Andre’ and I set out for a walk-a-bout in town. Now, just bear with me ok. Andre’ and I communicate telepathically and as we are walking around, we have conversations about making photos. See, I used to just walk with Andre’ and talk openly. See, I live in Philly and that behavior is kinda accepted. Now I have a doctor that tells me I can talk to anything just don’t let others and especially him know I’m doing it. So now I just talk with Andre’ telepathically and we get along fine.

I find it interesting how things off camera seem to effect me on camera. We were strolling thru Jeweler’s Row and I’ve seen this corner so many time over the past decades. I don’t really look at jewelry but I like to see people looking at jewelry. I don’t deliberately go and work on any particular theme or series. I like to just be free to make photos. Way back in early 70’s, I had a friend that told me I was good at social commentary. He called me the man on the street, the Philly photographer. Well, I searched in libraries and talked with people cause I hadn’t a clue what social commentary even was.

The point is, that we have things in our head and at times they will activate. When they do, you may or may not be receptive to the input. I learned thru the ages to pay attention to these things growing inside. What you learn is a part of what you are. What you are is a part of what you make photos of.

I’m not explaining the photo above. You either get it or you don’t.

Dreamcatcher, One Shot, Street Photography, Streetshooter

November 17, 2016 … Random Thoughts … Random Photos … Fuji X100T

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Just when ya think your ok, the gremlins knock at your door and let you know maybe your not. It’s so easy to take things for granted or to get complacent. Well, Andre the Fuji X100T doesn’t like me to be complacent. He is the image stimulator. As the country is in turmoil and disbelief and un-trusting to name a few things, that energy creeps into our creative energy. I guess it’s food for the photos and we all need that. Truthfully, with all the ruckus going on around me, I really don’t see much difference. I would like to but I am  blinded by the , hmmm…ummm… dare I say light? Nah…. something else. Don’t know what it is but I’m fighting it off really well without knowing what I’m fighting.

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What I do notice is the growing number of homeless on the streets. I also see many more shooters out there. I also notice nicer cameras that people are wearing. I said this was random thoughts and it is. I notice the temperature is higher then one would expect for this time of year. There’s a quality of light that just gets me intoxicated and I never have enough of it. It sculpts the land and the people in a way that adds an emotional dimension that is hard to describe but it’s lovely to live in it. The texture, the tone, the intensity, all just get me going.

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I think Garry nailed it when he said, he photographs things to see what they look like as a photograph. I been looking at this kind of scene for a while.. I ride Septa Bus and Elevated almost every weekday. Yes I have a car but I prefer being in life rather than driving thru it. Besides, this in Philly and there are 2 ppl that have a drivers license that they took the test for and I’m one of them. Many others seem to buy it at K-Mart or Pep Boys etc. Well, they drive that way. I think the time of the seasons doe have an effect as to what and how we tune into things.

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So Wouter has been posting few words and more photos on a weekly basis. I may do the same because I might just feel things better.

Be Blessed and C sharp and B natural.

 

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, One Shot, Philosophy of Street

Streets of Atlantic City … A Visual Diary … Page 62 … The Difficulty of a Single Shot

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All along I have been going out like I was fishing. I mean every fisher person wants that big ass LUNKER. So they fish and fish and hope for the BIG ASS LUNKER SON OF A BITCH FISH THAT WEIGHS 700LBS AND IS 45′ LONG. What a tale to be told. Well, photography is very similar if you think about it…. and even if you don’t think about it.

See, we have cameras that shoot 2000 FPS and get each exposure perfect and I mean damn perfect! But maybe I’m going off on one of my Streetshooter needs some candy modes or tangents. Well, here it is, nice and neat and compact with all the frills taken out and left stripped bare ass naked and just the facts counselor, just the facts.

What it comes down to is this. It’s really about the Inverse Square Law again and me thinks we ain’t gotz no choice but to abide by dat dere law. It says kinda simply stated that less is more and more is less.

So to apply that to our work is difficult. I mean it’s easy to go out and think about getting some photos that you like but damn….it’s a Mother Fugger, (no cursing here) to just go out and search for just 1 photo. Sure, maybe you shoot 25,789 frames per hour but you just need that one BIG ASS LUNKER of a PHOTO. to make the day. This, my friends, is not an easy task.

