Getting To Know Your Skyscraperpage Photographers

[flar]

Nice to hear from you xzmattzx. Don't sell yourself short, you do some good documentary photography and you've covered a lot of ground.

[diskojoe]

definitely cool to hear from Matt. Dont be so modest. The history that add brings a lot to the game for your threads. I have actually learned things and feel like a better rounded person because of some of your threads. And you can always go get you a dslr, and should! You deserve to spoil yourself.

[xzmattzx]

Thanks. I do think that I do a good job providing information about the subject, but it's obvious that I'm not as good at simply taking pictures as a lot of others.

[xzmattzx]

If I'm allowed to ride the coattails of my own questionnaire, I'd like to post some links that I didn't include when I sent my responses to Home In My Shoes.

Some threads that I wish had done better (all from the past year):
San Francisco neighborhoods: Fisherman's Wharf, Mission District, Chinatown
My first attempt at a little bit of art when presenting a place, similar to many of Flar's threads: Wilmington

Also, to see more of what I've done, my year in review is a nice start: HERE

Finally, for those on SkyscraperCity, you might like my Daily Delaware Photo thread: HERE (and I started one for Pennsylvania for 2012 only)

I have another big thread planned soon. It will be my first photo thread for 2012. This one will be a big summary thread as well, but I don't want to say of where.

[Thundertubs]

Great answers, Matt. I've always admired your ability to find interesting buildings in the tiniest of places, as well as taking the time to dig up info on them. Cheers.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Evergrey

Thank you xzmattzx for the nomination. It is a great honor to be nominated by one of my favorite documentarians of small cities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?
I shoot with a Sony DSC-H2. I don't know anything about cameras or the art of photography, but this camera seems to do what I need it to do. The 12x optical zoom is my favorite feature.

I wouldn't want one of those gigantic high-end cameras... because I like to walk gritty streets... and I don't want to stick out too much and be the target of someone's paranoia.

I suppose if I had the chance... I'd like to shoot with Hayward's iPhone.

If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?
Uhhh... maybe this?


Talk about your inspirations and influences.
It was Giovanni Sasso who first inspired me to join SSC and later SSP (with a hat tip to the hilariously infamous Cincy vs. St. Louis battles of '03 led by montecarloss).

And it was certainly mrherodotus who was my primary inspiration to engage in urban photography. I really enjoyed his pure urban documentation of my favorite city, Pittsburgh. There was no flashy artistic gimmicks distracting from the sober presentation of architecture, building stock, streets and urban fabric. I was impressed with his comprehensive coverage of neighborhoods, and have always aimed to do the same with my own threads (a compliment I often receive from Sasso). I spend ridiculous amounts of time in tiny places like Bradford, PA walking the streets... driving into every nook and cranny trying to find some interesting hidden view.


Where have you not been that you want to photograph?
My head explodes when I think about trying to photograph a European city. I don't know where I would begin in places of such urban richness. Przemyśl would be interesting. I have an affinity for cities located within the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to travel much for the past few years... so there are countless places I'd love to photograph.

But I think I excel most in urban Appalachia... I have a knack for photographing the topography and its interplay with the urban fabric. And I've always felt compelled to showcase my home region to the world... which is unfortunately overlooked.

In realistic terms... I'd like to photograph the PA county seats and other significant smaller towns I haven't shot yet... places like Towanda, Wellsboro, Jim Thorpe, Ebensburg, Waynesburg, Meadville, Chambersburg, etc. I'd also like to do Jamestown, NY; Toronto, OH; and Sutton, WV.

Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.
My Erie, PA thread has by far the most responses (104) and views (11,406) of any of my threads. While it is unfortunately over-saturated... it is a pretty badass look at an extremely gritty small Great Lakes city.

Some of my Pittsburgh threads were blockbusters too...

Pittsburgh: from the roofs of parking garages
This one has some of my best color, sharpest skyline shots and gorgeous twilight shots. I think I've forgotten how to take pictures like that.

