Mermaid As a long time actor, Maria Ricossa knows people. You could say she’s an expert on human behavior. She has spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what makes different kinds of people and characters tick, and she uses this ability to her advantage when she hits the streets of Toronto where she now resides. Interestingly enough, Maria doesn’t spend much of her time shooting Toronto’s bustling city center. Instead, she stays a little closer to home and captures everyday stories she encounters on her daily walks. How did she find stories in a less urban environment? How did she find so many different stories in a single place? How has acting affected her work as a photographer? These were questions Bob and I were eager to ask. Maria had some thought-provoking answers to share with us as well as some of her own insights, stories and ideas for and from street photography. Maria’s Links Maria’s street photography website Maria’s Instagram account “I Want to Crawl into My Stories” by Maria (February issue of SPM) Women Street Photographer You Should Follow on the Web (Street Hunters)  

Craig Strong, photojournalist, commercial photographer, founder of Lensbaby and its Chief Creative Officer has mastered the art of reinventing himself over the years. Along the way he has pushed the envelope in both his businesss and personal creativity. As a wedding photographer in the early 2000s Craig create the original Lensbaby to give his photos a more organic look to the images created by sterile digital cameras. After making similar lenses for other photographers he and his partner Sam Pardue introduced the Original Lensbaby at WPPI in 2004. Today Lensbaby makes a variety of creative lenses, and optics forseveral popular mounts. In our convresation Craig shares his personal journey with some suggestions to help you spark your own creativity and inspiration. Lensbaby Links Lensbaby Website Lensbaby Unplugged – Official Facebook Group Lensbaby Addicts Facbook Group Lensbaby Artistry Facbook Group

Typically we publish our podcast every other Thursday, but I’m adding a special one this week because I am so take with the work of today’s guest Meryl Meisler who I had the pleasure of meeting in person at the Miami Street Photography Festival back in December. Meryl is a native of new York City is a photographer, teacher and author who has been recording her life and the world around her with a camera since the 1970’s. Inspired by masters Diane Arbus and Helen Levitt she has her own unique style that is both artistic and historical. Meryl will be our featured photographer in the May issue of Street Photography Magazine of this year after she returns from being the artist in residence at both YADDO in Saratoga Springs New York and Lightwork in Syracuse. In the meantime here’s a recording of our conversation with Meryl where she shares both the photographic and life lessons she learned during her journey. A Selection of Meryl’s Photos from Purgatory & Paradise: Sassy 70s Suburbia & The City CBGB OMFUG ©Meryl Meisler Man Dancing at Wedding Rockville Center © Meryl Meisler Jiveguy Subway, Williamsburg © Meryl Meisler Falling Star © Meryl Meisler Ringling Circus Clown Car © Meryl Meisler Meryl’s Links Website Book: Purgatory & Paradise: Sassy 70s Suburbia & The City Exhibit: Nottingham Contemporary’s Zebrario Space Exhibit: New-York Historical Society, NY, NY May 24 – Sept. 22, 2019

The Street Shooters of the Month feature has been going strong in Street Photography Magazine since our second issue, which was published in June of 2013. Our setup was a little different in those first few issues, but these days we get heaps of submissions through our website each month. So many of them come from such talented street photographers that it is often hard to choose which ones to publish. Speaking of difficult decisions, choosing our favorite street shooters images from 2018 was no easy task either. To make things a little easier, we came up with a few specific categories to guide our selection. They are: street portraits, storytelling, timing and minimalist. You can see our selections below, and you can listen in to our chat by clicking on the audio player if you would like to know why we chose the images we did. If you would like to submit an image to be considered for the Street Shooters of the Month feature, then make sure your register as a user here. Once you’re registered, you can click on Submissions > Photo Submission Form from the homepage to submit single images. Please upload each image at only 1600 pixels wide and 72 dpi. A big round of applause for all of this year’s favorites and a huge thanks to everyone who has submitted so far. We love seeing your work and sharing it with our community. Best Street Shooters of the Month 2018 Street Portraits Ashley’s Favorite   Listerine man by Carmine Groe This is a photo of a stranger and homeless man I met on the streets of Toronto one evening. His name is Howard Johnson the 4th. I stopped to talk to him, learned that he drank Listerine and so, was referred to as Listerine man by his friends. I made photos of him and brought him prints a week later. View on Website Bob’s Favorite   Tractor by Jeff Tidwell Submission for the Not-So-Urban America Candid shot of a man waiting to take the next load of people on his tractor pulled people mover from a flea market to their cars parked in a pasture. View on Website Storytelling Bob’s Favorite   Untitled by Hal Padgett A family down on there luck found cheap, temporary lodging at this motel just south of Jasper, Florida. I made a conscious decision to give the kids their space, but they surrendered to instinct and swarmed me like moths to a flame. The mother emerged from a door and was not as enthusiastic. View on Website Ashley’s Favorite   Entering the Virtual World by Norman SCHWARTZ An opportunity to use the Google VR at Union Station in Los Angeles View on Website Ashley’s Runner Up   Enough by Andy Hann View on Website Timing Ashley’s Favorite   Skate Scene by Barton Cooley Venice Beach California 2018, Part of my LA Street Series to be assembled into a book View on Website Bob’s Favorite   Rhythm of Street by Iyotik Bhachech as i was passing by a street near Sarkhej suburb at Ahmedabad, i found these elements is so much rhythm as if interacting with the tree View on Website Minimalist Bob’s Favorite    Young Jumper by Haryo Kurniawan This is a project related to the activities of children playing and jumping from a ship at the port of Sunda Kelapa, Indonesia. Some children do it as a side job because people give some of their money as a token of gratitude View on Website Ashley’s Favorite   The commuter by Mário Duarte View on Website

