CHI DSC_6274_ 03-26-2024 - Laureen V. Connelly with her Cook County Assessor’s Office Certificate of Retirement plaque documenting 25 years of service.

Chicago Photographs - March 2024

June 21, 2024

Both of my kids played travel ice hockey growing up. It was time consuming and expensive, but it was some of the best times of our lives. A nice biproduct of them playing was I got back to the East Coast a lot and was able to photograph and see lots of amazing exhibitions. My daughter now lives in Chicago after getting her master’s degree from Northwestern and she started playing hockey again last year with joining a women’s league. When her team qualified for the payoffs, she told me that I needed to come back to see her play again. The last time I had been in Chicago was March of 2020 when I was driving across country with her brother trying to outrun the pandemic shutdown of the country. I acknowledged I was long overdue to visit so I agreed to a long weekend. The playoffs were up near Madison, Wisconsin but I was able to bookend days around the tournament to get three days to photograph in Chicago, museum hop, and eat at my favorite restaurants.

Chicago has been my favorite city to visit since I first went there in 1987 to photograph Wrigley Field, before they installed the light. I have been to Chicago at least twenty-five now. Chicago became our go to vacation spot, it was an easy flight, there was lots to do, and we just liked the city. Chicago had everything a big city should have but there is a Midwest atmosphere which is just nice. It is an amazing sports town, the museums are amazing, and the city has the best steaks of anywhere in the world.

Photographing on the street in Chicago is amazing I always find good images there. Like in New York there are usually lots of people walking about the city and there is plenty of interaction which usually adds layers of meaning to an image. I have also found that most of the time I have been in Chicago the quality of light in Chicago has been outstanding, which is not the case other places. I think part of it has to do with the way the streets are laid out, there is more room between the buildings there than most cities. I think part of that is by design since architectural design is so important in the city and there may have been a conscious plan to allow some buildings to have room around them to be showcased. The Chicago River and lake front also allow more light to fall in the city. The beauty of the architecture in Chicago is also lends itself to more interesting backgrounds of images. I also think the way some of the buildings are constructed that they improve the bounce light. The city also has that Midwest atmosphere most places which is nice. Michigan Avenue is a wide street with wide sidewalks and planter boxes; the street was designed for shoppers and heavy pedestrian traffic. With Michigan Avenue’s sidewalks being so wide not only does that allow more light into the area but it also has always given me room to maneuver and get in position to frame my images better than anywhere else. I have become so familiar and comfortable with the city I always do well with a camera there.

It was amazing on this trip in March how quickly I was back in the zone while photographing on the street. At times it felt like images were coming to me and I wasn’t having to search as hard as I do in Los Angeles sometimes. I especially found that interesting because I spent more time on this trip than ever before photographing South of the river, especially around Daly Square where I don’t usually go.

My Chicago portfolio is special to me, and I envision having an impact on others in book form and as part of a permanent collection. The Chicago Historical Society already has some of my photographs in their collection and hopefully I can find more homes in the city for my work soon.

This trip also inspired me to start digitizing more Chicago negatives and I have added some of those recently scanned images to my Chicago Portfolio here on my website.

Below are some of the images from my March 2024 trip:

CHI DSC 6514 3-26-24

CHI DSC 6263 3-26-24

CHI DSC 3359 3-22-24

CHI DSC 3410 3-22-24

CHI DSC 03958 3-25-24

CHI DSC 6257 3-26-24

CHI DSC 04315 3-25-24

CHI DSC 3234 3-22-24

CHI DSC 3159 3-22-24

CHI DSC 6181 3-26-24

CHI DSC 3029 3-22-24 “Untitled” (Wells & Wacher, Chicago)

Chicago Photograph brings back memories of 25 years ago

June 21, 2024

When I got back from Chicago in March and started going through all my images I came across this photograph above. At first glance I saw how the elements in the frame were interesting, and I understood how I was drawn to make the exposure. But when I zoomed in, I immediately realized that the little girl in the stroller looked so similar to my daughter Alyssa at that age and that reminded me how often we used to take her to Chicago for vacations. The little girl in the stroller is so alert to the world around her just like Alyssa was at that age. I am assuming it was seeing the stuffed animal in the girl’s arm that really made the connection. The girl is clutching it in such a protective way, you know how special the toy is for her. My daughter was exactly the same way, and that period of innocence was so wonderful. The image brought to mind how much a parent tries and protect their children when they are young and also how in today’s society I still worry about my adult children’s safety as crime and world tensions rise. Viewing this image became an incredibly intense experience rather quickly as I realized everything I just mentioned, and I was not expecting that. The experience motivated me to revisit my negatives and see what images I had of Alyssa when we would take her Chicago when she was young. Below is one of my Chicago photographs from 25 years ago when Alyssa two years old.

CHI-171 #29 5-03-99 - Alyssa Valentine at the Hancock Tower

I don’t know if there is too much more to say about these images or the recent experience. I don’t want to make it into something more than it is, but I thought there was value in sharing how I felt with people interested in my work or just interested a photographer’s process. I think it not only gives insight to the fact I am an admitted romantic, but it also highlights how a photograph can evoke strong emotions from the image maker even when that was not the original intent. I know everyone brings their own experiences with them when they view an image and that people often have different responses to images based on their own prior experiences. I also want to point out that images can become more important overtime and develop new layers of meaning particularly if public opinion of the subject matter changes or if the subject matter documents change in and of itself. Viewers opinions can also change over time as they have different experiences with the same image. These are all some of the reasons why I don’t delete image files or purge old negatives.

Nikon Z6ii with a 24-120mm lens - Ms Connelly with her Retirement plaque

June 21, 2024

This photograph is another one from my Chicago trip that took on more so much more meaning once I got home and started going through the editing process. I am sure the faces, the contrast, and the forms all drew my intention when I made this exposure. I almost overlooked it until I zoomed in on the plaque that the woman was carrying and realized it was tack sharp and I could read what it said. The plaque is from the Cook County Assessor’s Office and was recognizing her retirement after 25 years of service, I could also read her name, Laureen V. Connelly. Being a block away from the Cook County Building I assume that this woman was coming from her old office where she had just had a retirement lunch, or reception, and they presented her with this plaque. I have no idea who the woman with here is, but I would guess it might be a daughter or even a former coworker that is a close friend.

With the information in the image, and some reasonable assumptions this image now has become pretty powerful. Laureen and the woman with her look rather solemn, like there might be a lot of reflection and thought going on. I can envision Laureen having the realization of the change in her life might be pretty intense. I assume she had a cubicle type job where she pushed a lot of paper and with it being the Assessor’s Office some of the citizens she interacted with daily might not have been in the best moods. But I can also imagine she took pride in her work and liked some of her coworkers. Change is not always easy and after 25 years to walk out of the office for the last time with just a pension and a basic plaque might be a little tough. The person with Laureen seems to be there in a supportive role. We can all imagine our own scenario of details with this image, and it doesn’t matter who is the most accurate. What is important here is the fact this person spent 25 years doing a job and is walking away with a basic plaque. Does this plaque really sum up her career? It lends the viewer to reflect on their own career and the real impact it is having on themself, on others, and society. This image allows the viewer to run with it. For me when I saw this, I reflected back on my law enforcement career and how it didn’t end on my terms because of an injury. The sudden change was not easy and luckily for me I had my family and my photography career to fill some of the void.