Watch out Utica! Pittsburgh is on the... grow!
I used to be all about the buildings... but I developed an interest in people shots.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: an Urban Adventureland
This is probably my all-time favorite photo thread. It's a departure from my usual "neighborhood tours" I was doing at the time... and is a mishmash of shots from throughout the city. There are attempts to be artistic... and I really tried to show the people enjoying the city of Pittsburgh. It's all over the place... colorful, dramatic, diverse... and as pj3000 commented... "Sasso-ish"

Pittsburgh: Zenith of Appalachian Civilization
Another mishmash thread taken during a stretch of gorgeous late autumn weather. It showcases a lot of the overlooked nooks and crannies of the city... and some of the more interesting decay.

One of my more recent threads that generated a huge response was unexpectedly Renovo, PA. This is a town of 1,000 in the absolute most isolated site in Pennsylvania... yet people were captivated by it. Its remoteness and spectacular built environment really make for some excellent pictures.

Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.
To be honest, I feel like there's been a declining response to my threads after peaking a couple years ago. I don't know if it's a forum issue... but it could be my almost exclusive focus on obscure small towns lately. Most people just aren't inclined to click on threads of places they've never heard of... "ohhh... another dull Pennsylvania small town".

Probably the most disappointing response was to my recent Dubois, PA thread. I spent all day walking around that town... and felt there were a lot of interesting shots... and it does have some name recognition as an I-80 control city... but it tanked.

Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?
When confronted by a paranoid fool... tell them you're an architect taking pictures for a new development that aims to take cues from the existing architectural vernacular of the neighborhood.

Who should we ask these questions of next?
Thundertubs is probably my favorite newer photographer. I love how he captures the mood and muscularity of Northern cities.

[glowrock]

Evergrey was a great choice. Nice job!

Aaron (Glowrock)

edit: Just brought your Dubois, PA thread back!

[xzmattzx]

Good to hear from you, Evergrey. You've done a nice job covering a lot of Pennsylvania, and some surrounding areas like West Vriginia, western New York, and parts of Ohio.

It looks like you're still on your way to photographing all of Pennsylvania's county seats. Which ones have to photographed so far? Between the two of us, we must have almost all of them done. Here's my list:

Media
Philadelphia
West Chester
Norristown
Lancaster
Reading
Pottsville
Lebanon
Harrisburg
Jim Thorpe
Sunbury
Laporte
Towanda
York
Bloomfield
Middleburg
Lewisburg
Lewistown
Mifflintown
Williamsport
Wellsboro
Huntingdon
Bellefonte
Lock Haven
Coudersport
Clearfield
Emporium
Ridgway
Smethport
Brookville
Clarion
Tionesta
Warren
Franklin
Meadville
Erie
Pittsburgh

My thin areas are northeast and southwest Pennsylvania.

I'm interested in seeing some of those places that you mentioned, like Toronto OH. I'm surprised that you haven't explored Jamestown and maybe some other Southern Tier towns.

Didn't you live in Florida for a short time? Did you take pictures down there?

[HomeInMyShoes]

Thundertubs

What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?

Panasonic DMC-FZ18. It's compact enough to take anywhere easily, and has a badass 18x zoom, which allows me to take the compressed depth-of-field shots I like so much.

I'm really not a "gear" person at all, and have no idea about other cameras. I'm happy with this one. I'd never want anything bigger. I like to keep it relatively incognito.

If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?

[IMG][/IMG]

There is nothing on earth that makes me happier than lining up a shot down the center of a street, with a solid building wall on both sides, and a pre-war highrise punctuating it at the end. Every city I go to, I'm looking for this shot.

Talk about your inspirations and influences.

The photographer David Plowden got it all started. I saw a book of his at a Barnes & Noble in Paramus, New Jersey about 14 years ago and had to have it. Such stark, beautiful images of exotically mundane scenes in North Dakota, Upstate New York, and central Illinois. Camilo Jose Vergara is another early influence. His incredible no-frills documentary style shows the grim beauty of the Rust Belt at it's grittiest.

I got my first camera in 2000, and started off basically imitating Vergara: shooting b&w film, and going to the grittiest areas of inner city New Jersey. When I got a car after college and moved back and forth across the country a few times, I had access to more cities and broadened what I shot, both geographically and subject-matter-wise.

I try for a stark, quiet feeling in my photos. I go out on cold, overcast days and try to keep pedestrians and moving cars out of my shots. It's all about stillness and old buildings. This often makes cities I shoot look more dead than they are, but I'm not selling real estate.

