Early Life Influences

January 20, 2024 streetshooter 8 Comments

I hold the freedom to just put photos in the post that are not directly related to the story, or are they?

There are things and people in my life that I remember so well. It’s not that I remember, it’s that I can never forget.

I grew up in Logan in Philadelphia. I was a teen and there was a girl around the corner. Her name was Harriet. She was older and from a wealthy family. I wasn’t. She had pitch-black hair and pearly white skin. I had never seen anyone that beautiful in my entire life. She was graceful and floated in the air like angels do. I would see her and just be mesmerized. I would have given my life just to share one breath with her.

When I was in High School, my friend and I were hanging out with some kids in another neighborhood. One day, we were all sitting on the porch, playing guitars and stuff. A tall girl with brown hair walked up on the porch. Her name was Karen. She started playing guitar and singing and I just kept falling under her spell that she wasn’t even aware of. Time passed and I just breathed Karen. She liked me also but in a different way.

Then, shortly after, I got my draft notice. I had 10 daze before I was to leave. Karen wrote and sang a song that to this day, I remember every word and nuance of her voice. So, I went to Ft Bragg and Ft McClellan to be a grunt. To cut to the chase, I was sent to VietNam as a grunt. My first firefight was my death and my re-birth. I lost my religion but my spirituality blossomed with a passion. When we were kinda safe and re-grouping, I had a serious thought and feeling. I felt I abandoned GOD and broke the most serious Commandment. That in itself, altered my existence but … the thought of Karen learning about my experiences in Nam and what I did as a soldier, haunted me to a point that I couldn’t live with myself. Even now, decades later, inside my heart and soul, I am not worthy to even breathe her. She is on Facebook and occasionally I post a comment on her stuff.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

There was a girl named Helena. She was lovely and stunning. We dated for a week and then I told her I had to go to Nam. She kissed me and said …: “Good luck, stay safe and I never want to hear from you again or what happened to you “.

I had my Black M-4 and a 35mm Cron with me but didn’t use it for over a month when I got in country. I felt that making photos was a thing for me and might detract from my duty and loyalty to my fellow grunts. Then one day, I just started making photos. I wanted to document my life there. I was doing color because I was using color. Then the guy in the lab told me, “Do B&W because color gets screened and censored if there is blood in the photo. B&W is ok cause you can’t see red.

I was shooting pics like crazy. Even on our missions, I made many photos. One day, we were out and the shit hit the fan. It was a nightmare and I did my job but also made many photos of the scene. After an hour or so, we regrouped again and got the guys loaded on a chopper for the medivac. Even bodies, I made photos of. A tall husky man with 3 cameras on his neck and shoulder came to me and asked, Are you Larry Burrows? Then he smiled. He said, I watched you and you must have great shots. I knew he was a pro and I was impressed. He went with us on many missions. One day, we were looking at my photos and smoking dinky dau and he said… Don, what are you gonna do with your photos? I smiled and said, I’m gonna make a book and it will be a real true look at being a grunt. He said, you have it all in your shots, a great job but… may I mention … how will the mothers, etc feel about seeing their sons mangled, blown up, bodies dismemberd feel? how will Dad feel seeing his beloved son lying there dead? Your photos will affect people for the rest of your life, but not this way. Jock was right. I never thought about the aftermath of my work. I never considered the effect my photos would have on the survivors of my experiences. Jock told me that he could get me a spot in the Library of Congress to house my photos. I agreed knowing that my photography would be safe sleeping and only a distant memory for me when I got home, if I even did. I was 20 years old then and Jock was 48. He was a pro from Australia. He taught me Humanity and Humility and how to do Tequila with Lime.

Jock gave me a Nikon F with a 200m 4.0. He told me to use it so I keep my distance but I never used the camera. My duty and job was to be close, then closer. When I got orders to go home to the world, I gave the camera back to Jock with the same unused roll of Tri-X in it. Jock and I wrote back and forth a few times a year for a while. I found out that Jockngained 60lbs after getting home. He died in 1991 from a Heart Attack,

I’m going to keep this series going because I need to.