Between the two version I think the black and white image works best because I find the colors in the frame don’t add anything to the image and the monochrome version seems to be more appropriate for my interpretation of the mood. I just wanted to share both versions here so every viewer could have their own experience with the image.

This image is also a great example of how sharp the Nikkor 24-120mm Z lens is and how well it works with a Nikon Z6ii camera body; the autofocus capability is outstanding. UPDATE!!! Nikon Z6iii is out, and Preorders are being accepted at Samys Camera, with expected June 25th availability.

CHI DSC_6274_ 03-26-2024 - Black and White version

© 2024 William Karl Valentine - Fatal Collision, Chino, California (CPD DSC 1344 1-9-24) Nikon Z6ii with a 24-120mm Lens. ISO 16,000 f/4 1/320 at 24mm

The Best Camera for Low Light Photography - Nikon Z6ii / Nikon Z6 iii rumors

June 2, 2024

My photographs documenting the Pasadena Police Department in the 1980’s are some of my best-known images. I spent over a thousand hours riding in police cars documenting the officers working for that portfolio. I started off photographing with a Nikon F and finished up with a couple Nikon FM2 bodies. I used Kodak Plus-X film mostly, and later on I used some T-Max 400. Since I was photographing mostly at night, I used a Sunpak 522 Thyristor off camera flash which paired up great. The exposures were good, and the high contrast of the flash added to the images. Throughout my law enforcement career when I photographed at night, I had to use a flash although I did experiment pushing Kodak T-Max 3200 to an ISO of 25,000 one night. I actually got images using just streetlights, but they were very grainy.

A couple years ago I was asked to come back out and start documenting the Chino Police Department, where I had worked for 20 years, and I immediately agreed. I had been looking for an opportunity to photograph law enforcement in today’s world to compare the new images with my work from the 1980’s. I started off using a Nikon D850 with a flash and I tried photographing some without a flash since today’s sensors are so improved. I wasn’t getting great exposures in low light with the D850, the grain was too much, and the camera struggled with focusing. The D850 can produce some beautiful images in perfect conditions, but I have never loved the camera, especially the auto focus. I eventually went and talked to my friends at Samy’s Camera in Pasadena, some of them I have known for 40 years, and I asked which cameras performed best in low light conditions. I expected they would suggest a Sony A7IV or A1 or A9. Sony’s are amazing cameras and I had rented several different models recently when I was considering switching over to their brand. I liked the Sony’s I rented but none were perfect. Several of my contacts told me the Nikon Z6ii as the best low light still camera on the market. They explained that the smaller, 24 MB, full frame sensor handled noise better than most the 45MB sensors. I had no interest in the original release of Nikon Z series camera bodies because they did not have an SD card slot option and I was skeptical that the new lens mount adaptor would work well with my older lenses. I had recently read that Nikon had their Z line to now have SD card slot options and my friends explained how well the lens mount adapter was designed. I had wrongly expected that the adaptor would change the focal length of my older lenses, but learned the adaptor doesn’t because the sensor in the mirrorless Z series cameras had been moved forward to accommodate the adapter while maintaining the original focal length of the older lenses and the new lenses are designed with the new sensor position in mind (the lack of a mirror allowed this design to work).

Everything sounded right so I bought a Nikon Z6ii as a kit with the 24-120mm f/4 lens, along with an adaptor for my older lenses. The camera performance has been outstanding, and the 24-120mm lens is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever owned. I am not going to get into a detailed tech review here because there are other people that do tech reviews for a living and have access to everything to compare. Links to some of those sites are listed at the bottom of this blog post. What I will talk about is how the camera is performing me.

In low light conditions, the images I am getting with the Z6ii are amazing. I took the camera to Chicago in March for a weekend as my primary camera and the images were great. I specifically went to photograph my daughter play in an ice hockey tournament and this lens and camera combination were the best I have every used in a rink before. I also took the adapter and an F mount 100-400mm lens and that worked well. The adapter handled the auto focus well and ergonomically was good. I ended up using the camera more for my street photography than I expected. Lately I have been using a Sony RX100 VII for my street photography because I use it from the hip and most people don’t realize I am photographing. In Chicago I started using the Z6ii some for my street images and I was getting better images with that the Sony, so I went with it. Most days were overcast so the light wasn’t fantastic but that was fine for the Z6ii. The auto focus was solid, and the lens was so sharp I got detail like I never have before. Here are a few examples of the camera from Chicago:

f/4 1/500 ISO 900

f/4.5 1/1000 ISO 400 @ 24mm

f/4 1/800 ISO 2200 @100MM

f/5.6 1/800 ISO 5000 @400mm

f/4 1/250 ISO 16000

f/4 1/400 ISO 16000

The experiences in Chicago inspired me to photograph on the street more with a Z body. I need to also share with you that earlier this year, after having success with the Z6ii, and after becoming more and more frustrated with the focus ability of my D850, I bought a Z8. The Nikon Z8 is one of the most incredible cameras I have ever owned, and I am just scratching the surface with learning all it is capable of. The sensor captures outstanding images and the camera focusing is such a huge upgrade. I also got a 24-120mm lens for the Z8 which pairs perfectly. In recent months I have also added the following Z lenses: a 26mm, a 40mm, and a 105mm macro. All three of these fixed length lenses are super sharp. I bought the 105mm, which is capable of a 1:1 magnification like the old 60mm F mount Nikkor lens, primarily to do copy stand work of my old negatives so I can digitize the images (I have a process where I upload image files in Bridge to crop, open them in Photoshop to Invert the image, then return to Bridge to finetune it). I bought the 26mm and 40mm as walk around lenses and incase I wanted to take the camera into certain venues with camera restrictions. Both those lenses are sharp, super-fast, and lightweight. The 40mm is a little hard to use walking through crowds but the extra length has been great in certain situations. The 26mm is ideal for walking on the street and photographing from the hip, I have been able to use it somewhat like a range finder, and it is so small people don’t notice it. It also has a great balance when photographing with one hand a waist level. The 40mm and 26mm lenses are also very reasonably priced.

Example Images with Technical Information:

f/4 1/1000 ISO 16000 @120mm

f/7.1 1/1000 ISO 8000 @104mm

f/4 1/1000 ISO 5600 @30mm

f/4 1/250 ISO 16000 @50mm

f/4 1/320 ISO 16000 @24mm

f/4 1/25000 ISO 4500 @120mm

f/5 1/320 ISO 16000 40mm

f/4 1/320 ISO 8000 26mm

f/3.2 1/1000 ISO 500 40mm

f/4 1/200 ISO 16000 @24mm

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 12800 @78mm

f/4 1/125 ISO 16000 @120mm

Camera lens and strap options for Street Photography

Nikkor Z 40mm and 26mm lenses

Z6ii with 24-120mm compared to 26mm lens

Nikon Z6ii with the 26mm f/2.8

I know it is late notice, but Nikon has all their Z camera bodies and lenses on sale through the end of this week. Camera bodies are discounted about 25% and lenses are about 20%. My daughter purchased a Z6ii with a 24-120mm lens, and the 26mm lens online from Nikon last week for approximately $2,400. She found an online coupon that coupled with Nikon’s Z discounts, and she utilized Nikon’s two-year interest free purchase plan (I purchased my Z8 with their 0% interest plan as well). Nikon is being very aggressive in the market now so I would expect the sales to continue or be brought back with some frequency this year.