I started stalking SSP around 2005 or so. Although there are dozens of photographers on here whose work I have enjoyed, the earliest members I remember being impressed with were ColDay, Mr. Herodotus, and Seguin. Each has a very different style. Herodotus' orderly documentary-style and focus on housing stock is something I was happy to start imitating.

Where have you not been that you want to photograph?

St. Louis. When I lived in Chicago, I had no fewer than three planned excursions to the Arch City thwarted by things such as a 100-degree forecast or grandmotherly health issues. It's the only major Midwestern city I haven't been to. Also: Butte, Winnipeg, the Monongahela Valley, Syracuse, Denver, North Dakota, Bayonne, Wheeling, El Paso, and Enid, Oklahoma

I'm also very interested in UK cities outside of London: Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Bradford, Hull - I'd love to see them all.

Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.

I did about 20-25 Chicago threads over the last two years that I lived there, and those got a very nice response. Chicago is a tremendous city to explore. My New England and Pacific Northwest compilations did well too.

Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.

This Chicago thread from 2009 got a sad 6 responses. Not my best set, but it's got a few interesting angles on the skyline from a West Side rail yard. Perhaps people didn't' like the 1970's prog-rock reference in the title.

Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?

The geographic diversity of members on our forum is a huge asset. Go out and shoot some of the other cities in your metro area. If you live in Seattle, go shoot Tacoma and Everett. If you live in Houston, show us Beaumont or Port Aurthur. I love seeing places we don't see as often. We've got some forumers, such as Expat, who are very good at this.

Explore your city! Go to neighborhoods you've never been to before. Try to find new angles on the skyline. Leave the city and take landscape shots. Don't worry about "selling" your city.

Who should we ask these questions of next?

I'm going to keep it Garden State and go with ifeeldope9779. His sets on Jersey City and Newark were straight-up masterpieces of urban photography.

* * *

I'd like to thank Evergrey for choosing me. He's on of this site's most tireless and expert documenters of fascinating small places, and an early champion of my photos when I first started posting on here. Cheers.

[photoLith]

^
Great response man, and yeah, you need to get to STL badly. Its an urban photographers paradise.

[glowrock]

Thundertubs, I think it's awesome that your photos were all taken with such a relatively "basic" digital camera!

It goes to show that it's only partially the gear that makes a great photo, it's the eye and the artistry of the person pressing the shutter release!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[ColDayMan]

Thanks for the shout-out Tubs! You know you're one of my favorites...even though you didn't even give me a message saying you'd be in my area *INSERT MEAN DEMON SMILEY HERE!!!*

[HomeInMyShoes]

ifeeldope9779


What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?

Currently Im shooting with a Nikon D90. I pair this with a Sigma 15-30 f3.5-5, Sigma 24-70 f2.8 and a 50mm f1.8. The D7000 looks like the perfect upgrade especially cause Im trying to get into video, but at the moment Im looking to go mirrorless, so either a Luminex or one of the Sony NEX's. After I pick up one of these Im trying to go back to film and grab me a Hasselblad.

If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?

I really cant think of a proper way to describe my style. What I usually shoot is urban so I guess you can say that's my style, but really I just see things and try to make them look badass. Normally Im shooting street level, skyline, and attempted people shots. Im always trying to expand my horizon though.

I know you said one but I believe these three sum it up best.(and an early preview of Detroit)
Street Level:


Skyline:


Portrait:



Talk about your inspirations and influences.

There are sooo many, but four specifically come to mind.

1. First and for most its the other photographers on SSP. I had always loved cities and photography so when I landed on this site it was bliss (by way of a google image search that brought up a sabotai pic).

2.My father was another big one. Growing up he would show me pics and tell me stories of his upbringing in NYC during the 70's(think The Warriors ). I seek out anything that can match up to his description, this being the reason why there is a good amount of grit in my threads. I eventually want to post a thread of his urban pics.

3. My metro/state. I live in Jersey, which means that I have NYC and Philly at my convenience let alone the satellite cities that come with them. Not only that but, NJ itself is varied in terms of landscape and weather that it makes it the perfect place to hone my skills. A lot of people like shit on my state but its truly an amazing place to be. Im honored to be among the ranks of Thundertubs(thanks for recommendation!) and Nexis4Jersey in rep'n NJ. I also grew up part of my life in Queens so that too got me on the cities kick, especially when I moved out to the garden state.