Portrait of me by Richard Chaitt,1973

Inspired Eye, Street Photography

Surviving The Carnage To Creativity, Pt 3

December 3, 2022 streetshooter 3 Comments

The Inverse Square Law is always present and always imposes itself upon us. My friend from the late-1970s. Bill once told me…”The struggle to create will make you produce better work. I figured that was some kinda college stuff. I didn’t go to college but Bill did and he told me that. So, in a way, we both benefited from that. He told me that the harder it is to create, the better the work will be. The reason is, time is of the essence. No time to waste makes us appreciate the little time we have.

I was on a walk a bout in center city and I noticed something I haven’t seen in a while. I just looked around and was kinda not shocked but surprised. I didn’t wanna seem old-fashioned because it really wasn’t anything new, just reborn. Anyway, I noticed that most people had faces. yes, it’s true. They seemed to not wear a mask. I hadn’t seen many faces in years. It got to the point that I would walk around and check the mask people wore. I could tell the model easily.

I realized that I was living mask complacency. See, when we see things over and over and take them for granted, we face being complacent. In photography as well as life, maybe the same thing for you, it is for me….being complacent is a very serious issue. I know many have fallen into the “I need someplace or something new and different because I am bored where I am and with what I see syndrome.” It’s nice to try to see things for the first time. Maybe that’s the issue that plagues us.

So, I always felt that seeing something for the first time was kinda naive. I know the masters always used that idea. I’m no master so I can disagree or at least think differently.

If we go out seeking something for the first time, would we recognize that anyway? Would we feel as if we found the virgin thing of vision? Maybe, just maybe we would but….? (looks around cause this may sound crazy)… what about the second time we see that thing. Hey, what about if we see that thing many times?

How long does the first time seeing the virgin thing of vision last anyway? Let’s not even get into the time game, and just relish the first sight of the virgin thing of vision.

This brings us to the fleeting moment of visual time. Maybe we should all strive to live in the fleeting moment of time as we seek the virgin thing of vision.

The issue for me is not the first sight of anything but the aftermath of that site. Am I now seeing a tarnished vision of the first site? THE HORROR! This single fact of the truth of the lie and the lie of the truth puts us at the standpoint of the battle of complacency.

More very soon…

Street, Street Photography

Covid 19 … The More Things Change … the More They Stay the Same

August 8, 2022 streetshooter 12 Comments

My brother Jerry told me this when we were teens. The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same Ya know how things resonate within and without you? Well, this fired up the resonating procedures for a long time, in fact still does. One day I was sitting back and listening to Al Stewart. I heard him sing this lyric and to this day, I can’t figure out how Al Stewart got Jerry’s lyrics. I never saw Al at our home and for sure Jerry never went to England. It baffles me to this minute.

I’ve had other miraculous moments in my life. I won’t bore y’all with the things that amazed me in life. I just hope your open to the magic of what you breathe.

I remember clearly the first time I developed a roll of film. I was around 13 and in the basement of our home. I picked the roll up and looked closely and saw images. I mean WOW!… I actually saw images that I brought to light. I was Merlin of the Image and this was my domain. It was a feeling that totally encompassed my essence. It placed my internal compass in a direction that I felt natural and that I knew my future. The sweet beauty of that reality is present every time I release the shutter.

In fact, just the essence of making photos keeps me alive. I used to snicker at ppl that sat back on the couch, drink beer, and watch football all the time. What a waste of time I thought. I felt they were missing life mainly because they didn’t have a camera. THE HORROR! As time passed, I mean decades, covid and politics entered my photography, I started coming to the realization that I was ok and not too crazy but LIFE was and is crazy. It’s easier to just let things pass and have little effect on you. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t see it as surrendering but see it as, “I can’t do anything about this crap, so leave me alone.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

What does this have to do with photography? Ok, I’ll explain my position. If making photos is a creative outlet, then the energy required is doing the in and out procedures. Energy enters our mind and heart and we process thru and around it to get output, namely photos. Maybe carrying a camera and making photos is our way of detaching from the crap. I think there are many ways to detach things. But, truth be told, when I’m on the streets, I see homeless all over and it upsets me deeply. Here are people living with about nothing and they are unseen. I don’t mean the junkies. They made a choice, live with it. I don’t wanna go off, so I leave it here.