I have a Peak Camera strap system on my Z6ii. I love the design of the locking disc. It makes it easy to go from a traditional camera strap position to a solo wrist strap position. The wrist strap pairs great when the 26mm lens is on for street images.

There are lots of amazing cameras and lenses on the market today, I have always used Nikon, I have friends that swear by Canon, and I know lots of people have gone all in with Sony. Because of all the variables I don’t think it is possible to have a camera that does every task perfectly, especially since cameras are now as much about video as still images. But I am convinced that right now the Z6ii is the best camera for photographing in low light conditions. I researched it online, talked to people with expertise, tested several different bodies and nothing came close to the Z6ii in low light. I am sure technology with continue to evolve and there will be better cameras in the future, but right now the Z6ii is my suggestion. (I also want to acknowledge that many cellphones like the iPhone 14 & 15 also create amazing low light images but obviously don’t have the same capabilities of real camera body)

Nikon Z6iii - Now Pre-Ordering $2,496.95 Delivery estimated 6/25/24

As I was wrapping up this post, I checked Nikon Rumors and saw there was talk that Nikon might be announcing a Z6iii in a couple weeks which could explain all the recent sales. Well, it has been announced and I wanted to update this. Samy’s has a great video review of the camera already on their order page for the camera. Link below.

The Z6iii has been announced and pre-orders are now being taken by Samys and B&H

Links to Reviews:

DP Review December 15, 2020

DP Review on You Tube December 2020

Nikon Website Z6ii

SLR Lounge 2021

Controversy over Garry Winogrand's Photograph of a couple at the Central Park Zoo

March 9, 2024

In authoring a blog post on the book Winogrand Color I came across a review of the book online by New York Times writer Arthur Lubow. I think it was a really accurate review about the images in the book. The only thing I didn’t agree with that Lubow wrote were part of his comments on the very famous Winogrand photograph on the left above. Lubow wrote “Even less successful is the color version of one of his most famous photographs, “Central Park Zoo, New York City” (1967), which shows a Black man and blonde woman, seemingly affluent, each carrying a fully clad chimpanzee. It is a biting and unsettling comment on the era’s prevailing slurs about interracial marriage. In the color image, probably taken an instant later, the man is looking at the camera, the woman’s expression has changed, and the impact is diffused by the photographer’s own obscuring shadow and a distracting crowd of passers-by.” As I stated in my other blog post I saw the Winogrand documentary film, “All Things are Photographable” where Papageorge discussed this image and shared his own photograph of Winogrand with the couple. Tod Papageorge explained he was with Garry Winogrand that day and he disputed the assumption that Winogrand was making a statement about interracial relationships with this photograph. Tod and Garry were close friends and I think Tod would have understanding of Garry’s beliefs and opinions. I researched this subject matter further and found an in-depth article, with photograph illustrations, that Papageorge had authored about the photograph for Transatlantica in 2014 on MoMA’s website.

I know I have shared this information in the body of another blog post, but I think the subject is important enough to highlight in a separate post specifically dealing with the perceived controversy with this image because it applies to other works by other people. It is wrong to apply current day feelings or cultural standards with things from the past. I am not saying we need to condone outdated beliefs or past behavior that would be wrong in our world today. I am saying things needs to be evaluated with perspective of the time of the event and without any attempt to cancel it because of the current values and opinions of a segment of society. Here is a good non-photo example of my point:

My son is a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, a well-known prep school in Connecticut. On one of my many visits back there I got to sit in on his English class during the events of a “parents’ weekend”. My son’s teacher was Ed McCatty who is an outstanding educator, now retired. McCatty, who is black, had the class reading Mark Twain’s 1884 classic book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at the time. In the classroom, with all these other parents visiting, McCatty called on a student to read the book out loud and the student became nervous because of the book uses the “N-word” a fair amount to describe Huck’s friend Jim who was a fugitive slave. Finally, McCatty took over reading and projected Twain’s words eloquently. Parents squirmed uncomfortably as McCatty read “that word” again and again. I had already met Ed on a previous visit, he was one of the faculty residents in my son’s dorm, I knew where he was going with the reading, so I sat back and enjoyed seeing a number of parents getting completely stressed over words written in the 19th century. McCatty eventually explained how it was important to interpret Twain’s writing based on the time it was written. He pointed out that even though Huck was using the term for Jim that it wasn’t being used in a derogatory manner for the time, and the fact that Twain wrote about a young white youth befriending a black fugitive slave it showed Twain had a progressive viewpoint. McCatty took the topic further, using examples in his own life, and ended up giving everyone a lesson that day which went far beyond literature.

Interpretations of images (and other things) can change quickly, we don’t need a hundred plus years to pass for feelings to change. The best example of this with my own work is this photograph below which is in the permanent collection at the Center for Creative Photography.

PPD-177 #23 March 1987 - William Karl Valentine

Officer Ware and Craddolph at search warrant related to a narcotics sales investigation.

When I displayed this photograph in the first couple decades after making the exposure most every viewer was compassionate for the child being raised in dangerous conditions and anger towards the parents for putting the child in the situation. Some people went on to acknowledge gratefulness for law enforcement for trying to protect the child and do something about the drug epidemic of the times. These are accurate opinions about what my image is about. But in the last decade plus a portion of our society has altered its perspective on law enforcement and I have been confronted about this image. I had an anonymous Instagram viewer question my ethics for taking the photograph when the woman was unable to defend herself. In 2020 the photograph was in a simple exhibition in Pasadena and several people demanded to have it taken down because they found it offensive, so that image was pulled from the wall by staff. I am fine with someone not liking my work or disagreeing with my interpretation of the world, but to censor me is outlandish. The First Amendment gives me as much right to express myself opinion as anyone else in this country. The fact that some people thing their feeling give them the authority to remove that right is infuriating. Most photographs are an accurate account of a fraction of a second of time, how we interpret them is another thing.

One final thing I want to get back to, the majority of Arthur Lubow’s opinion on Winogran’s color photograph of the couple at the Central Park Zoo is spot on. The image is not as good as the famous black and white image and for all the reasons Lubow points out in his description of the image. Lubow obviously knows how to look at photographs. The positioning of the subjects in the frame and Winogrand’s shadow make the color image way less impactful. If Winogrand had been using a digital camera, which obviously did not exist then, and decided to share this famous image in color I think it may have been impactful, but I can see how the bright colors could have been distracting from what was going on in the frame. I know in my own work sometimes bright colors in a color image distract the viewer from the shapes, forms, layers of meaning, and textures in the image which drew my eye. That was a big consideration I had with my Santa Anita book, I didn’t want the viewer to focus on the bright colors of the silks, the horses, and the grass, I wanted them to see the details and layers of information that came out in a black and white image. It is natural that our eyes are drawn to bright colors and when color is removed a photographer can direct the focus in an image. There are times that colors matter and for that I am thankful for the digital age where the decision can be made after the shutter was released. Knowing how many rolls of film that Winogrand exposed I can only imagine how many hard drives he would have filled and the thousands of more images he would have made.

