Naeem Douglas – Connecting with your community

In today’s episode I speak with Naeem Douglas, who is our featured photographer in the December 2024 issue of Street Photography Magazine. He’s a former broadcast television journalist who found a new passion in photography.

After burning out from the repetitive world of crime reporting, he discovered the calming effect of photography during the pandemic. He’s now a content producer for MoMA Magazine who revels in the creative freedom and objective storytelling the role offers.

A native of Philadelphia now in Brooklyn, he compares life in the two iconic cities. He reflects on the neighborhood pride, distinctive accents, and, of course, the food.

Armed with a Rolleiflex camera, inspired by photographers like Amy Touchette and Vivian Maier, Naeem prefers to engage with his subjects rather than sneaking a couple shots and moving on. This approach has led to some memorable encounters, including a brush with the legendary Bill Cunningham. However, the streets aren’t always friendly, as Naeem learned when a man dressed as Scottie Pippen refused a photo.

In his role at MoMA jumped into the world of podcasting with the limited series “Jazz in the Garden,” a captivating exploration of jazz history at MoMA from the 1960s to 2019. If you love jazz, don’t miss it.

Naeem experiments with both digital and film photography, developing black and white film at home while has color processed by a lab. His dedication to the craft is evident in his meticulous record-keeping and desire to dabble in darkroom printing. Despite the rise of AI editing tools, Naeem prefers the authenticity of analog photography.

If you’re inspired by stories of transformation, creativity, and connecting through story telling be sure to have a listen to my conversation with Naeem Douglas.