I have been doing this for a long time and I fall prey to my have fun with my cameras and don’t worry about making a good photo cause tomorrow is another day anyway. Well, is it really. I mean who’s got the inside info on when we exit the stage?

I’m not saying that every photo should be worth dying fir, don’t get it wrong.

I am saying that every photo you feel connected to is worth living for.

…………………………………………….end transmission…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Black & White, Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, One Shot, Philosophy of Street

Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 42 … Ricoh GRII … One ShoT pEr ShOOt

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01-16-0197-EditThe winter has arrived in Philly. I don’t know about the rest of the country but here in Philly, it’s winter. How do I know. I had mom (Ricoh GRII) out and we were walking around. One of the last things Mom said to me before she died was….”I just don’t want to be cold”. I told her, …”You won’t be cold Mom, I promise”. Well, Mom, my Ricoh GRII is cold in my hand. Real cold. I was walking and thinking how much I hate the cold.

Tanya dresses me like Mom would do in the winter when I was a kid.  I had Long Johns on and a sweatshirt and a down coat that is made for Artic temperatures. It was like 22F outside and I was sweating like it was Summer. The Ricoh GRII named Mom was in my hand in the pocket. Ohhh, yes, yes, yes, lest I forget. I had the Rich GV-2 Finder mounted on top. It’s very small and i used it on my GR and also the GRD4. Best way to describe it is, Pocket Catcher Oner Thingy. Oh yeah, catches on the pocket everytime I pull it put.

That’s not a bad thing and it actually has firmware that Ricoh puts in the finder. See, The camera belongs in your hand and ready to work, not in the pocket. Ricoh knows this and installed an intuitive pocket catch procedure so that you learn not to pocket the camera when your supposed to be shooting.

It works, I pulled the camera out even knowing how much mom detested the cold and then I saw this photo waiting to be caught and….

….  Click!

Have a blessed day all youse….. shooter out……………………………………………………………………………….

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, One Shot, Street, Street Photography

Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 41 … Ricoh GRII … One ShoT pEr ShOOt

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So Mom and I are out trying to find some photos. That’s right. Trying to find. See, there are photos all over out there. Oh, sorry. Please forgive my rudeness. Mom is the name of my Ricoh GRII. Anyway, we went for a walk and was waiting for some photos to greet us. See, if you aren’t open minded and open hearted, then you’ll spend your life seeking photos. That’s ok but then you miss all the photos that are trying to find you. Yes, that’s right. They want to be found by you so you may bring them to life.

Here’s an example. Your walking around looking at everything in existence near you. That’s a chore in itself. Then you see something and click. I know everyone here is tuned into things enough to realize that this is not a one-way relationship. Sure, we all know that Photography is a 2 way and reciricol relationship. That’s common knowledge. So why amI writing this? Good question and I can’t really answer it either. I think each of you can answer for yourself. All except that guy in the blue shirt. He’s a sculptor not a shooter.

So as I was walking I felt that brisk cold air on me cheeks. The face cheeks, ok. Ya know, the light in Winter here in Philly has a very special feel to it. It’s crisp and clear. Lighting things harshly but also gently. The shadows are never so alive as in the winter. I was watching the shadow play all over the place and then out of nowhere. This wall was put up on Market to block the entrance to theGallery. Ed Bacon would have a knipshun. So I saw the shadows dance against the wall and it was beautiful. The shapes and intensity varied by the second as the light changed. I was watching and then all the sudden….CLICK!

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, One Shot, Philosophy of Street, Street, Streetshooter

Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 40 … Ricoh GRII … One ShoT pEr ShOOt

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Twas the night of the day and all thru the streets, I was out with my camera some photos to meets, huh? Yeah shooter, yourstarting to loses it. Hmmm who you anyway?

So it goes in the mind I’m wrestling with. I never have complete peace of mind even in just a piece of mind. Maybe that’s too much to ask for, dunno and dunno about caring anyway. I know this or, at least, I think I know this but maybe not really know this but I try to live with know-ing this.

