Street Photography Magazine

Paul Reid is a professional photographer from Carlisle in the north of England. For many years he specialized in wedding photography using only small cameras with prime lenses to capture fleeting moments that tell the story of the day’s events. This made it an easy transition when he became serious about street photography. Because of his preference for monochrome, Paul jumped in with both feet by purchasing a Leica Q2 Monochrom shortly after it was released. He quickly became attached to the device and over the years mastered its intricacies making stunning portraits and street images. Of course he shoots color too, but like many of us, monochrome is in his DNA. That’s why I call him “Mister Monochrome.” When he’s not doing paid photography work Paul also serves a mentor to other photographers guiding them to discover their personal vision and perfect their monochrome style. He encourages everyone to create personal ongoing and short-term projects to keep the creative juices flowing. And he practices what he preaches. Paul’s favorite personal project is his Time Traveler series which features a faceless man in a fedora cast in various scenes…in monochrome of course. Recently Paul has become a YouTube sensation using his infectious enthusiasm to share his joy of visual storytelling and deep dives into his personal projects. It’s obvious that his work comes from the heart. Learn more about Paul in the Street Photography Magazine article, “Monochrome Mad.” A selection of Paul’s street and project photos Links from the show Paul’s website Instagram YouTube LFI Gallery

Today we welcome back, Lauren Welles, someone with whom we’ve spoken with a number of times over the years. Lauren left a successful 16-year career as a corporate attorney to follow her passion for photography, which she has been doing professionally now for a little over a decade. She is primarily self-taught, and her photography has taught her even more about herself than the subjects she has photographed. She believes that, as human beings, we are much more alike than we are different; her passion for street, documentary and event photography reflects that.  Over the last few years, Lauren has spent more of her time teaching others what she’s learned, often revisiting the way she imparts information, attempting to simplify her language and instruction as much as possible.  In addition to being a Leica Akademie instructor, Lauren teaches photography to high school students from underserved communities at the NYC SALT program in New York City. In collaboration with Leica Akademie, this August Lauren will be giving a workshop about learning how to see, which she says is a skill that anyone can learn, regardless of how proficient one is with the technical aspects of their camera. A selection of Lauren’s street photos Links from the show Lauren’s Website Lauren’s Manhattan/Coney Island Workshop Instagram B&H Podcast interview with Jean Furth about her Little League book and project

We’re pleased to have Julia Dean back with us again. She’s a longtime photographer, educator, writer, founder of the Los Angeles Center of Photography and most recently the creator of The L.A. Project. Julia was the last apprentice to the pioneering photographer Bernice Abbott, which had a profound effect on her work and career. In the years that followed, she traveled the world, working on socially concerned projects by freelancing for relief groups and magazines. Eventually, life brought Julia to LA, where she began teaching full time and shooting street photography on the side. And these are just a few highlights of her photographic journey. She is passionate about collaborating on projects with with talented photographers. In the 1990s, she raised money to send six photographers around the world to document stories about child labor. This work resulted in two trips to the Capitol and a lot of press. Her current collaboration is through The L.A. Project, where she pulls together L.A. photographers — students, emerging and professionals — covering stories of the streets. Between all of this Julia makes time for her own photography projects, The Guardian of the Alley about Jose Hernandez, a well-respected homeless man who serves as the godfather of a portion of a homeless encampment in downtown L.A.> As an educator her teaching experience includes 40 years at various colleges, universities and educational institutions including the University of Nebraska, Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Santa Monica College, the Santa Fe Workshops, the Maine Photographic Workshops, Oxford University, the Los Angeles Center of Photography, and the Leica Akademie. For two decades, Julia concentrated on street photography around the world. For the past 12 years, street shooting in downtown Los Angeles has been her primary focus. She created and directs a street collective called Street L.A., which consists of a group of serious photographers who shoot weekly. Julia's work has been published in many magazines, blogs, and books. A selection of Julia’s street photos Links from the show The L.A. Project Julia’s Website Instagram The Guardian of the Alley