Just this week, Bob and I had the pleasure of speaking with Carmine Groe, a Toronto based street photographer. Carmine is not only a talented street shooter with some wicked post processing skills, he’s also become quite adept at YouTubing over the past couple of years. Carmine’s YouTube channel is called Groe Photography and regarding his videos he says the goal is to communicate “all the wonders of photography and my process, as well as sharing my knowledge by providing insights and experiences, tutorials, tips and tricks.” We were honored to talk to Carmine about his channel and are super excited to share this incredible resource with you. Meet Carmine, seen here doing his thing on YouTube.During our conversation, we talked a lot about one of my favorite videos Carmine’s made called “7 Steps to Becoming a GREAT Photographer” and how his steps contribute to building a cohesive body of work that is meaningful and will attract a viewer’s attention. Carmine has some excellent advice and insights into this topic. For example, he suggests taking photos of things that you care about personally, using any camera available and building a body of work that reflects your unique vision. We took some time to pick his brain on how, in practical terms, a street photographer can work towards and accomplish those goals. We also took a few minutes to talk about his post processing tips and tutorials. Here he is in action on the streets of Toronto. This image is from his video titled, “Get Closer with Your Street Photography” – definitely worth a watch! Put simply, this is a podcast that will help you to clarify your objectives as a street photographer and set down some practical steps to work towards them. You’re going to love it. Hit the play button below to listen in and then scroll down to Carmine’s links for even more enlightenment on how to build a cohesive body of work. A Few of Carmine’s Links We Mentioned in the Show Website Youtube Channel Instagram (commercial work) Instagram (street photography) Video: How to Edit B&W Street Photography (Photoshop CC Tutorial) Video: 7 Steps to Becoming a GREAT Photographer Image: “Listerine Man” as featured in Street Shooters of the Month    

While many people are saying “good riddance” to 2018, for Street Photography Magazine we’re sad to see it go. 2018 was a great year for the magazine, which saw a spectacular line up of street photographers and images. In fact, I’d wager this year we had some of our best content to-date. In this episode of the Street Photography Magazine podcast, we look back on last year and talk about our favorite articles, featured photographers and lessons we learned from some of our guests. And not only do we reminisce about last year, we also announce who the winner of the #spmnight challenge is! Find out who it is and take a walk down memory lane with us by clicking the audio player above.   A Few 2018 Favorites Bob’s Favorite Article Vida No Bairro by Alex Righetti Ashley’s Favorite Article 2017: The Year of Protests and the Beginnings of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Nana Gyesie Honorable Mention Article Go Out, Get Out, Come Out by Nelson Gonzalez Leal Bob’s Favorite Featured Photographer Ibarionex Perello Ashley’s Favorite Featured Photographer Joana Toro #spmnight Challenge Winner And the winner is….drumroll please… Jordan Barab with this lovely image.  He won a 1-year Pro photography website account from Portfoliobox. Lisboa Night