That brings the point up about our current never-ending situation. It’s not easy to rise above the politics and medical stuff. We all go thru it but shooters, need to use the camera. Perhaps if the camera is a tool maybe it’s not a connector. But, you still deal with the energy issue. If the camera is a friend and partner in your creative endeavor, well then it’s more apt to be injured by the negative energy forced upon us. Time to step it up and find a way to keep clean energy and spirits.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So all this chat is now at the point of clarity and direction. It’s very difficult to keep our creative energy alive and kicking in times as we live now. There must be some way out of here said the joker to the thief. My problem is that as much as I reject the bad energy and thoughts from entering my soul, the battle continues. There is no letup and it wears me out. I will never surrender to it all but that means the battle continues.

to be cont’d …..

Philosophy of Street, Street Photography

We are the Messengers and Poets of Society

August 5, 2022 streetshooter 6 Comments

When i was younger, there was a Mayor of Philly named, Frank Rizzo. It was 1976 and we were supposed to celebrate the Bicentennial. Everyone was looking forward to it I would walk the streets and make photos and then, then I realized… I had many shots of homeless people. Rizzo had other plans. From what I understand, he didn’t want people coming to Philly in droves. I mean, how would you screen them?

In my own way, I agreed with the mayor. Probably not for the same reasons, but I was not into people being homeless and hungry while the elite and wealthy were unexposed. I felt the money would be better spent on shelters and food than for people to have a vacation here. 46 years later and i still feel the same.

So, back then I decided to put, my heart where my thoughts and mouth are. In my mind and heart, I was still making photos for all the guys that died in the war. They will be semi-forgotten in time. I felt a duty to make photos for them. i still do. Only now, if a shot doesn’t work, I blame them and not me. Well, I made a self mission to make photos of the homeless on the streets and send prints to the Mayor’s office. I did this weekly for years.

While I was on this mission, I got phone calls at times. One day, the Mayor called me personally and asked me to come to his office. I didn’t think twice about it and I went to his place on the arranged appointment. It took a year for this to happen. He invited me in and I was checked by an LT LEO and he said, he’s clean. I sat at the front of the desk and The Mayor told me a few things. He said you’re a good photographer. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to please everyone in the city? Yes sir but Mr. Rizzo, I make my part easy for you. You don’t have to roam the streets looking for the homeless, I bring them to your desk.

He said, how about i give you some other things to take pictures of and you let this go? I replied, you stop giving me subject matter and I’ll stop making pictures of it. I got the feeling at that moment, that he didn’t appreciate my answer. He said I tell you this, the day will never come that we don’t see the homeless on the streets. I said, Mr. Mayor, I don’t ask you to fix anything, just ask you to try. Ha asked, will you stop sending me pictures> NO! I will always and always continue for whoever is in power.

He patted my shoulder and said, I promise I will always look at every single picture you send. I also will put everyone in the city archives. Maybe you can send them every 2 weeks? It would allow me to do other things too. I left feeling, he’s not a bad man like everyone says he is. No angel but really cares about the residents. I agreed. Then after some time, there was some work being done at some shelters. Better beds and security. Things that make even the homeless feel human.

I can’t say that anything I did was a part of the realization of the situation, but it was a step in the right direction. Our photos may shine a light for others. I still do this mission. Maybe once a month I send files to the city. The current mayor and DA don’t care anyway.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We have the ability to express our hearts and souls because we can. Maybe that’s all that we as poets and messengers get to do.

Dreamcatcher, Photography

It’s not about what you make pictures of …

August 3, 2022 streetshooter 6 Comments

It’s about what you don’t make pictures of …

Olde City, Philadelphia, 1975 Courtesy Richard Chait

Thru the years, actually many of them, I learned when I was younger, I liked to TAKE pictures. When I became a more hip photographer, it became, I like to MAKE pictures. Years would pass and I became a more experienced shooter and I liked to MAKE PHOTOS. Making rather than TAKING, after all, let’s not degrade the fine art aspect of photography. The Horror!

Now that I am in the September of my years, I MAKE IMAGES, not TAKE IMAGES. Proper images at that. Of course, maybe I am the only one that notices or even gives a hoot. Not true but saying it releases a lot of pressure.

Ok, all, grab your camera and let’s go for a virtual walk, It’s fine to use your virtual camera now. A few things to bare in mind. You can make virtual photos of anything you want. As we walk about, whatever suits you to make a photo, do it. Next to me is Jenny. She stops for a second raises the camera and clicks. She asks me to look at the frame and I do. So, we walk a wee bit more and I ask her, jenny, what made you stop our virtual walk and make that photo?