In this episode of the podcast, we revisit an old friend, Michael Ruggiero. Mike’s recent move southward put him within driving distance of Bob so the two met up to record a podcast episode – this time in person! Mike has always been a prolific street and documentary photographer, thanks mostly to a successful career as a chef that provided him with the time and money to travel and buy plenty of film. In this episode, Bob and Mike talked about how he used his calling to fund his passion and how being a professional chef influenced his photography. The two also dove into several of Mike’s long term projects, many of which revolve around slices of Americana that are steadily disappearing. One of Mike’s current projects is particularly fascinating. Recently, he’s been visiting small town churches and shooting tiny congregations of just a dozen congregants or so inside their places of worship during church services. He gave Bob the skinny on how he gets permission to be present as a photographer and shoot such intimate moments. But there’s lots more to this conversation that you won’t want to miss. Listen in to find out how Mike, a lifetime film photographer, adjusted to digital when he was deprived of his darkroom during his recent move, learn about his attempts to become a Magnum photographer, and find out how he met (and was duped by) a very old and feisty Henri Cartier-Bresson. Mike has plenty of stories to tell. A Selection of Mike’s Street Photos From Mike’s Trucker Series Portrait of an “Asphalt Cowboy” Mission Beach Park – San Diego, CA 1981 Voyeur – Vienna, Austria 1989 St. Luke’s Church – Charlottesville, Virginia 2022 Worship 10 AM – Palmyra, Virginia 2023 Read Mike’s feature interview in Street Photography Magazine here. Links from the Show Mike’s Website Instagram

The title of this article is really a misnomer because Marcia Bricker Halperin knew all along that the archive she built over 40-years contains gold. But she waited until she retired from teaching to create a book from her life’s work. On a winder day in 1975 Marcia ducked into Dubrow’s Cafeteria on Kings Highway in her native Brooklyn to escape the cold. Over the next three years she returned regularly, camera in hand, to record the life and culture among the regulars in this local landmark unique to New York. It was a happy accident that proves you never know where a photo project will lead. Nothing will happen until you take the first step and do the work. During the podcast conversation Marcia tells the story of how she created her book, Kibbitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow’s Cafeteria , by mining her archive, making difficult selections, scanning negatives, and finding a publisher that believes in her vision and finally making it a reality. Early in her career Marcia was employed by the CETA Artist’s Project under the auspices of the Cultural Council Foundation. Her assignments included photographing the Soviet refugees and their introduction to American culture in Brighton Beach and photographing housing issues in Hell’s Kitchen. In the late 1970s, she was active in the Photographers Forum, an organization that was a continuation of the 1940s Photo League. She assisted with organizing their meetings and panels held at the New School, which featured photographers such as W. Eugene Smith and Roy DeCarava. Marcia’s personal story of how she leverages her archives to publish her book is an inspiration to any photographer who dreams of exposing their own work to the world. Marcia’s portrait by Phil O’Brien Exhibitions and book events Exhibition: Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center Through June 25, 202382 N Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960Link: https://www.edwardhopperhouse.org/kibbitz.htmlArtist Talk: Sunday, June 11, 2-3:00 at the Nyack Library, 82 N Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960Followed by a tour of the exhibition at Edward Hopper House Artist Talk: Sunday, June 11, 2-3:00 at the Nyack Library, 82 N Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960Followed by a tour of the exhibition at Edward Hopper House Exhibition: Garment District Arts AllianceKaufman Arcade132 West 36th Street, NYCMay 15 – August 25, 2023  Garment District Tour and exhibit viewing Monday, June 5th – 10:30 amMeet at the Giant Needle and Yellow ButtonWest 39th Street and 7th AvenueEmail Marcia at mmhalp@gmail.com to reserve a spot A selection of Marcia’s photos Taxi from Kibbitz and Nosh Man with Bowtie from Kibbitz and Nosh Pencil Moustache from Kibbitz and Nosh 47th Street Boys from Marcia’s CETA Artist’s Project Hell’s Kitchen series Links from the show Marcia’s Website Kibbitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow’s Cafeteria on Amazon Instagram Facebook

