Shoot in the Streets

Jerry Spette

Everyone seems to have their own preferences when it comes to the subjects they choose to photograph. I myself have leaned mostly towards nature, landscapes and the forest floor to find my intriguing subjects. I think that this may be because, aside from being beautiful, there is no rush, it's easy to set up a shot, the subjects rarely move, except in the dastardly wind, and the fact that I require no personal interaction with what I am photographing. Last year I started making some efforts to change my photographic direction, so I went into NYC to photograph people.

NYC, with its massive concrete structures, can easily seem like a cold and impersonal location to shoot. People busily running from place to place are all caught up in their own personal lives, can create unique photogenic scenes in themselves. Juxtaposition those living individuals against a background of impersonal concrete and some captivating images can be found. What I have learned to work for me, is to find a background that is fairly simple and then, from a safe distance, lie in wait until an interesting subject appears before me. Then, I can either shoot with a fast shutter speed to freeze the scene, or I can slow the speed and pan with the person as the unsuspecting subject unconsciously struts down the avenue.

Another activity I have found interesting is people interacting with each other or in groups. The China town vender selling his produce at an outside stand, a child playing catch with a friend or the old men sitting around the park playing chess in the Village, all make for good spontaneous street photography. Then there are always the oddly dressed individuals everywhere, people eating at the dirty water hot dog carts or the skate boarders in Union Square.

I have many lenses, but my favorite for a day in NYC is an 18-270 mm zoom lens. This lens allows me to capture a large area at the wide side, or to shoot from a distance to isolate a subject across the street or park. Any lens can work for you, but you need to be there to capture your subjects and have some fun. Below are some recent work. So, open your creative visions, venture to new, and intriguing places to practice your craft.

Happy shooting.

Jerry Spette, a Pleasantville resident, is a Salon photographer and Membership Host with the Color Camera Club of Westchester. He is a gallery exhibitor with the Ossining Arts Council and the Croton Council on the Arts. Jerry's images can be viewed at http://photo.net/photos/BigJerry.

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