Earlier this month, Bob talked about Why it’s Important to Have Your Own Online Photography Portfolio on the podcast. He discussed some of the reasons why creating an online portfolio is vital if you want your work to be discovered and appreciated by others. While you may understand the reasons having an online portfolio is important, you may not feel equipped to take on the task. After all, for those of us who are not “techie” by nature (Ashley speaking here, obviously), setting up a website can seem overwhelming and the feeling of overwhelm can be detrimental to your sense of initiative. It’s a vicious cycle. And even if you are tech savvy, the thought of curating your own work and displaying it for the world to see can be intimidating. With those challenges in mind, Bob and I sat down to discuss some best practices when it comes to setting up an online portfolio. We’ve broken down the process and talked about how to go about creating an online portfolio in three main categories: best practices, common mistakes to avoid and setting up the framework of your online portfolio. Click on the audio player below to listen in for dozens of helpful tips and practical how-to advice. Afterwards, check out the resources at the end of this post, which should help you get started and see the creation of your online portfolio through to completion. Helpful Resources Hover.com – A great place to purchase your domain name. It’s quick and easy and they won’t try to upsell you. Portfoliobox.net – A super easy, sharp-looking web platform that makes creating your website quick and easy. (Seriously, it only took non-techie me a couple of hours to set up a basic website here after I had curated the images for it.) Plus, if you sign up by December 31, 2018, you’ll get 25% off a one-year Pro subscription. Best Practices for Your Online Portfolio – Download this free PDF to keep our portfolio best practices close at hand as you set up your online portfolio. It also contains a handy checklist that will help you put together the framework of your website. Online Portfolios We Love Joana Toro Shammara McKay Craig Litten

  Growing up in the 50s and 60s I was taught to think of Cuba as an enemy state full of communists and Russians threatening our security and way of life. With no contact between our countries it remained an enigma to me most of my life. But I was also very curious about this place and was interested in seeing what it’s like for myself. Fast forward several years, it finally became possible for Americans to travel there easily, but not without a few hurdles. Photographers were among the first to visit the island and when I saw the amazing images being submitted to the magazine I knew I had to finally go there. After a long and difficult move to Virginia this summer, we decided to finally take a break and treat ourselves to a cruise for some rest and relaxation. The choice was easy…Cuba. I finally would have an opportunity to photograph in this fascinating place. Matt JerramsAbout two days before we left for Miami, I saw a post from London-based street photographer Matt Jerrams in our Facebook group with photos of Havana. He was able to post them while still on the island (which is not easy) so I contacted him immediately to see if we could connect while there. Although Matt is from the UK, he spent several years as a sportscaster in northern Ohio. His time in the area converted him to a Cleveland Browns fan which gave us an immediate connection. After interviewing him for the magazine last year we stayed in regular contact. Matt responded saying that he was leaving Cuba the following day. Too bad, because it would’ve been a blast to connect with him in person and do some street shooting together. We decided to do the next best thing and get together for a chat to compare notes about our experiences on the streets of Havana. We did that yesterday and recorded it to make this special edition of the podcast to share with you. So have a listen to my conversation with Matt Jerrams and be sure to check out some of our photos below. Recommended Cuba Tour Guides If you’re going to Cuba to photograph, avoid large group tours. Especially ones sold by cruise lines. Instead book a small individual tour with a local company. We did this in both Havana and Cienfuegos and each time they made sure we were back to our ship in plenty of time. Even if you plan to be there for several days or weeks its always a good idea to take a walking tour to get the lay of the land. Below are the two tour companies we used, both of which I highly recommend. Havana- Fertours Havana – Ask for guide Idalmis Torres Cienfuegos – Caribbean Pearl Tours Ask for Angel Molina (aka Chichi) Same subject by each of us © 2018 Matt Jerrams © 2018 Bob Patterson     Cuba photos by Matt Jerrams © 2018 Matt Jerrams © 2018 Matt Jerrams © 2018 Matt Jerrams © 2018 Matt Jerrams   Cuba photos by Bob Patterson   Cienfuegos © 2018 Bob Patterson Cienfuegos © 2018 Bob Patterson Havana © 2018 Bob Patterson Cienfuegos © 2018 Bob Patterson