See photography for shooters is based on the concept of discovery and self-discovery. We make photos that we uncove things out there and discover or  try to discover the meaning of and also we try to discover what we are about in the photo. These are things that don’t go away. I mean I have a seat in my brain for unresolved issues. It’s always a full seat.

As it turns out, if we don’t address the clutter of knowledge and anti-knowledge in our brains, we can’t focus on the subject at hand. Pun Intended,  Maybe this sounds kinda boring and useless but think about this. How many have an understanding of what’s going on in thier work. I know, I know… that’s what discovery is about. Granted, truth but!!! If you don’ t have an idea what your looking for how do you expect to find it. How do you think you’ll recognize it?

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I remember Ding explaining to me about the consistancy of vision and how the masters learned that and stuck to it. He showed me many prints that spanned decades in the work of many photographers. Even the grand Master Kertesz had a very consistant vision. Vision is not so much what you see but how you see. I studied the prints of countless masters and after a while, I could look at a photo and pretty much tell who made it. I can still do that today.

The work doesn’t live in the shooter, the shooter lives in the work. Good work has the signature of the shooter but the work stands on it’s own. I guess this is really about SIGNATURE. This is not about a watermark or copyright on the image. It’s not a technical thing that can be recognized like that. Signature is the definable presence of the shooter in the image that is embedded for all time. It is recognizable as as the thoughts and emotions of the maker. Recognizing your own signature allows the freedom to be selective in your work and also to know what your doing.

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So I look at what I’m doing and see what I’ve done and maybe, just maybe I can see myself. That’s a major statement to make and even more to observe. Some times when I’m feeling kinda lost, I just look at my history and seek a new direction. To be honest, it don’t usually work for me.

I see what I see and the way I see most times. What changes for me is why I see what I see.

….more ramblings after my visit at my Shrink. He no doubt will attempt to loosen up some brain pixels in me…….

 

 

 

 

 

One Shot, Philosophy of Street, Street, Street Photography, Streetshooter

Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 37 … Olympus Pen EP-5 … One ShoT pEr ShOOt

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Did ya ever feel like your going against the flow that others do? How about feeling like you’re alone and there are many others around? How about you doubt yourself and what you’re doing? Not a pretty picture huh. Oh, oh. How about your making photos and you’re unsure if others like them.

Shooter, what the hell, you are in my head again. Well, I ain’t a meanin’ to be in yer head as I gotz nuff going on in my own. If you’re feeling any or some or even more of these things, you’re doing good. You just landed in the land of non-complacency. It’s a ruff terrain with little or no real support. No hiding from the real you. Your alone and ya start to wonder why everything is so damn hard and it feels like there’s no reward.

You see all those people marching to the beat of the same drummer? See how comfortable they are, no issues as they are one and all the same. Isn’t that a nice picture..BUT WAIT! Look, closer my friends, alas…there’s a face looking the other way. The HORROR! How out of place this person is. Why are they different? What made them that way? Is that a man, a woman or what?

I get asked a lot from friends etc about, how to stand on their own and see their photos as unique amongst the masses. The land of complacency and mass acceptance swallows up many individual people every second. That hunger that wants to devour us has an insatiable appetite and is coming for you any minute.

Look at the photo…. now imagine your face on that face… take your camera and get the hell out there… You are not alone, but there’s not around…get used to it…

………………………end transmission……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, One Shot, Philosophy of Street, Street, Street Photography

Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 35 … Ricoh GRII … One ShoT pEr ShOOt

12 Comments

12-15-0113

Ruth and I, ummm hold on. I better explain. My GRII is named Ruth. I named her Ruth after my mother. She died a while ago and I wanted to name this camera after her. I didn’t name the GRII to give new life to Mom. I did it because Mom gave me life at birth and several times during our time together. I am hoping naming the GRII after her will give me life once again.

Well, I never called my mom by her name, Ruth. Maybe once or twice for a reaction but never because I felt it disrespectful.

So, being the fool that I am, I named the GRII Ruth and I should have called it Mom. So maybe this post is the official Ricoh GRII renaming procedure post. From now on I will call the camera, Mom.