***Published by Yale University Press in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Author - Lisa Volpe (2023)***

America and Other Myths - Photographs by Robert Frank and Todd Webb, 1955

October 24, 2023

I went into my favorite hometown bookstore, Vroman’s in Pasadena, on Monday for something and before I left, I checked out the Photography section for any new book arrivals. I was surprised to see they already had a copy of America and Other Myths - Photographs by Robert Frank and Todd Webb, 1955 so I grabbed it. I follow the author, Lisa Volpe so I knew the exhibition was opening at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and that the book/exhibition catalogue had just been released. I thought Vroman’s might get the book in stock before the end of the year, but I never expected to see it on their shelf within two weeks of its release. I like to support Vroman’s because they are independent, and they took care of me when I released my first book.

The exhibition, and this accompanying catalogue, compare the work of photographers Todd Webb and Robert Frank who received separate Guggenheim Fellowships in 1955 to document the United States. Robet Frank’s photographs were published in book form in France in 1958 then in the US in 1960. The book, The Americans, is arguably one of the most iconic photography books of all time. Webb’s 1955 photographs were not widely seen and were basically lost for some time before being rediscovered in a collector’s basement. In 2017 Webb’s 1955 photographs were obtained by Todd Webb’s Archive which began the archiving process of the images. Curator Lisa Volpe became aware of the Webb photographs around the time they made it to the Webb Archive and then had the vision to curate this exhibition comparing Webb’s unknown work Frank’s iconic body of work.

I became familiar with the Lisa Volpe, who is the Associate Curator of Photography at the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston, a year ago when she selected two of my photographs for an exhibition in Atlanta. During the submission process I researched Lisa online and found a couple videos of her talking about photography. Lisa has so much passion for photography and that energy comes across when she talks about the medium. I have followed her ever since.

I have seen Lisa’s recent posts about the exhibition America and Other Myths and the pending release of book/exhibition catalogue. The concept and images looked so fantastic that I have even been considering a trip to Houston to see it. I don’t know if I will make that happen but at least I have a copy of the book know so I know how good this exhibition probably is. But this post is a book review so let me get on with that.

Review of the Book:

The book was published by Yale University Press in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. As stated above the author is Lisa Volpe - Associate Curator of Photography at the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston. The book was released this month and contains 184 Pages, is 10.00” x 10.70”, has 115 duotone images, and was printed in China. Directors’ Forwards were provided by Gary Tinterow - Director, The Margaret Alkek Williams Chair - The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Betsy Evan Hunt - Executive Director of the Todd Webb Archive. Novelist and Professor Susan Straight provided the afterword.

The book is outstanding in every aspect. The design is obviously the first impression with any book. I love the cover image; it represents what it to come well and I like the font selection. The book is a really good size, you can hold it easily if you are lounging, so it has intimacy, but the book is also a little bigger than some other books which allows the images to be bigger so you can see more details in the image reproductions. The duotone printing is very good, the images are beautiful, and the printing quality also helps with seeing the image details. I absolutely love the page design where the image information is on the same page as the photograph, in a font that is easy to read but does not interfere with the experience of looking at the image. I made a point to do the same thing with my Santa Anita book because I always hate hunting through the back of the book to find the information about an image. With the writings, the text spacing is good, the font size is easy to read, and it has a nice font style.

There is an incredible amount of written information in this book. I don’t mean there is page upon page of reading to do to get through before seeing the photographs, that would have been a negative for me. What I mean is everyone who contributed text wrote in a way to share interesting facts about the photographers and their journeys in a wonderfully entertaining, clear, and concise manner. I obviously just brought this book home and have only read the introductions and skimmed the other text, but even with that I have learned so much about both photographers that I never knew. The story of how Webb’s 1955 photographs were rescued from a basement and preserved before ultimately being shared with the world now is amazing. The in-depth examination of both photographers and how they approached their Guggenheim projects is incredible. I look forward to spending a lot more time with this book to learn even more. Volpe’s writing style conveys her passion for the project and Susan Straight’s afterword is a nice compliment to the images and is very appropriate. Normally I wouldn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the Bibliography, Index, and Credits but again there is so much good information here about the images and the exhibition it is worth noting. Lisa and her team documented everything about this project, she could have been a good Detective with her skillset.

The image selection and the sequencing in the catalogue are again, outstanding. I have really started paying attention to how curators edit then hang their exhibitions over recent years. The curator’s process is often far more creative than the average museum visitor realizes. The pairings in the book are interesting, they work, and again I like being able to glance down to see which photographer created each image. Like most photographers, I was well aware of Robert Frank’s work in the exhibition, and I always find value in revisiting it. Like the rest of the world, except those involved in this project, I had never seen this body of Webb’s work before. In reading the descriptions in the book it appears that most all of Webb’s prints in the exhibition are Inkjet Prints printed this year. I assume that means Lisa and Betsy had to go through negatives and digitize images as part of the curatorial process. If so that makes the accomplishment of this exhibition even more impressive.

Image Showcase:

This photograph above of a barber in New Mexico has been on my mind ever since I saw it. The light in this image is amazing, as was Webb’s ability to capture it. I don’t know if there are words good enough to describe the quality of this image, this image doesn’t need words. Thank you, Lisa, for including it.

Two of my photographs compared two images from the book:

William Karl Valentine - NY-061 #07 9/5/00

Todd Webb - 1955

William Karl Valentine - CA-087 #17 5/29/95

Robert Frank - 1956

I had learned from Szarkowski’s book on Garry Winogrand that both Winogrand and Robert Frank had photographed the Father Serra statue in Los Angeles, even though all of them thought the statue was of Saint Francis. Because I knew they both had photographed something close to home, in 1995, I decided to search for the statue and also photograph it. I have written a previous blog post about all that whole process and how the statue had been moved. In September of 2000, almost exactly one year before the attack on the World Trade Center, I was in New York and captured the image above from the Empire State Building. At the time the person looking up at the claw railing had good value but after the attacks the the image became more powerful, and deeper for me. I don’t ever recall seeing Webb’s photograph from my exact same vantage point before, so I was excited to discover this image in the book this week, immediately realizing we had been in the same spot, just 45 years apart. I always find it interesting when I have the opportunity to photograph somewhere, or something, that a great photographer has. There is a unique connection and I like comparing the changes over time, or the lack of changes; it can be fascinating.

Conclusion:

If you like photography books you will love adding this book to your collection. For the $50 price, it is a great value. Every time you revisit this book you can come away with new experiences and knowledge, it truly is outstanding.

Additional Information:

Yale Press had links to a half hour podcast of Lisa Volpe being interviewed about the book which was fantastic as well as a half minute You Tube video of page turns showing off the book. Links are below.

Lisa Volpe - Yale podcast interview about the exhibition

Yale Press - You Tube book reveal (less than 30 seconds)

Photographing with Ave Pildas - September 22, 2023

October 8, 2023

On Friday September 22nd I spent the afternoon photographing and hanging out with legendary Los Angeles street photographer Ave Pildas.