Tatiana Hopper is an artist. Her mediums are film photography, video content creation and writing. You may already know her as the creator of the T Hopper YouTube channel. I first discovered Tatiana’s channel when I was searching YouTube for documentaries about some favorite master photographers. YouTube is a vast resource but sometimes difficult to search due to the large numbers of “Clickbait” posts. It can take a lot of time and effort to separate the wheat from the chaff. That’s why I was so pleased to find Tatiana’s YouTube channel. She creates a series of videos in three categories: past and present masters of photography, the photography of people famous for other creative endeavors (like actors, musicians and filmmakers), and her own views about photography techniques and creativity. Tatiana has created videos about Winnogrand, Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Lisette Model, Marry Ellen Mark and many more. One of my favorites is her most recent documentary about W Eugene Smith. Don’t miss it. She is also fascinated with the photography work made by people famous for other creative endeavors like actors, musicians and filmmakers. You will find stories about the photography of Ringo Starr, Lenny Kravitz, Patti Smith, Linda McCartney, Bryan Adams and more. My personal favorite is her series of short documentaries about master photographers. In these 10 – 20 minutes videos she explores the life and work of each photographer focusing on the lessons she learns from each of them. Tatiana is prolific, releasing several new videos throughout the month. This is no small feat because creating quality videos is very time consuming. Her archive contains rich mix of quality, informative and inspiring content that will keep you entertained for days. I was so enthralled with her work that I had to reach out and invite her to be a guest on a podcast. Fortunately she made the time to talk. As you will hear in our conversation she is brilliant, engaging and fun. Tatiana’s YouTube channel, T Hopper, is an excellent resource for any photographer, in search of inspiration. I encourage you to add it to your favorites and visit regularly. A few of my favorite short documentaries by Tatiana The importance of self portraits Learning photography with Josef Koudelka The Genius of W. Eugene Smith The timeless photography lessons from Robert Frank Timeless photography sessions from Cartier-Bresson The Narrative Photography of Fan Ho The surprising Street photography of Sergio Laarín Learning photography with Mary Ellen Mark! Composition with Garry Winogrand 5 photography Lessons from Edward Hopper’s Painting! Links from the show T Hopper YouTube Channel Tatiana’s Website Tatiana’s Instagram Tatiana’s Twitter Tatiana’s Linktree

Today’s podcast is a special episode that marks our 10th anniversary of Street Photography Magazine. We’re going to depart from our usual format for our editor, Ashley Riffo, to interview me about the story behind the magazine. It was a little strange and uncomfortable to talk about myself on the other side of the microphone. Initially I did most of the magazine work myself which resulted in many of the late nights and long days, attempting to keep up with my web development business and a publication. Fortunately, about a year into the business, I connected with Ashley Riffo to help edit the magazine contact. That was about nine years ago. Until this past, February, Ashley and I had never met in person. I believe the magazine would have died on the vine years ago if it wasn’t for her hard work, creativity and sound advice. In the early years we spent a lot of time and energy seeking good content for the magazine. Then as the magazine continued to grow we began to receive a flood of article submissions from some really amazing photographers around the world. This is allowed the magazine to evolve into a highly curated publication that is not only a platform for photographers to show their work, but a source of inspiration, ideas and information for our readers. The launch of Street Photography Magazine sent me on an incredible journey that I never expected. It has been one of the most interesting and exciting experiences of my life that I wouldn’t trade for anything. It has enabled me to make friends with a number of creative and inspirational people I would not have otherwise met. I have our supporters, podcast listeners, contributing photographers and Ashley Riffo to thank for it. I will never forget it. Photos with links to articles discussed during the show Super Seamstress by Glenn Capers from A Day in the Life of Superman Street photo by Ellen Friedlander from her feature interview Cover image from Harvey Stein’s first Coney Island boo ©Copyright 2011 Harvey Stein Street image by Julia Coddington,from the March 2022 issue. A collaborative portrait by Amy Touchette