So Mom and I, the Ricoh GRII formally known as Ruth went to the streets to look for a photo. I know, I know. The photos are looking for me too. Well, it’s been slim pickings in the shooter heart and mind. I  mean, there’s stuff out there, but I like to detach from others and myself mostly and find out there what’s in my head. Sometimes what’s out there isn’t in my head and I accept those photos graciously. Then there are those photos that seem to be a collaboration of what’s out there and what’s in my head.

So I am off on a tangent again. Well, that’s what I do. I am working with a few people here in Philly and we are now at the shoot but use just one photo part of the course. Having in your mind that you need just one photo that does it for you is a very difficult way to work. Imean it’s easy to burn many shots on an SD card. Then go to LightRoom and edit. It’s important to know how to edit in your processor, but it’s more important to know how to edit before release. So by doing the one shot per shoot method, it helps to focus me on what I’m working on. It will help you too.

There was a protest at City Hall about the Mayor and his Immigration Ideas. When I was younger I’d be all over the place shooting from the ground, the sky, laying down. flying by, on top of people and anything else I wanted to do. The paper loved it. So when I was walking and just feeling the vibe of the day, I came upon the scene. I listened carefully to the lady with the megaphone. She had a powerful but lovely voice. Smart. You kinda listened to her talking and the info got into your heart where she wanted it to be. Awesome. Well, I didn’t understand jack shit what she was saying cause she was speaking a language other than English. Oh, she was speaking American but not English.

Lucky for me I have a very clear understanding visually about communication. Isn’t that what shooters do, no? Well, I felt the vibe of solidarity and peace. The press shooters were all over singling out the most interesting faces for the spread in their paper whatever.

For me, it’s about the solidarity of the nothing. The nothing people that want to be heard and counted for. The people that become masses and even collateral. That’s why they are protesting. The want and deserve to be heard. Well, the words had less meaning for me then their presence. Not because I didn’t understand their version of the American Language but because I understand the universal version of the visual language.

I looked around and the I saw the shadows that hadn’t been there 30 seconds prior. If I shot the people and that would be the normal way to do this, then it would be about individuals instead of the reason they are there. So I was framing and it just wasn’t perfect. I could feel it going to either happen or quickly fall apart. hen for no reason at all except to make me happy in the here and now, then all the sudden….the to shadows in the center held hands and I knew that it was the shot. CLICK!

Have a blessed day my friends, seeya on my next outing. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

One Shot

November 21st, 2014 … One Shot Per Shoot … (Gerry Suchy)

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Don,

Here you go. I have been by this shoe shine stand in Union Station, Washington, DC dozens of times during the week and it’s always very busy and almost impossible to frame up a clean shot. This was on a early Saturday morning. Very little traffic and only one customer and one shoe shine man who was able to educate his customer about the art of the shine. The expressions on their face did it for me as well as the subtle light streaming through the skylights on the roof.
DETAILS /
CameraX-E2
Focal Length 27mm
Shutter Speed 1/60 s
Aperture f/3.6
ISO/Film 1600
The other shot is from a trip to Brooklyn, NY over the Summer. This is the Brooklyn Heights Promenade that overlooks lower Manhattan. Everybody and their brother is after the post card shot of the skyline. I spotted this mom and her young daughter dressed up in this fairy princess outfit. I had no idea what this conversation was about but I captioned it. “Discussing the option of becoming an investment banker on Wall Street if the fairy princess thing doesn’t work out.”
DETAILS
CameraX-E2
Focal Length35mm
Shutter Speed1/400 s
Aperturef/6.4
ISO/Film200
Take care of yourself and thanks again.
Gerry
One Shot, Street Photography, Streetshooter

October 22nd, 2014 … The One Shot Per Shoot Project … Open Call Cont’d

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I’d like to thank all of the shooters who sent me their photos and words from the heart. I am posting them on the IE blog as stated but I can only do so many a week. Anyway, the project continues and if you did send in, do so again and if you didn’t, why, what’s that about?

Send a photo from a shoot and a paragraph about the experience of making it to: streetshooter.us@gmail.com

Side Note. I also select from the mix of people that send in to get an interview in the magazine. I’m just sayin’.