I discovered Ave’s work, when I found a copy of his book Street People at Arcana Books in Culver City five years ago. I liked his work so much I bought a copy of the book. I authored a blog post about Street People and how his photograph “Cop Salute” really stood out to me. I loved the fact Ave was apparently self-publishing small edition books, promoting his work, making his own opportunities. Los Angeles is a hard town to photograph in and it was obvious Ave has been out there documenting Los Angeles for a long time. I followed Ave on social media and when Deadbeat Club Press released Ave’s Star Struck book last year, I went back over to Arcana for the signing to meet him; I also authored a blog post about that. We had a great talk and I suggested going out photographing on the street together.

Ave and I had talked a few times this year trying coordinate our schedules to go out and photograph. When we figured out September would be good for both of us, Ave specifically told me he wanted to find new areas in LA to photograph. The light in September is also usually better than the summer months which I thought would be a plus, but of course the day we went out it was oddly overcast for September here. Ave lives in Santa Monica and is probably best-known for his Hollywood street photography. When we were planning the day Ave told me he was interested in exploring two Los Angeles neighborhoods: Liemert Park and York Boulevard in Highland Park. Because I knew I would be coming from a morning meeting with Photography Curator Linde Lehtinen at the Huntington Library I chose York Boulevard which was closer. I also liked how he described York Boulevard as a gentrified neighborhood with plenty of foot traffic and people out and about to photograph. I love an image rich environment.

We met at Avenue 50 and York which was perfect. There is also a bench there which allowed us to talk for half an hour before we started walking and photographing. I also got a good feel for the area watching the people pass us.

Ave and I are very different in a lot of ways, first and foremost I am 6’5”, Ave is not. I was born in the 1960’s, Ave was “living life” in the 1960’s and 70’s; and he still attacks life today. But I quickly discovered we are very similar when it comes to photography even though we work in different styles. We both constantly look for images in our travels, framing things in our mind when we don’t have a camera in hand, and we both have a strong desire to document our world. We also both feel the pressure of fleeting time and its impact on our efforts to preserve our work, so our images live on long after we are gone. We also have a similar geek side, like where we both got excited with the visit to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. I bought some PEZ and Ave asked for a handful of eclectic bottle caps. I also loved listening to Ave and Ernestine at Leaf & Spine talk about succulents for ten minutes. We discovered her shop while adventuring around York Boulevard.

Street Photography Styles:

When it comes to photographing people on the street, Ave talks to people more, and likes to engage with his subjects. I like to move anonymously through crowds while photographing. I don’t want people to be aware that I am photographing them because I want to document the world as it is, without interfering with it; but I always do get incredibly powerful images when I get suspicious stares directly into my lens. We talked about our different approaches and during the conversation I referenced Bruce Gilden who photographs in a very confrontational style, on the street of NYC with a wide-angle lens and a flash. There is never a doubt when Bruce has taken your picture, he’s in your face. The confrontation Bruce creates is an important part of the image. Ave and I both like Bruce’s photographs but agreed we would never want to work in that style; we also agreed that style would not go over well in Los Angeles.

I think Ave photographs in a more methodical manner. Granted he is 84 years old, but he is in great shape still and could move along the street faster. He just really likes to examine everything around him and often photographs details from multiple angels to get exactly what he wants. I like to do that as well with static subjects but when I am photographing on the street I am usually moving and reacting to the people I see. I often “Shoot from the hip” literally, with a Sony RX100 vii with the rear screen tiled up so I can glance down and see it. I miss some things in the frame with this approach but with it I can move about better, and people are more natural. Missing an image is just part of the process, some things aren’t meant to be. When I see something that is amazing I will frame it regardless of whether people will notice. Often I have a Nikon D850 around my neck and will transition to that for those images. I also use the DSLR camera for all the static subjects. A DSLR camera body around the neck often helps me photograph surreptitiously with my Sony RX 100 vii. Suspicious people focus on the DSLR body, and they don’t even look at my hands. Good Life Lesson from my Law Enforcement days, always look to see what’s in people’s hands.

William Karl Valentine - York Boulevard Portfolio

The Experience of Photographing with Ave

The afternoon photographing with Ave was one of the coolest times I have had in a while. I almost always photograph alone or if I am with other people I am the only photographer. After leaving ASU I have never really had a mentor photographer. I have had outstanding advisors like Mary Virginia Swanson but no one I went out photographing with. Ave and I photographed well together, each discovering different things to photograph and moving at a pace that didn’t hinder either of us. The pace was also good because it gave us the opportunity to discuss so many different things. We meshed well, I did not set the day up looking for a mentor, I was looking to exchange ideas with an experienced peer, and I got that. I know we both got something out of the day and developed a good friendship. Ave even called me last week to tell me about photographing Liemert Park the weekend after we were on York Boulevard.

We discussed so many things there is no way to list everything here, and some things were just between us. Ave life has been an adventure. He was a successful designer in Cincinnati and when he wanted to get to the next level he followed the advice of his mentors and went to study design in Switzerland. He met his first wife in Switzerland and has two granddaughters who are Swiss. He taught in Philadelphia and ended up in Los Angeles because one of his former students worked at Capitol Records and introduced him to management when he had been in town on a road trip. He had to fly back to Philadelphia to get a portfolio to show them and was hired. We talked about some of the legendary photographers of our time, and it was interesting learning how Ave had met Danny Lyon in Milwaukee once and had seen Garry Winogrand photographing around Los Angeles on several occasions.

I look forward to getting back on the street again soon with Ave and could see somehow collaborating with him one day. His schedule is crazy, with pending trips to New York and Morocco coming up soon, but that also means I get to see more new images from him. I encourage everyone who reads this post to check out Ave’s website and follow him on Instagram, you won’t be disappointed. There is also a recently completed documentary film about Ave called Ave’s America that I am looking forward to watching once the release is complete.

William Kart Valentine on York Blvd – photograph © 2023 Ave Pildas

Ave’s Bio from his website:

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ave Pildas worked early in his career as a photo stringer for Downbeat Magazine in the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania in the 1960's.

In 1971 Pildas began working as the Art Director at Capitol Records in Hollywood and designed and photographed album covers for the label's recording artists. He launched a career as a freelance photographer and designer soon after, specializing in architectural and corporate photography. His photographs have been exhibited in one man shows at the: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Photographers Gallery, London, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, Gallerie Diaframma, Milan, Cannon Gallery, Amsterdam, Gallerie 38, Zurich and numerous group shows. His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Bibliotheca National, Paris; the University of Arizona as well as numerous other public and private collections. He is a Professor Emeritus at Otis College of Design.

“Manos Arriba” CA DSC - 08450 9-22-23 Ave Pildas

Atlanta Photography Group - Storytelling 2023 Exhibition - Opening September 19th

September 21, 2023

I am honored that the above print is included in the Storytelling 2023 exhibition which opened this week at the Atlanta Photography Group.

The exhibition celebrates street and documentary photography and was curated by Alyssa Coppelman.

APG shared the following about Coppleman on their website:

Alyssa Ortega Coppelman is an independent photo editor and photobook consultant based in Austin, Texas. She is Art Researcher for the Oxford American magazine; and Archival Researcher on the Emmy-nominated, PBS NewsHour series, Brief But Spectacular. Previously, she was Deputy Art Director at Harper’s Magazine.

