A 1975 photography exhibition, called "New Topographics," was "new" in that the landscapes it offered up to viewers weren't the picturesque natural scenes people had grown accustomed to. Instead, this exhibit was, in the words of San Francisco's MOMA, all about "unromanticized views of stark industrial landscapes, suburban sprawl, and everyday scenes not usually given a second glance." The original show featured big name photographers including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Bernd and Hilla Becher,
Mark Indig – Movie executive becomes documentary photographer
Mark Indig was motion picture executive for over 40 years with major studios like Disney, Miramax Universal and Dreamworks. During his career he worked on films like Body Heat, The Big Chill, Titanic, The Village, The Guardian and Tropic Thunder. Mark started in the biz as a location manager where he traveled the world to identify and document locations for new films. The skills and workflows he created to complete these assignments gave him the skillset to create long-form documentary photo
Martin Agius – From Army Photographer to Street Photographer
Martin Agius is a photojournalist and a street photographer who took an interest in film photography at a young age. In 2008, he took some courses with the local photographic societies in Malta and soon thereafter was appointed the Official Photographer of the Armed Forces of Malta. Nowadays, Martin is an avid street photographer who enjoys taking a creative approach to the streets. His work has been published internationally and featured in exhibits. In addition, Martin has judged street
HNL Street Collective – On the Streets of Honolulu
When you think of Hawaii, you probably think of an island paradise filled with palm trees, sunshine and surfers. It's certainly not the most urban backdrop for street photography, but that doesn't stop HNL Street Collective from creating some glorious street shots. Their photos may look a little different from someone shooting NYC, but these guys know that at the core of street photography is the human element. So they go where the people are in Honolulu: Chinatown, strip malls, and mostly, the
Tim Huynh – Beyond the Frame
On this episode of the SPM podcast, Bob sat down with Tim Huynh, director of the film Fill the Frame, a new street photography documentary. Not only did Tim tell Bob about the making of the film, he also went into detail about another project he's been working on called, Beyond the Frame, a stellar YouTube series that premieres today! It's a mini-documentary series of sorts about individual street photographers and their work - one you don't want to miss. Listen in to our conversation to
Marc Gordon – Gay Pride Documentary Project
Marc Gordon was trained at the International Center for Photography in New York City and studied street photography with Harvey Stein. His photography focuses on documentary style photography and unposed portraiture - two elements that can be clearly seen in his work from New York City's Gay Pride Parade, an event that brims over with emotions and controversy. In this episode, Marc told me more about what it was like to capture the contrasts seen at that event and how he manages to get right in
Kevin Fletcher – Avenue of Roses
In the October 2020 issue of SPM, Gina Williams wrote this about Kevin Fletcher, "Essentially self-taught, he built and explored the magic of the darkroom, taught himself the Zone System, photographed and photographed, and eventually ended up attending graduate school at New York City’s School of Visual Arts. "Fletcher went on to embark on a successful career as a cinematographer. He now lives in Portland, Oregon. While telling stories through film projects as a Director of Photography in his
Meryl Meisler – New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco
It was our pleasure to speak with our good friend Meryl Meisler once again, this time about her newest book New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco. Strand Books describes this book as "an intimate journey to the pandemonium and paradise of the 1970s through early 1990s New York City. Meryl documented a tumultuous time in NYC’s history – epidemics of arson, crime, crack, and AIDS, intensified by a paralyzing blackout, political and fiscal crisis...Her effervescent images are personal
Suitcase Joe – Street Photography on Skid Row
Suitcase Joe is an anonymous photographer and activist who uses his work to advocate for the unhoused. He spent a decade getting to know Skid Row and its inhabitants—the largest unhoused community in America—and in that time he gained the trust and acceptance to intimately observe and photograph the inner workings of their daily lives. Suitcase Joe's photos allow some of L.A.'s most vulnerable people to tell some of the city's most powerful stories. Get to know the photographer behind this
Michael Ernest Sweet – Social Media, Community Spirit, and the Great Gear Plateau
Whenever we get together with Michael Ernest Sweet, there's always plenty to talk about and in this episode of the podcast we certainly covered some ground. We talked about Tim Huynh's street photography film, Fill the Frame, our thoughts on social media, the lack of community spirit in street photography, the double-edged sword of developing a strong signature in your work, and whether we really need the latest and greatest gear. In addition, we talked about what it means that Canada's
Philipp Meiners – Turning a Personal Project into a Photo Book
Philipp Meiners is a German photographer who is passionate about street photography. He describes his passion this way: "Strolling through the streets, always looking for something interesting, the decisive moment, is a great opportunity for me to disconnect from everyday life. I just walk through the streets and watch what is happening, or look for a specific spot and wait there for the decisive moment." Philipp's latest project was quite intriguing - a yearbook of his favorite street photos