She replied, virtually of course … “well Don, I wanted to see what was missing before the photo. I was connecting my units, as you showed me. I felt it was all together and I realized instantly I needed to make the photo.

UNFINDING EVERYTHING TO FIND YOUR PHOTO

I know I mentioned triggers, sensitivities, sensibilities, and other visual things that make the recipe of a photo. So, what is it that does not conjure up an image in our minds? Is it that we are living in a world that is mundane and we seek the special? That’s maybe a part of it but methinks it’s more than that. I feel that the photo we want to really make and breathe, calls to us. We don’t find anything but something finds us.

There is a special duty a photo could serve. There is a special purpose we could serve to make them. There was a shrink many years ago named, Dr. Murray Banks. He was brilliant and had a very good sense of humor. A quote of his is, “As you go throughout your life, brother whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole.” This sums up the concept, “It’s about what you don’t make pictures of …”

Imagine if you will, that there are some people and you want a photo of just one. This person is in a group but you just want that person. That person will feel special because you singled he, she or trans out. That is a special feeling. But, what of the others that you don’t make a photo of?

That person was worth the memory. In time, and quickly, you will love the memory of that person and the experience. But the others, no memory will survive, Does that mean they aren’t worth the memory or the memory of the experience? I think not. It’s the things that draw us that command a memory. They are not always the first choice but they count and need to be honored with a memory of your life experience that joins yours.

I made a photo of my grandmother sitting on a sofa in her home. It was like 1975. The photo is one of my prized possessions. When I clicked the shutter I was fully aware that the photo would eventually outlive her and in time outlive me. I remember Pop. my grandfather standing 5′ away but he didn’t sit down. He was looking out the window. I made the photo and since then my heart aches because I miss both of them and only have the photo of her. I have the memory of the loss of him.

Philosophy of Street, Street Photography

Surviving The Carnage To Creativity, Pt 2

July 30, 2022 streetshooter 6 Comments

It saddens me that I can’t keep a camera on a neckstrap anymore. It’s not that they are all too heavy, even tho they are. It’s a security issue. I mean, carrying a camera that way is like advertising…. look, money on my neck. For the first time in about 50 years, it’s an issue I am totally aware of. I don’t use a camera bag anymore either. The same issue is about advertising. I do, however, use a waist pack and that’s as safe as it can be.

This isn’t about being discreet, it’s just about avoiding confrontation. I live in Philadelphia. This is the birthplace of our American history in many ways. All the good things that this country is founded on, are right here. If you live here, you feel that kinship with our history. It’s embedded in our DNA. If you smoke crack, do dope, meth, fentanyl, or anything like that, then the history that’s embedded in you, is diluted and you become a danger to yourself and others. So these junkies etc, like cameras. Oh, they love them. See, they are relatively small and valuable.

I bring this up because it’s about the carnage of creativity. Things we used to take for granted, are no longer taken for granted. It comes down to this. The joy of life and its reasons for joy is now under attack and being challenged and destroyed. This is a direct effect of politics but not political. I remember when I was teaching, I taught street security. Yes, it was an issue back then, like 80’s and 90’s.

There was a young girl, 19, who wanted to learn to feel ok making photos on the street. She told me she felt like a plain Jane. She was not comfy with herself and thus felt uncomfy doing almost everything. I told her in no uncertain manner, listen, you don’t know yourself, because no one ever does. We are all caught in the box of uncertainty inside ourselves. Therein, lies all the emotions, both good and bad that make us who we are.

To the world, that is not you. To the world, you are who you project. A few weeks later she told me that my lesson was very intuitive. She was making photos on the street. When someone opposed her, she just said, yeah, your right, wouldn’t be a good shot anyway. By saying that and holding her stance, she reversed the energy and power and made it hers. She would be comfy and kinda have control. Not control of the subject, who cares about that? Only politicians. But she was in control of herself.

Sometimes we can help someone over a personal hurdle and in return besides feeling good, learn about ourselves. So, maybe a way to combat the carnage of creativity is to help someone thru it. ‘

Isn’t that what THE LORD does for all of us?