About Oxford American

The Oxford American is a nonprofit arts organization and national magazine dedicated to exploring the complexity and vitality of the American South through excellent writing, music, and visual art. Billed as “A Magazine of the South,” it has won four National Magazine Awards and other high honors since it began publication in 1992. The Oxford American is published in partnership with the University of Central Arkansas.

The Image

This is the first time I have exhibited this image which I photographed in June 2022 at the First Annual West Hollywood Pride Parade. I have been concentrating on photographing more aspects of Los Angeles the last few years, partially because I think is important to document where I am from and partially because of the constraints related to the pandemic. I have always found it difficult to photograph in LA, it is not like New York or Chicago or even San Francisco. Los Angeles has so many diverse communities, and is geographically massive, it is really hard to capture everything about this place. People also don’t move around here like in the other big cities, in LA most people drive to where they were going, they don’t walk. Although this is changing some, as a photographer I still find that I have to search for the areas where people are congregating on the street. Hollywood and West Hollywood have always had more foot traffic than other areas and I knew the Pride parade would bring out lots of people for me to photograph so I went to it. I felt it was important to document the LGBTQ+ community because of its population size in Southern California and I was also interested to see how people would interact with each other at one of the first large post pandemic events.

When I saw this person in drag, and the people with them, I knew I was going to have the opportunity to capture a good image. I was first thinking my images would only be of the entourage but as this woman in in the tan hat started to fumble to get her cellphone camera up, I recognized that having her in my frame could take the image to a different level. The woman was so excited by what she saw approaching her that she stepped right in front of me to get her shot. Normally I would say something if someone did this while I was photographing but I wanted her in my frame. I stepped to my left and took my time framing the image. I made a number of exposures and worked to make sure the person in drag was featured, was in focus, and that I could see their image in the woman’s phone. Normally when I photograph on the street I am moving, often photographing from the hip (literally with a Sony RX100 vii), and when I frame an image, it’s quick. The parade setting obviously allowed for a more traditional photographic approach, framing in a viewfinder, but with this image I spent even more time than normal to perfect the frame.

For me, the interaction between the woman and the person in drag is key. The stare down of a dominatrix, the desire of the woman to capture the image and maybe even a desire for other things. The stare was so intense it seemed to single them out from the crowd, like a scene you might see in a movie, where all other noise is silenced and it’s just the two of them alone, albeit in the middle of a crowded parade. The other elements of the image work well too: the laughter of the other woman witnessing the scene, the contrast between the muscular man and other woman crossing the street, and the how the majority of the crowd isn’t even taking notice of their connection. With many of my street photographs I look to document relationships between individuals, and relationships between a person and the whole of a group or society. I love that this image has lots of layers to it, which allows each viewer to have their own experience of seeing it. The image is also a solid document of the event and a segment of the Angelino population.

The Print:

The exhibition print has an image size of 24” x 16” which is the largest sized print I have produced so far in an edition (I have produced some larger prints for commercial clients). This print is on a sheet of 26” x 18” Hahnemȕhle Photo Rag Ultrasmooth paper, framed with a window matt to an external size of approximately 33” x 25”. The print in the exhibition is #4 in an edition of 9 for this image size.

The print was made by Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta who I have been using to produce all my large print editions. Owner Barry Glustoff is fantastic to work with and his lab is one of the top certified printers of Canson and Hahnemȕhle papers in the world. I had Barry produce editions of 19 other images this summer at this size, and he has printed and framed all my photographs for every one of my APG exhibitions. His work is outstanding, and the staff is professional.

The Exhibition:

I have had a chance to see the other images in the exhibition and some early photographs of the installation. The exhibition looks great, some outstanding images, and I am pleased to be showing work with Gwen Julia, Joe Hoyle & Peter Essick again.

BLM Protest - Newport Beach, California (NB DSC 6686 6-06-20)

Picturing Resistance Exhibition at Art Intersection Gallery - Gilbert, Arizona

July 13, 2023

I am proud to announce that legendary photojournalist, and educator, Ken Light has selected three of my photographs for inclusion in the Picturing Resistance Exhibition at Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona. The exhibition runs August 12th through September 30th and includes 59 photographs.

Protest against Governor Newsom’s orders to close the beaches during the Covid Pandemic - Huntington Beach, California (HB DSC 9916 5-01-20)

BLM Protest - Hollywood, California (CA DSC 5652 6-02-20)

I have enjoyed Ken Light’s work for some time, and his books “Texas Death Row” and “Course of the Empire” are in my library. Ken is a great photographer to follow on social media. Not only has he been documenting America, and other parts of the world, for 50 years, but he is also the Reva and David Logan Professor of Photojournalism and curator of the Center for Photography at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California Berkeley, so he has knowledge of most all current trends in photography today. Ken posted about this exhibition call on social media and I took the opportunity to get my work in front of his eyes. I didn’t know about Art Intersection before the call but in researching it some it looks like Alan Fitzgerald, the Executive Director, is overseeing a good space with a great photography community. I’m glad to have discovered Art Intersection.

With Ken selecting these images for the exhibition it gives me some validation for my pandemic portfolio which makes me very happy. I think mu pandemic era photographs will become an important documentation of what occurred during the pandemic, especially here in Southern California.

Art Intersection Gallery

207 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 201 - Gilbert, Arizona, 85234 480-361-1118

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM

New Avedon, Cunningham, and Friedlander books I bought in March while at the Phoenix Art Museum.

New Library Additions - Avedon, Cunningham, and Friedlander

May 9, 2023

When I visited the Phoenix Art Museum in March, I decided to buy a membership instead of just a single admission. I like to have memberships at museums I want to support even if they aren’t local. One benefit of that is a discount in the Museum Shop which I used to add three more titles to my library. I encourage anyone interested in these titles to purchase from the museum shop to help support the Phoenix Art Museum.

Richard Avedon - Relationships

Released in conjunction with Avedon’s 2022 retrospective exhibition in Milan, this book was published by Skira Publishers in Italy and edited by the Center for Creative Photography’s Rebecca Senf. The book is beautiful, it was printed and bound in Italy and the edit is outstanding. It was nice to finally get a signed copy of one of Becky’s books, I still need to get my copy of her Ansel Adams book, Making a Photographer: The Early Work of Ansel Adams autographed. The Center for Creative Photography houses Avedon’s archives and Becky was also involved with curating the exhibition as well as editing this book. You can see examples of the images in the book on Avedon's website.

Bill Cunningham -

Published by the New York Times in 2019 this retrospective of Bill Cunningham’s fifty-year career is a nice document of fashion during that time. Bill was a fashion columnist and photographer who worked for the New York Times. What I love about this book is all of these images were taken on the street, these photographs aren’t of models on a runway, they are all of people on the street. It is a better documentation of what fashion really was because it accurately shows what people were wearing during this period. Bill Cunningham referred to himself as a Fashion Historian more than a photographer. I agree with him 100% on his title but I also acknowledge he made interesting images and is more than worthy to also be called a photographer. Bill’s work is about the fashion not the frame or the interaction, but in this format it absolutely works. I wasn’t familiar with his work before seeing the exhibition Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression at the Phoenix Art Museum but it was a perfect fit, and I purchased the book because I enjoyed how it was a different approach to document people on the street. If you are a fan of fashion photography you need to add this to your library.

