Streetcap - September 2023
September, 2023
Howdy folks, welcome back for another Streetcap. This month has been my best month of street shooting I think since October of last year. I have been super inspired for a few different reasons:
A new camera - yes, I once again have been GASSY, though in my defense I have been balling on a budget. After my road trip last month, it once again occurred to me why I upgraded away from the D600 in the first place - the dust (maybe oil?) on the sensor. It drove me crazy back in 2019 and did again in 2023 when I had to edit out hundreds of spots from each photo I took. So yeah I have a new secret camera, and I’ve been LOVING it.
Wrong Side Of The Lens - This street photography docuseries is an incredible source of inspiration. The series follows over a dozen street photographers as they tell the stories behind their work and share their philosophy and motivations. I binged the whole thing twice and it had me itching to pick up my camera and get out to shoot.
FXBG Street Shoot-off - The Street Shoot-off is my favorite event of the year, and I always get excited to practice in the weeks leading up, and am usually flying high afterward and I like to ride the wave of motivation.
SPM Podcast Interview - Last month I had the honor of being interviewed by Bob Patterson of the Street Photography Magazine Podcast. Preparing for this interview and reflecting on my best work over the course of my career gave me a refreshing dose of inspiration to get out and continue growing and improving.
So yeah, I’ve been lowkey on fire this month, so much so that I had too many good photos to combine September and October into one Streetcap, which was my initial plan. So what’s actually new in my photography?
Back to the Classics
After my interview with Street Photography Magazine, I was also told that my story on the Lincoln Memorial would be featured in the Magazine in December. I was of course thrilled at this news, but realized that I had been neglecting that project for a few months. I figured I would spruce things up and head back down to the Mall more often. I was surprised to find that the Memorial was under construction and I had no idea. I felt like this was an opportunity to really document an era of time that won’t last forever.
The construction at the Memorial added an interesting element to a location I had shot many times before, but the downside was that I wasn’t able to get around back to enjoy the sunset light. Knowing I couldn’t let the last month of Summer sunsets go to waste, so I decided to head to another one of my old practice grounds, Georgetown. To my pleasant surprise, the crowds are back to pre-pandemic levels which was excellent for me. I am ashamed to admit I had forgotten how incredible the golden hour light is in Georgetown, but my golly it’s perfect. In preparation for the Street Shoot-off, I had been studying Alex Webb and Joel Meyerowitz’s work and found that the lighting was similar to what they used to shoot in. I think you’ll see a lot of their influence in these shots.
A few weeks later, I was presented a golden opportunity to revisit another of my favorite spots in the city, I had some time to kill before a walkthrough in Downtown. I loved shooting in Downtown during the late pandemic, especially right at the end of the workday when all the suits are heading out, but found it hard to time it right before I missed the rush. Well I shot for a couple of hours and found it to be a great experience. I decided to return a few days later, and was lucky enough to stumble upon an office-slash-infant-daycare-building which was let out for a fire alarm. I walked through the crowd over and over capturing moments and trying to practice my courage to bring the finder to my eye and get in front of my subjects.
FXBG SPC Street Shoot-off
For the third year running I set off for Fredericksburg to take part in the Street Shoot-off. This year I had my eye set on the big win, and had practiced my angles relentlessly to prepare. I really liked the images I was able to produce, but the competition was stellar this year and unfortunately I did not take home the gold, or any hardware for that matter.
