Street Photography Magazine

©David Ingraham I started publishing Street Photography Magazine almost by accident. For the past 10 years I’ve owned a web development business that specializes in creating online training websites. Back in 2013 I was researching some new iPad magazine technology that looked like a good application to be used for courses to be delivered over time. After purchasing a license to create a magazine app I had to create a magazine to learn how it worked. So I decided to make a magazine about my favorite genre of photograph…Street Photography The magazine took off and I haven’t looked back. That was over 6.5 years ago. But my day job is still leveraging internet technology to deliver training via the web. And I continue to be intrigued by some of the creative ways people are using this technology to help others learn new skills. Carter Williams – Lighmob co-founder Kevin Gondo – Lighmob co-founder Recently I met the founders of LIghtmob who have created a really cool mobile-based photography knowledge sharing platform that enables you to connect directly with an instructor to learn a number of photography skills. It looked really cool, so I had to give it a try. I signed up for a lesson with award winning street photographer, David Ingram in Los Angeles. It was a very unique learning experience and I learned a lot from him. Today our guests are Kevin Gondo and Carter Williams, the founders of LIghmob. They will tell us more about themselves and this unique photography learning platform that they created.

Last December I had the pleasure of finally meeting New York photographer Lauren Welles at the Miami Street Photography Festival. I’ve been a big fan of her work ever since we featured her in Street Photography Magazine in our January 2016 issue. It’s one thing to meet someone through our virtual world and it’s another sit down and bread bread with them. This week Lauren stopped by to catch up on what she’s been doing photographically since her feature. And I must say, she’s been very busy. The work she’s been producing shows it (be sure to check out some of her recent photos below). In June she’s holding a pretty cool workshop in Seville Spain during the “El Roció” pilgrimage with photographer Jon Kral. Then later in the year she’s traveling to Sydney, Australia for the Head On Photo Festival. Over the past few years Lauren has been creating a documentary project about Stickball in New York. In the process she has gotten very close to the players, fans and league culture. It shows in her work. Have a look some of her recent photos below. We’ll be inviting more of our past featured photographers to join us on the podcast in future episodes. If you have any favorites you’d like to hear from please drop send me an email at bob@streetphotographymagazine.com with your choice. Some recent work by Lauren Welles “Haircut” Havana, Cuba. 2018 “Fútbol” Havana, Cuba. 2018 Team Sugarhill after winning the 2018-season East Harlem stickball championship. East 109th St., East Harlem, NYC. 2018 Eight-year old, Jacob de Jesus, watches his grandfather, Joe Sr., at bat. East 109th St., East Harlem, NYC. 2018 New York State Assemblyman, Robert Rodriguez, dances with a stickball fan during the E. 117th St. annual stickball block party. East Harlem, NYC. 2017 Aaron Rivera, Bianca Creales and Delia Carrion, try to distract the player who is batting against their fathers’ team, with their trash talk. Stickball Boulevard, Bronx, NY 2017.

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