Photography, Street Photography

Love and Death of the Ricoh GRIIIx

July 27, 2022 streetshooter 6 Comments

When I was an admin at the now defunct Ricoh Forum, it was wished by all that Ricoh would make a GR with a 40mm FOV. See, 28mm and 40mm are a perfect pair. That was in the daze of the Ricoh GRD3 & GRD4. Time moved on and the forum was closed. Pavel was a great guy, dedicated to the group, etc. I guess the financial responsibility was too much to bear himself.

Along came the Ricoh GR. It was an experience that brought many to the Ricoh brand. Time passed again and the GRII was released. An amazing camera. It did things with 16mp that other makers couldn’t match. I took a nap and when I woke…(not WOKE, but woke) and then, there, there it was, the one and only Ricoh GRIII. Now we have a camera that just about kills everything else.

The GRIII never fails to inspire and work with me. But wait my friends, oh yes… there is more than you can imagine or want to. I was out on the street and Muddy the Ricoh GRIII told me he got an internal message from a Ricoh engineer. The message was about a new, real new Ricoh GRIIIx. This new-fangled camera sees at 40mm. That’s right. After 12 years, Ricoh made the 40mm GRIIIx.

Now, you’ll know me and I am not impulsive at all. When it comes to acquiring a new camera, I might just take a full minute to decide. I know, I know… usually 30 sec. So I watched all around and then, then on the eBay listings, there it was. I mean the guy had a listing for a new Ricoh GRIIIx and it was ready to ship. 13 seconds later, he thanked me for the buy. He said it would ship in less than a day. 2 daze later, I had the camera. I immediately named the camera, Peter, after my old friend that passed years ago.

The camera is essentially set up the same as the GRIII. I went for a walk a bout the next day and well, it was nice but I was like…what have you done for me lately? Peter the Ricoh GRIIIx told me, look shooter, I am the new guy. I don’t appreciate you putting pressure on me to perform until we bond. I agreed and quietly apologized. The next day we go out again. I must say… the GRIII is one of my lifesaver cameras. I mean, when I am in a stalemate with life, I take the GRIII out and it saves me and revitalizes my vision.

That being said, I felt the GRIIIx can’t do that. Maybe, because my mind is trained to see 28mm and then Peter makes me see 40mm. Old habits are hard to break. I’m too old to want to do any of that. I waited maybe 12 years for this 40mm Ricoh and now that I have it, I don’t like it. It’s not the 40mm either. My M43 cameras love that Lumix 20mm 1.7. The GRIIIx is a fine camera but not for me. I suppose I need to sell it off. I rather swap out and get something new.

awww, no worries, I have more tales of life and death of my cameras, soon

Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Streetshooter

Surviving The Carnage To Creativity, Pt 1

July 24, 2022 streetshooter 26 Comments

It’s been some time since I wrote anything anywhere. It’s not that I don’t have the thoughts, energy, or ideas. It’s that I am tired of the battles. I am not tired of fighting the battles, just the battles. I am a warrior and will never surrender. So, I had a conversation with my selves. We decided the best way to survive is to get cameras.

See, the attack upon my humanity I can get past someway. The attack on my creative essence is not so easy. After you survive, the residue is carnage. The carnage is what you have to work with to try and get whole again. It demands attention and perseverance to make it.

I address these issues with my cameras. Even my camera cabinet has the presence of carnage. I sold many cameras in the last 2 years. They were Covid sell-offs. I acquired what I really felt a kinship with but alas, our relationship was not strong enough to last. I am kinda the same with wives, that’s why I have 3 exes. It’s not easy to acquire cameras and even more difficult to unload them.

Anyway, I know I’m rambling but I need to clean out the dust in my poor brain. As photographers, we are editors and curators of our lives. With our photos, we shoot and then edit the ones we care about and then curate them to a place of recognition. Maybe not for others but for ourselves and that’s what matters.

So for me, editing is an ongoing process that works in most areas of life. Cameras for example. Have you ever shopped for a camera? Well, editing them lets you decide what you want to keep and what not to keep. Curating is kinda like keeping them on a shelf or working with them.

Editing photos is an entirely different process. It has the way and means to cripple your creative energy and more. There should be ONE pure intent to process editing your work. That is, to satisfy the love and energy of your work for you. No other agenda need to apply. That of course is an impossible task. There are so many internal as well as external pollutants that penetrate our eye, heart, and mind.

I will do my best to reborn the blog. Some have asked for a while and some don’t give a hoot. So I do it for the ones that asked and the ones that never knew about this and for me.