Jason Figgis is an Irish film director and writer who began his career working for Murakami-Wolf Animation Studios on the TV series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Soon after he worked for Steven Spielberg at his London based Amblimation Studios on the feature An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. Since then, over the past 20-years he has written and directed a wide range of indy films, television programs. Recently Jason turned his attention to creating a documentary about the compelling work and life of British social documentary photographer Shirley Baker (1934-2014). Shirley’s street photography of the working class inner city areas, taken from 1960 until 1981 in Salford and Manchester as they experienced years of ‘slum’ clearance, came to define her vision. Her engagement with the everyday world resulted in several different strands of work, many of which have not been exhibited. Although Shirley’s work is not well known outside the UK her work has been exhibited at the Tate Britain, Barbican Art Gallery, London, The Photographers’ Gallery London, James Hyman Gallery and The Louvre to name a few. This quote of Shriley’s best describes her body of work: “I love the immediacy of unposed, spontaneous photographs and the ability of the camera to capture the serious, the funny, the sublime and the ridiculous. Despite the many wonderful pictures of the great and famous, I feel that less formal, quotidian images can often convey more of the life and spirit of the time.”   – Shirley Baker Shirley’s work is a must-see for any serious street photographer so be sure to listen my conversation with Jason as he tells the story of Shirley, her influence, work and the making of the film Shirley Baker: Life Through A lens A selection of Shirley Baker’s photos Photographs by Shirley Baker / Courtesy the Estate of Shirley Baker Links from the show Jason Figgis’ Wikipedia Shirley Baker Website Shirley Baker Instagram Shirley Baker: Life Through A lens Premiere Announcement The New Yorker article – Shirley Baker’s Half Century of Street

When Jeff Sonnabend, an Intellectual Property attorney from New York City, moved to Arkansas near the geographical center of the lower 48, he decided to follow his passion as a documentary photographer. Inspired by the work of German filmmaker / photographer Wim Wenders, he began photographing American communities for his project “Interstate Magazine”, a project roughly modeled on the work of the Farm Security Administration (the FSA) of the 1930s and 1940s. Like the work of the FSA, all of his documentary photography is meant to “show America to Americans”. As such, Jeff’s photography captures a detailed, truthful view of America as it really is. Early in 2023 Jeff published his second book, “The Route 66 Primer, An Uncropped View of the Mother Road.” He recently published an article in the January 2023 issue of Street Photography Magazine that tells the story of his book with a sample of his favorite images. His previous book, “Bowling the American Dream, America’s Bowlers and Their Bowling Alleys”, was published in 2019. In today’s episode, Jeff shares his personal story about how and why he travels the American heartland in search of its soul. A selection of Jeff’s project photos Links from the show Interstate Magazine The Route 66 Primer Bowling the American Dream by Jeff Sonnabend Written in the West by Wim Wenders Paris Texas – Film by Wim Wenders

LeighAnn Edmonds is a freelance documentary photographer in Birmingham, Alabama. Her work focuses on the rural regions of the American South, the people, their culture and the land that has often passed down through generations. Her conviction to break away from mainstream photography led to her retirement as a professional wedding and family portrait photographer, allowing her to focus on her personal work and photography projects. She primarily shoots 35mm black & white film with a 1955 vintage NIKON S2 rangefinder and her first camera, a Nikon N80 SLR. LeighAnn penned an article for Street Photography Magazine about her return to film which will be published in the magazine on March 19, 2023. In addition she will be the featured photographer in the May 2023 issue of SPM. Be sure to read that article to learn more about LeighAnn and her work. Links from the show LeighAnn’s website Instagram Facebook Read more about Leigh Ann in the feature article “Stepping Away from the Superficial,” in the May 2023 issue of Street Photography Magazine.