Nancy Kaye was about halfway through college. She was majoring in advertising at Kent University, but the future laid out before her was about to take an unexpected turn. It all started when Nancy saw a young man trying to break into another student’s rented room in the house she lived in. Instead of calling the cops, Nancy approached him and asked, “Can I help you?” The young man explained that this was his girlfriend’s room, and he was trying to get back a camera he lent her. That man was Mark Greenberg, a student who would go on to become a professional photographer, work for Time Life, and even be nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Satisfied with his answer, Nancy struck up a conversation with him. She was about to take a photography class required for advertising. Mark encouraged her to stop by the yearbook office – fledgling photographer that she was about to become – and she took him up on the offer. But Kent University’s yearbook office was no ordinary yearbook office. There, Nancy discovered a yearbook modeled after Life magazine. Instead of silly group pictures and quick quips and quotes, it was full of photo stories. It wasn’t long before Nancy was assigned to work on photo stories herself, and the newspaper and yearbook office quickly became her second home. “It was like falling in love,” she says. Nancy switched her major to photojournalism. She had finally found what she wanted.
After school, Nancy went back to New York. Her father built her a dark room and Nancy hit the streets to shoot. She submitted some photos to the Associated Press, where Maggie Steber was the photo editor at the time, but they didn’t show much interest initially. They did ask her for her portfolio, though. While Nancy was putting her portfolio together, a hurricane hit Long Island and she took some photos of the aftermath. As luck would have it, she shared them with a local newspaper and they ran one of her pictures across a page and a half of the journal the day she was due to show her portfolio. It was a fine addition to her portfolio and Nancy started out doing spec photo assignments for AP and later became a regular stringer in London and New York. Eventually, she met the editors of the New York Times and the Washington Post too. Officially added to their rolodexes, Nancy would work for those three organizations for 12 years before heading west to Los Angeles.
Those early years were critical for Nancy. “I was surrounded by talented people who thought in stories,” she says. Those influences and the training she received in journalism are what guides how she thinks about street photography today. She sees stories, and values images that communicate something. But more learning was ahead for Nancy in LA.
Deep Dive Required
After landing in Los Angeles, Nancy continued working as a photojournalist but also started teaching, which offered her a lifestyle more conducive to raising kids. And Nancy found real fulfillment in teaching. “Learning a new skill with which you can express yourself is so valuable,” Nancy says. It’s at the heart of why she chooses to influence others’ lives with photography.
But teaching meant really thinking about photography. Forced to articulate what she knew about the craft in order to explain concepts to students meant diving deep into the subject. It wasn’t always easy, but Nancy is glad she met the challenge. She too has reaped some valuable benefits from teaching.
Nancy says, “Teaching has broadened my appreciation for all genres of photography. My background is in photojournalism, and street photography is a natural outgrowth of that. But when a student is interested in a type of photography that’s different from mine, my job is to help them realize their vision. I evaluate their work based on their intent and help them develop their own style. This has inspired me to broaden my own work and branch out creatively.”
Nowadays, some of her favorite classes revolve around developing photo essays, which involve guiding students through the process of brainstorming ideas, shooting and selecting photos, and writing project statements. “I love to see a photo essay take shape. Helping photographers develop projects, including writing statements, has been gratifying. I enjoy grouping photos to create synergy and over time it’s honed my curatorial skills,” Nancy says.
State Your Project
Curious to get Nancy’s thoughts as a teacher, I asked her to explain a little more about project statements and why they are important. Her responses were fascinating and will no doubt benefit anyone working on a photo project or series.
What a Project Statement Is (and Isn’t)
Project statements are like a guide or a roadmap. They can help you to clarify the focus and intent of your photos collectively. They should be written in the first person, which adds depth and soul to your project.
Project statements are not about you or your equipment. Be sure you know the difference between a project statement, an artist statement, and a biography, before you start writing.
How to Write a Project Statement
Nancy explained, “My advice is to start by asking yourself two basic questions. First, what is your intention and vision? Basically, what is your project specifically about? For example, is it about a place, a person, an emotion, or a theme? Second, what does the story mean to you personally? It’s essential to understand what has motivated you to choose a particular topic.”
You should be able to answer those questions in a few sentences. And remember, explain your project from your own viewpoint. You never want to tell someone else how they’re going to feel about the project.
Also worth noting is that a project statement deserves a worthy series of photos. Nancy offered some good advice on this point: “It’s important that each photo relates to the project theme. An image may be great, but if it doesn’t adhere to the parameters of the project, it weakens the overall message. Similarly, a photo that’s not a strong shot detracts from the impact of a project. It can be difficult to edit one’s own work for a project, but I see it very clearly when working with other people’s projects.”
What if you realize you don’t have enough photos for a whole series, I wondered. Nancy advised that if you don’t have enough photos, just wait. It can take time to build a solid series, so take your time. You can start writing the project statement though. Writing a statement helps you to think and figure out what you might need to complete the project or series.
Still, many photographers (a.k.a. visual thinkers) struggle with writing. So, what if someone feels like they just aren’t good at writing? Is coming up with a project statement even feasible? Nancy says it is. And she has some super practical tips to help:
- Start by looking at good examples. Find photographers who have written short project statements about their photos that resonate with you. This will help you get an idea of what you need to create.
- If you’ve got a bad case of writers’ block, talk it out. Ask yourself Nancy’s two basic questions and answer them, out loud. Then write down what you said. You could also ask a friend to take a look at your series. Telling them about it and answering any questions they have can help you gain clarity.
- If you struggle with the technicalities of writing, just get someone to edit what you’ve written. Grammatical or spelling errors are easy to clean up, so don’t let them hold you back. Not sure which of your friends are good at writing and editing? Start with the avid readers in your inner circle. They’re probably decent writers too. If you want professional help curating your photo project, then sign up for a class with Nancy or submit your project to Street Photography Magazine and ask specifically for feedback.
Above all, always keep learning. Nancy may be a teacher, but if there’s one thing I noticed about her, it’s that she has never stopped being a student. Her early years taught her to think in stories. Later in life, she learned to branch out further creatively by observing her students work. And no doubt, she’s learned countless lessons in between and along the way. So, don’t be afraid to dive deeper into photography, take on projects and challenges that are hard, and learn new skills. If you do, you’ll find fulfillment in your craft, just like Nancy.
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