Be Blessed and don’t take any wooden nickles. No, I have no clue what that means but I’m sure it means something.

Inspired Eye, Street

Covid 19 … Philly Tales … Where The Streets Have No Name

May 29, 2021 streetshooter 5 Comments

It was a brite lit morning, and i was on a street making photos. Andre’ the Leica M4 and I were minding our business and then a guy, looks kinda young and frazzled comes up yo us. Andre said t me, no way we are making any photos of this dude. Ok I said. Dude walks closer and me thinks, dude ain’t from around here. I said hi, he said hi. He says, shooter, I’m hungry and wanna get some grub. Andre’ the Leica M4 is freaking out cause howz dude know my name? Dude says, where can I get some breakfast? I said I can’t explain it cause the streets have no name. Dude has this weird look on his face. I can see musical notes coming out his…ummm ears, i won’t say ass cause I gotz too much class. He’s in this trance and saying, Where The Streets Have No Name. Then he walks near the curb and I firmly say dude, careful your near the Edge. He looks at me and eyes spinning around in his poor head. Dude says, shooter, I gotta go and write a song. He’s all excited, I’m thinking…kids’ today. Dude starts walking away and says, shooter take care brother. I said U2. He stops in his tracks and has this look on his face. He seemed like a nice guy, not too smart but good personality. As Andre’ and I walk away, I said to him. can you imagine that guy writing a song. Andre’ said ya know shooter, nice guy and even if he had a band, they’d never make it.

Andre wanted to get a cup of coffee. So we went to his favorite greasy spoon. It’s a German place and he’s got crush on Hilda the German waitress. I sip coffee and Hilda takes Andre’ and holds him and makes him feel special. Hilda says, Mr Shooter, I am from Wetzlar. Andre’ the Leica M4 is my kin. Meanwhile, Andre; is all up in her hands and breast and his knobs are turning and lens focusing in and out, my my. I’m not really kinky but this is an entirely new dimension to Camera Porn. I wink to Andre’ and he knows time to go. He tells Hilda the German waitress, alas my love, I have to leave you. Hilda looks at me and says, I am stuck with a Yashica till you return, Hilda says, Mr. Shooter, did you happen to see a strange guy looking for breakfast? He was here but said he couldn’t find me cause the streets have no name. Andre’ and I walked out I said to Hilda, take care Hilda the waitress and turned… then, then she said.. U2. As I was kinda stunned and Andre’ said, lets get the heck out of this movie. I said yeah, it’s Twilight Zone

I had a small group of my WS members for lunch the other day. All 7 of us went to Pearl’s in the Market and had seafood. Was nice because we haven’t met in person for over a year. I have had chats with most over skype but it’s not the same but not toooo different. As we were eating and enjoying, Sari said, Don, your love and dedication for what you do drives me. It keeps me from unraveling. Others also joined in and I said, it’s ok, I’ll pay for lunch anyway. Truthfully, she reaffirmed my intention of inspiring and keeping the creative flame alive in others. That in fact feeds and nourishes me also.

So, do I do things literal like, set your aperture on your lens to 5.6. Set your shutter speed to 1/250. Take your brand camera in your clean hand and walk on your fancy dancy shoes and look for something to take a picture of. OMG! The horror! There are many out there that work this way and are fine. I’m not one. I believe in the romance of life. I believe in the romance of photography and my cameras and process.

So, I am more like….. Andre’ the Leica M9, how about you and I go for a walk a bout? I tell all his sister and brother cameras on the shelf,, we will return and Andre’ will tell you all the tales of the day. As we go to the streets, I look to the sky and smile to Mother Light. Then the rays of light descend upon me and emanate to and from me. I know Mother Light is with us and approves. As we walk, Andre’s starts to shake some in my hand and I very quickly look abd set the exposure. Andre’ likes this part cause no matter what aperture or shutter speed I set, he get’s to choose ISO. So, we are interactive…..

There is a romance to life and there is a romance to photography and the creative process. There is the literal also. The choice is yours how you live. No wrong and no right, just breathing. The romance of breathing is perhaps the most over looked in all the world.

We take that for granted till the end. Then we struggle and do all we can so that the last breath is not the end. We are presented with a choice of living with romance or literal. The choice is yours because I don’t have a choice, I am a romantic and besides, Andre’ the Leica M9 is calling me…..

