Hello everyone! Check out part 1 and part 2. This is a series where I go through my Lightroom catalog in order to reflect on how I became the photographer I am today, and to show you that everyone starts off taking terrible photos.
I went through an obsessive panning phase for a little while. Every time I went out to take photos I’d always make sure that I could quickly switch my camera settings to a slow shutter speed in order to have that cool panning effect. Looking back now I don’t have the same affection for these images anymore. They’re kind of cool and flashy but besides that they lack any real message. Perhaps I’m being too hard on previous Jeremy because if he didn’t put the work in to create photographs despite having nothing to say I wouldn’t have a quarter the experience I have today!
Another early street photograph, this is right around the time I first discovered Henri Cartier-Bresson and was enamored with taking candid photos of strangers. It’s impossible to think about what my life would be like if I never had that first introduction to street photography in the history of photography class I took at da Vinci College. I’m literally at a loss to imagine it, being a practicing street photographer is intrinsic to how I define myself.
These next few images are from my trip to New York with my parents. It was so much fun being in such a big city surrounded by so many people. This image was taken from a tour bus that drove past Central Park. Ten minutes later we drove through Brooklyn and I saw a street fight between a few kids. I didn’t photograph that event even though the memory is equally important in my memory of New York. I think one of the reason I never posted this photo before was because I felt so bad about cropping. Now I no longer care and see the image for what it is, an imperfect photograph, but a photograph that was made by me. And because of that I can bring myself to appreciate it.
Another panning shot. I still remember the rush of blood that came to me when I saw this image start to come together. I was standing on the sidewalk, my parents were standing right next to me, I could smell the hot dog stand a few feet away, the man start to come by on his bike, I quickly switched the settings on my camera, held my breath and… BAM! One image was all it took. I remember being so excited when I came home and downloaded all my photos in order to see if this one turned out well. I still enjoy looking at this image from time to time, I think this was one of the last panning images that turned out well before I eventually gave up the technique to pursue sharp, straight photography. Until recently that is.
This one’s my personal favorite from the New York trip. I even used it for my recent exhibition A Visual Ode to David Foster Wallace. I remember walking through Central Park, these people were taking wedding or engagement photos or something. The photographer walked ahead and I felt so bad for the couple because the photographer wasn’t there to capture what I saw. I guess that’s the nature of photography, you want to show the world what they’re too busy to see.
I hope you enjoyed these reminiscences. Be sure to check back next week for more recollections and me shit talking my work.