Lee Friedlander - Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom

This very unique book, published in 2015 by Eakins Press, only documents the events of one day, May 17th, 1957 when Dr. Martin Luther King spoke at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. I wrongly first assumed this book documented the famed day when King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech but that would not occur until 1963. I researched the events and learned the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was actually the first time Martin Luther King addressed a national audience. It makes sense now why photographs of Dr. King were not more prominent in the book since he was the last speaker of the day. The book is an outstanding document plus Friedlander’s photographic style is amazing, I always love looking at his images. I found it ironic I discovered this book a couple months before Fraenkel Gallery’s Friedlander exhibition opened this past weekend. The most incredible thing is Friedlander was 22 years old when he photographed the event. The book is a nice reference point to examine how Friedlander’s vision and career developed. He obviously knew early on how to be at the right place at the right time.

One more shout out to the wonderful people at the Phoenix Art Museum and their Museum Store, please purchase directly from them if you want any of these titles.

Brianna Kupfer was stabbed to death inside her work on 1-13-22, the suspect was arrested on 1-19-22 in Pasadena several hours before I photographed this memorial at the murder scene.

Brianna Kupfer Murder Scene - 326 N. La Brea, Los Angeles

January 22, 2022

I remember standing over a guy once who had just been shot in his apartment. There was a drive-by on the street out front and instead of taking cover he went to the bedroom window to look and caught what appeared to be a stray round meant for someone else. He was a “Veterano” so I was somewhat surprised he did that, I expected he would know better. We had arrived on scene right after it happened, and paramedics were close behind us. Medically there wasn’t anything I could do for him beside encourage him to keep fighting to stay alive. His breathing was shallow, and he was not saying anything. His color started to fade and by the time the paramedics transported him his skin was turning grey, I knew he was going to die, and he did soon after reaching the hospital. I have seen a few murder victims die; most I guess were in shock because they were not saying much. I have also seen someone who was shot and made it, he was scared and calling out for his mother as he was laying there on the ground. Watching someone in the process of dying an unnatural death is surreal. I’ve sensed some people giving in to their wounds and death’s call, while seeing others fighting with all they had to survive. I have sensed fight, fear, regret, loneliness, and calm witnessing the dying process.

I went to the Croft House to photograph Brianna Kupfer’s memorial because I saw it as opportunity to document an incident which represents our society today, raging crime and the deterioration of safety in our communities.

What happened to Brianna showcases everything that has and is going wrong with the new approach to the American criminal justice system in a supposed “woke” society. It is beyond unacceptable that Shawn Laval Smith, the murder suspect, was still roaming the streets after at least 11 previous arrests and his obvious mental health issues. At a minimum he should have been in a mental health facility years ago, instead, somehow, he was most likely shipped to California from South Carolina so they could get rid of their problem quickly. Based on all his criminal history Law Enforcement did their job, they arrested him and brought him before the courts. The system from there obviously did not do their part by putting Mr. Smith in some type of custody where he could not harm others. Every day there are incidents of violent attacks on innocent people by unstable persons living on our streets. This past week the victims included a nurse at a Los Angeles bus stop and an accounting consultant on a New York subway platform, plus who knows how many others.

I feel my images from the Croft House accurately convey my feelings about Brianna’s murder and allow for thought and interpretation by other viewers. I see them as powerful documents of what happened, even though they do not actually document the criminal act or crime scene. I hope these photographs allow some viewers the ability to consider the reality of such a horrific loss and contemplate society’s approach to public safety moving forward. I think there are many layers for the viewers to deal with in these images.

When I photograph, I try and be respectful of the people within my frames and not exploitative. With an incident like this, I was looking for images with deeper meaning, not just a press image where I was looking for dramatic shot to illustrate a story before moving on.

Here are some of my thoughts on specific images:

The wide-angle view of the entire store worked well. The lead image in this blog captured how intimate this furniture store is by documenting its scale. I used a 14-24mm Nikon Aspherical lens for this since the sidewalk is so narrow and news vans were parked all in front of Croft House. For me I see the outside of the building with all the big windows as a location I would never expect a violent crime to occur. The wide-angle lens also captured the volume of flowers well. In the image above the young man walking past the wanted poster of Smith symbolizes much of society for me. Something horrific happened here, I want everyone to take notice and be enraged about it, but this man appears to be walking by as if he is oblivious to that fact. I imagine him saying to himself: “Oh well something bad happened here, thankfully it wasn’t me, bad things happen all the time, just accept it, I have things to do, it’s nothing I have to deal with.”. Obviously, I don’t know this young man’s thoughts, nor do I know if he has already walked by here multiple times and has already stopped to experience the moment. His presence in the frame, although a documented fact, is really only symbolic of life going on and people passing by. I also think his attire helps with the documentation of the area and the people who live here.

This image is intense for me. The arrangement is so beautiful, as was Brianna Kupfer, the flowers are representative of her. The interior of the store is organized and clean. There is order in the display and the designs of the pieces are awesome, the space looks cool, normally I would love to check out. But then there is the reality that order was shattered by the blade of the murderer’s knife. The reflection of the news van and the wanted poster in the window tell the horrific truth. Having seen the coverage of the murder on television I know the suspect had walked right where I was now standing to make this photograph. Perhaps he peered into this same window before he entered Croft House. He interacted with Brianna in such a way that she became so scared of him she texted a friend about him, he then savagely murdered Brianna, before comely walking out the back door of the store and North up the ally. The most chilling part is the rear door of the store is so clearly visible in this image and positioned just to the left of the wanted flyer for the suspect. This image brings to my mind the terror Brianna must have endured at the end of her life, how alone she must have felt.

I assume this image above is pretty obvious for most viewers. Televised news is so influential today. Here I have the production crew for the live shot, masks documenting the period, and mobile equipment which reminds the viewer that the crew is only on scene temporarily before moving on to the next story. Society’s focus on this event will quickly fade, and then I think of her family who will carry the scars of this loss forever. I am angered with the thought that victims, and their families are not the focus today. The slight view of the memorial in the background wanted poster giving context to their story. The reporters practiced speaking their copy while the crews checked their lighting and camera angles. They were doing their jobs, they were not being disrespectful, but the reality was obvious this wasn’t personal for them, it was just another tough story, it probably has to be that way in their business. Maybe this image also represents public desensitization to crime.

A few more images of the news crews, I specifically liked the woman casually walking by NBC’s Angie Crouch as she prepared for her segment, again symbolic of the acceptance of the reality of our society today.

I personally have no respect for District Attorney Gascon so when I found this sign here when I arrived, I was happy someone else had made this statement. It is good that there is an element of anger along with celebrating the Brianna’s life and mourning her loss. The old metal security gate is also an important element in all these images, adds to the layers.