Have a peaceful Memorial Weekend and please remember all those that defend us without a second thought and all those that made the ultimate sacrifice and even those that will and don’t know it.

Be Blessed Everyone

Philosophy of Street, Street Photography

Covid 19 … Embracing Our History … and It’s Variations Thru Time

May 20, 2021 streetshooter 2 Comments

My idea when I go out to work is to think about the present and generate new ideas. Of course life enters rather quickly and all goes to pot. I suppose we have memories and we store them someplace but they are always active and effect the present. I think it was Dorothea Kehaya that said, “See things as if your seeing them for the first time”. I’m not saying she coined the phrase but I heard it from her ages ago. I find that an impossible task. I mean memories and info are pollutants. No matter what I do I can’t get them out of my head and heart. This unfortunately goes for my exes too. laffs. So many say to see things as if for the first time. I firmly believe this is destructive to think and feel. that way. I try to see the world in a frame, I mean I see the image frame and then get placement of the subject matter to where it feels right. I know that many times over 50 years, I have seen something many different ways but the memory of the last image of it pollutes the present moment.

The interesting thing is …. since the dawn of all time, the very first cave man photographer, no 1 second ever is repeated in the same way. Maybe, just maybe, this means that time is a measuring device that reminds us of the all important Being In the Moment. Only shooters can ever be aware of the moment.

So instead of doing battle with our past images, perhaps we should embrace those moments and if they seem to present themselves in the here and now of the moment, they aren’t really. Maybe they are guides that we have established and set for our work.

The connection as I see it is the eye, mind and heart. Ideally, all three elements come together at the precise moment of exposure. This is a known fact among shooters…but, what about the start of seeing the image. How does that actually work? I call it a trigger mechanism. I get walking and my camera is in my hand and I’m kinda tuned in a place where I am letting the world seep in my mind. Then, all the sudden something or someone strikes a chord. My juices get flowing and my sensitivities and sensibilities are activated. I start to breathe and feel a new photo coming. The trigger is what stimulates the creative process. The camera gets ready and i start framing,,,, there are thoughts and opinions on framing.

It becomes a travesty to ignore or attempt to erase history. In photography, history lends direction either from the past or implied to the future. Looking for the next photo may or may not be an easy task but it certainly should be attainable by all in pursuit of it. Our internal vision and our external vision needs to be awake and excited and connected whenever we work. What happens when a dry spell knocks on the door? Well, that’s an issue most of us have to deal with. Having a defined history of our work, allows us to research it and bring the gist of it to our present and help shape our future.

I know this seems like non photography but it’s all about your photography. Your living this regardless of your awareness of it or not. Making photos is personal only if we adopt and apply a perspective that is our own. Mind you, it’s impossible but we strive to work that way. There are 3 aspects of time that we need observe. The past, or history, the present that is history in the making and the future that is to become history.

When we look at our archive of photos, we are seeing our history. These footprints pave the way for the future and we should not discount the life of these photos. Maybe many will say, seeing your history will make you repeat it over and over. That is pure rubbish. There are few places on the planet that are vacant of history. In photography, like it or not, we are treading on someone’s history all the time. Nothing wrong with that at all.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So, how to relate this too our photography and make sense of it. For a long time I was working in series or groups of photos. I mean relative consciousness of the images. I would strive to make photos that fit together with others to be something more that the single frame. Long ago before my mind was even alive, I read a book on Gestalt Psychology. It taught me that all the parts are greater then the whole. This idea has perplexed me for decades.

I always liked to take things apart and analyze them and see what and why things tick. Well I got to thinking in later years and understood the the parts of the sum have an intrinsic value on each part that the whole may encompass but shadow over due to the mass collection of the parts.

In photography, we can not escape history. More importantly, we can never nor should we try to erase the history of others. The path we travel with our camera can be guided if not directed by what has been done before. If we embrace the history of ours and others, we give birth to the present and the future. Now with lockdowns and eases of them, we can not be lost. The struggle to create and FEEL again is reborn. We can unleash an energy inside us craving to make photos.

We are at a point of rebirth and it’s gonna be special but only because we love the history of Mother Light and all she grants us and has granted our fellow shooters across time.

Street Photography Chronicles by Don Springer