268

(I was recently asked by Cara Wilton to write a guest post for her blog, "The Compact Camera". You can find the following on her site at www.thecompactcamera.com. I thank for her the opportunity to share my view on how and where I shoot.)

The beauty of street photography is that, unlike other disciplines within photography, it is pretty much left up to "eye of the beholder".

Troll around Flickr, 500PX, Tumblr, and other various aggregators of photography and you'll find that just when you think you understand what classifies as "street", someone else gives you an entirely unique spin on the genre.

And that's where I believe that I come in.

You see, there is school of thought that edgy street photography must come from midtown Manhattan, Los Angeles, London, or Tokyo. And while I spend a great deal of time within the epicenter that is Manhattan, I prefer to explore the unseen parts of "The World's Greatest City" (like "Washington Heights" and the Bronx). In addition, I have the ...

Law school is nothing like photography.

Of course, you don't need me to state the obvious. (Otherwise, Tim McCarver would be out of a job during FOX baseball coverage.)

See, in law school, you were primarily left to your own devices. Beyond getting by with the help of your (close) friends, if you didn't understand The Rule of Perpetuities, do you really think someone else is going to explain it to you?

I loved the education I received at my law school, but one (in)vaulable lesson was never to give anyone tips to the trade. And that's been my credo ever since graduation.

A year ago, as I started getting commentary on my photographs, I was asked by someone what did I use for post-processing.

I simply stated a free online program.

Wrong answer.

My sister explained that in terms of photography, that's the wrong attitude. It's about sharing techniques, learning from each other, and advance the art.

Talk about an attitude adjustment.

But she was right. (And still is.) Over th ...

Prolouge: By no means do I call myself a "street photographer" in the vein of countless others who have sites far more popular than mine.

Nevertheless, one question I get from my friends and "followers" is whether I've actually been confronted when taking photographs on the street.

I often tell them that (a) I know my environment and (b) I know who to shoot. I find this to be essential when taking pictures of strangers who are in the midst of their daily activities. I don't believe that "street" shooting should be compared to going on a safari. Instead, I find the ultimate goal should be to illuminate the mundane and express its hidden beauty - without surprise, scripting, or being intrusive.

To that extent, my experience this past Friday was a lesson in how people don't understand the nature of street photography and how this misunderstanding can lead to a volatile moment.

Time and Setting: Late afternoon, perfect sunlight and shadows

The Scene: Jersey City, New Jersey. Off Bergen ...