Welcome back to the Street Photography Magazine podcast. It’s really good to be back I apologize for publishing this two days late. Normally republish every other Thursday, but due to a freakish winter storm in the Carolinas I got stuck in Miami (if there is such a thing) for two extra days after the Miami Street Photography Festival. Miami Street Photography Festival I just returned form the Miami Street Photography Festival a couple days late thanks to a freakish winter storm in the Carolinas Speaking of the Miami Festival it was amazing. This was my first big photography festival and it was almost overwhelming. I met some amazing photographers saw some equally amazing work in just learned a ton. I can’t wait to go back. I’m in the process of writing a post about my experience which will be published in our blog. If you have an opportunity to go to one of the major festivals throughout the year I can’t recommend it enough. This coming summer the team who created the Miami Festival will be the second annual MSPF Milan in Milan Italy. There are a number of excellent festivals held throughout the year. So we plan to publish a comprehensive list on our website for your reference. If you’re holding a festival or just know about one please send the information to me at Bob@streetphotographymagazine.com. We’l be sure to include it in the list. December Issue of Street Photography Magazine is live This episode is being published on Saturday, December 15, which means it is publication day for Street Photography Magazine. By the time you hear this, the December 2018 issue of the magazine will be available. Don’t miss our interview with our featured photographer Nancy Lehrer. We really ended the year right of the conversation with Nancy. I learned a lot from her personally particularly something she told me about a technique she uses to spot a good photograph before lifting the camera to her eye. Nancy says she constantly takes inventory of what she by constantly asking herself “what am I seeing?” I won’t get into the details here because you can hear the whole story in the article. Special Magazine Issue – URBAN dotArt Winners We also published a special bonus issue featuring the winners from the URBAN Dot-Art photo awards held in Trieste, Italy each year. You can find it in the Past Issues page on our website or in our iOS and Android apps right next to the December issue. The photos from that festival keep getting better and better. SPM December Photo Contest – Night Street Photography And a quick reminder about our first ever photo contest that ends on December 21. The winner of the contest will win a one-year Pro subscription to Portfoliobox. The theme of the contest is night street photography. To enter all you have to do is upload a photo to either Instagram or Facebook and tag it with #spmnight. Portfoloiobox December Portfolio Month Offer 25% Off As we said in our last podcast, December is portfolio month at Street Photography Magazine. Our purpose is to help you create your own great street photography portfolio. To help us with that we are happy to be sponsored by the people at Portfoliobox who created a very flexible and easy-to-use online portfolio service specifically for photographers and other artists. As you may know I’m a web developer by trade, so I’m really impressed with what they’ve the quality and attention to detail of their service. The system features a minimalist design that enables you to create a unique layout just for you which so doesn’t look cookie-cutter. And that even includes a blog which I feel is very important to not only help generate traffic but to tell your own unique story. And best of all it’s very affordable. To help us celebrate portfolio month Portfoliobox is offering our listeners 25% off a one-year Pro subscription. Just use the link in the show notes for this episode or click on the ad that you may see on the website. The offer expires on December 31. The nice thing about it is you can try it for free if you like it keep it safe 25% on your first year and that’s it. Our Guest – Miguel Ortiz Our guest this week is Miguel Ortiz. He is a very high level blockchain expert working for IBM. I’m not even to try to go into the details of blockchain, but it’s the technology behind crypto currencies like banana. Miguel is an avid street photographer who had an opportunity to study under Valerie Jardin during one of her Paris workshop. Because of his expertise he travels a lot and while away he loves to spend his free time doing street photography. Miguel used the Portfoliobox platform to make a really compelling online portfolio that he discusses during our conversation. So please have a listen to my conversation with Miguel Ortiz and be sure to check out his work. Where to find Miguel Miguel’s Website Miguel’s Instagram A selection of Miguel’s Photos From Miguel’s Hotel View Project From the Rosa the Coder Project From the La Tribu Noir Project Selected Street Photos

Today we discuss the importance of having your own photography web presence (a portfolio), the pitfalls of relying on “free” services like Facebook and Flickr as a portfolio, the best practices for creating and managing you online portfolio, common mistakes and the most common obstacles to making a personal photography website. I’m also pleased to welcome Portfoliobox as our sponsor for the month of December for our special portfolio series. You can try their service for free or get a Pro Account for 50% off until Sunday, December 2. Night Photo Contest This month we are hosting a special Night Photo Contest through Instagram. To enter post your best night street photo Instagram with the tag #spmnight by midnight Friday December 21.  The winner will receive a free 1-year Pro account from Portfoliobox. Links from the Show Portfoliobox Cyber Monday 50% offer through Sunday December 2. Rev.com transcription service Scribie online transcription service