The powerful element in this image is subtle but strong. Just before I photographed it someone came up and asked a couple questions about the murder. He seemed like he didn’t want to believe such a violent act could have happened there, I assume he lived in that Hancock Park neighborhood. He read the wanted poster, then put his hands up to the glass so he could get a better view of the store’s interior. It was obvious he was trying to comprehend what had happened, I assume he felt compassion for the victim and quite possibly fear for his own well-being. It would have been a great photograph of him peering in the window, but I didn’t take it. I guess I wanted to let him have his moment to himself. The smudges on the window are a good representation of everyone who had stopped and peered inside. I am sure many were fearful they would see a bloody crime scene but at the same time they were too curious to not look. From that point I can imagine people thinking thank God that wasn’t me or my daughter.

I liked the image of the vigil flyer; it is a simple document that gains value with the Christian candles. The note in the right-side image stood out to me. It isn’t the typical card you write on when you send flowers. It’s a page ripped from a small personal notebook. I don’t know any facts about who wrote this, but I can envision someone who stopped to view the memorial feeling the emotion of the loss and having a need to do something to share with others how they felt. For me the note is so genuine and personal, I love it, especially with the shapes and forms of the image, the beautiful, delicate flowers, and their contrast to the iron security gate. More layers of interpretation with this image than are initially obvious.

This may be the most powerful of my images that day, even though it was such an obvious image. I was lucky to be there when the sunlight was at a perfect angle to illuminate Brianna’s portrait and the wanted flyers taped to the window. The light also gave me interesting hard shadows in the store with an interesting element of a reflection of a security fence in the top of the frame; for me those elements allude to the darkness of the crime. Again, the staging of the portrait reminds me how unexpected it was to have a homicide occur at a location like Croft House. I don’t know who photographed the actual portrait, it is a solid portrait which I assumed captured Brianna’s personality. I felt a little weird photographing someone else’s photograph but with all the other elements in my frame I knew it was totally appropriate.

Hopefully I will find fewer things like this to photograph in the future and that I will never have to fully comprehend the pain Brianna Kupfer’s family is experiencing now. I will keep documenting my world because that is how I experience life and I trust these images will also have an impact on everyone who views them.

New York Photographs - January 2019

November 13, 2021

I just uploaded over 30 photographs from January 17th 2019 to my New York portfolio on my website. This blog post is to announce that and mention a few of the images which are standing out to me.

I was in Connecticut for a week and took the train in to New York City photograph that day. The light was good that day with no clouds. The windchill had the temperature down to about 18 degrees which did not feel that cold to me. My Nikon D500 though didn’t like the cold and shut down, luckily, I usually carry multiple cameras on trips like this do I was fine.

I am hopeful this blog post and update to my New York Portfolio with give view some insights to how I photograph. So often when I am in New York I will pick a few museums or galleries (Howard Greenburg in the Fuller Building is a favorite) I want to see that day and map out a straight-line route to start from. From there I walk and usually only stop to make camera adjustments or review images. Back in the day I would stop to change film and make notations on the canister but even with a Leica if needed I could walk and change film at the same time. Walking five miles in a day happens often, depends on the stops and what I come across. It is rare I stay in one location too long; the city moves and so I to as well. I also try and blend into the scene as I photograph so moving with the flow helps accomplish that. Moving also reduces becoming a victim since I am usually alone when I photograph. I am mindful of the sun when choosing my routes and which side of the street I am on. Back in the day T-Max 400 film at f/8 and 1/500th was probably my most common setting and I used a Sekonic hand meter. Today I am often on shutter priority at 1/800th. I appreciate the ability digital images give me to proof instantly, especially in tough lighting conditions.

I am drawn to these images above because there is a perceived sense of tension between the people in the images. Our world today is full of tension, and the weight of those tensions have been relentless on us for years. Relationships between people, and individuals to society are not as good as they should be today.

This grouping of Warhol paintings at the Whitney is probably the most epic grouping of art pieces I have ever seen in a museum. The grouping sums up so much about our world and life for me. Senior Curator Donna De Salvo, Senior Curatorial Assistant Christie Mitchell, and Curatorial Research Associate Mark Loiacono organized the exhibition, so I assume one or all of them deserve credit for it. When I saw the person with the support dog and the other man facing the cross in front of Warhol’s work, I had my image. I know I have written about it before but I will say it again, the Warhol retrospective was amazing, incredible how much work they gathered for it and the presentation in the space was perfect.

I know some people might think it is odd for me to photograph in galleries and museums where other art is on the walls. I often find myself with the desire to photograph as a means to experience something. I like to document moments and retain memories; the camera allows me to do that. Over time I have often found the juxtaposition viewers have with the artwork on the walls cab create new images of value. Plus, I am always aware of potential images, it is just how I see the world.

When I first went to photograph in New York in 1988 one of the things I was drawn to were the banks of payphones throughout the city and how many people congregated there. Over the years we have seen pay phones fade away as cell phones have made them obsolete. That transition changed the images I was finding in the city. Before many people I photographed walked with their heads up, looking straight ahead to avoid interaction. Now people seem to use their cell phones for this. Their phones give them a false sense of protection and a means to distance themselves from others. I now look for images specifically with people and their cellphones when I photograph, I think those images can make strong statements about the world we live in today.

I like the graphic element of this image above and the style of these two women who I assume are mother and daughter. This image can be unpacked so many ways depending on the viewer. Some may see it as a statement about wealth and privilege in the world today. I see it as a documentation of the mother daughter relationship and how it evolves while also staying the same in many ways. I envision the daughter loving ice cream and getting excited every time her mom took her for some when she was young. They probably have a special bond with all the times they have gotten ice cream over the years. I imagine this is an especially strong bond considering the day I photographed them it was well below freezing outside and that they are sharing the same scoop. In comparing the fashion and style of both I can also imagine that the mom has groomed her daughter to be a mirror image of her. Obviously, I am presenting a fair amount of speculation and interpretation of the image but don’t we all do some amount with every image we see. The girl being on her phone adds to the image as does the fact she apparently has seen me photographing them and my blurred reflection is visible on the granite wall. Those last two facts bring some self-portrait elements into the image. The Rolex store background is another important component of the image too obviously.

New York is Mecca for Street Photographers. I know Winogrand hated the term “Street Photography”, adamantly pointing out he was photographing people not the streets. I also know many images I see today which are described to be “Street Photography” are not. I think there are quite a few photographers out there that are enamored by the title of being a Street Photographer so they call any of their contrasty and saturated images street photography because it makes them hip. I have recently seen drone photographs and ocean photographs listed as Street Photography…No

I identify as a documentary photographer, it is the most accurate description of my work because I have so many varied portfolios, documentation is the prominent element in all my work. Stylistically when I photograph in cities, my work is Street Photography. I am moving amongst people looking to capture split second moments of interaction which can have deeper meaning when examined as an image. Street Photography is a process. My movement through the people walking in the opposite direction while I try to blend into the crowd. There is interaction in being there but usually I do not want that to influence my images.

When I am in New York photographing I look for my own images, I am not trying to mimic the work of icons. But I do feel a unique energy from the city and knowing the legendary photographers who have also walked those streets with a camera. Some of my favorite photographers are: Garry Winogrand, Bruce Davidson, Tod Papageorge, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz, Jill Freedman, Lee Friedlander, Danny Lyon, and Wee Gee. I also like Bruce Gilden’s work but I could never photograph in his style too much confrontation for me but that is what sets his images apart.