4. Music. Nothing compares to stepping off that train with your headphones on, playing a song that you downloaded that day on repeat and loud, camera in hand and ready to explore. Pure bliss. Id take that over a beach vacation any day.

Where have you not been that you want to photograph?

Choices choices. If I had time and a surplus of cash I would go to these cities(in no particular order)

The Philippines(Leyte, Cebu, Manila) Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Seattle, Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, the rest of Scandinavia, Paris, Prague, Buenos Aires, the middle of the desert.

Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.

My second Jersey City thread did the best, but I think that was partly due to me asking a question pertaining to JC being the 6th borough. Some people got so bent out of shape over that question

Other than that my Newark threads did well too.

Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.

I really liked my New Brunswick threads. They had some of my favorite pictures and were a representation of the area I live around. Unfortunately they didnt fare as well as I would have liked. Its cool though, its not the most popular city so I can understand why they didn't sell.

Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?

When I started shooting I used film. This really aloud me to get a feel for all of the components of the camera, which made it easier to jump over to digital. I think any aspiring photographer should at least dabble with film. I still go back to it to test my manual skills. Also continue exploring. The more you explore, the more you learn, the better you perceive urban environments, the more creative your shots come out. Thats how I look at it.

Who should we ask these questions of next?

Nineties Flava. This guy really knows how to explore his city. I think everyone can take a note from his book on how to represent a city properly.

[Thundertubs]

Nice response, ifeeldope. Keep up the awesome threads.

Originally Posted by glowrock

Thundertubs, I think it's awesome that your photos were all taken with such a relatively "basic" digital camera!

It goes to show that it's only partially the gear that makes a great photo, it's the eye and the artistry of the person pressing the shutter release!

Aaron (Glowrock)

Ha, thanks. If one of my photos is exposed nicely, it's just because the camera's auto-settings guessed correctly.

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Thanks for the shout-out Tubs! You know you're one of my favorites...even though you didn't even give me a message saying you'd be in my area *INSERT MEAN DEMON SMILEY HERE!!!*

Hey, I only spent about 45 minutes in Columbus, didn't have time for a legendary ColDay tour.

[Nineties Flava]

Nineties Flava

What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?

I shoot with a Canon S95. I’ve been using it since February 2011; before that, I was using a Sony Cybershot P&S. Although I’d like to shoot with a camera with better zoom and DOF (i.e. a full DSLR), I’ve been happy with the improvement in detail and sharpness over my last camera. I definitely would not mind getting a real DSLR though, and I’ve been interested in experimenting with different lenses.

If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?

This was a difficult question for me in part because I wouldn't really say I have a "style" as far as each individual photograph goes. What I do have, however, is a desire to accurately convey what the whole of what I'm covering is like. In other words, I see each picture as a part that doesn't - and shouldn't - stand fully on it's own but instead stands with a bunch of other pictures to give a representation of the whole. I guess I'd say my threads are about the sum of the parts. I'm never really looking for "that shot" when I'm out shooting, but when the money shot falls into my lap I take it.

That being said, I am more of a street photographer... that is to say that I generally prefer shooting streetscapes than skylines or landscapes, though recently I've come to appreciate shooting a wider variety of subjects. If I had to sum up my style with one picture, this would be a good choice IMO:




Talk about your inspirations and influences.

In terms of trying to learn how to be a better photographer, my biggest inspirations & influences are on this very site. KOTH, Sabotai, Giovanni Sasso, OkayYou, PhotoLith, etc. and many others have inspired me to step my photography game up countless times.

As far as what got me into photography though, it’s a more complicated question. For a long time, I saw a camera more as a “tool” than as an “instrument”… it was one of the many tools I was using to do the project I’m doing on the city of Oakland. I just named my #1 inspiration for photography right there; without the Town, I wouldn’t have been interested in photography as a visual medium to convey a message. Now that I’ve invested a lot of time into learning about photography, though, I’m equally interested in the art for the sake of the art.


Where have you not been that you want to photograph?

Philadelphia, hands down. After that, I’d be really interested in going South and north of the border… I’ve never been to Canada and I’ve always wanted to see Mexico City.

Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.

Though 74 of my threads have been on Oakland, interestingly it’s all the ones that aren’t that end up being the most popular haha. The first time a thread of mine got to 2 pages was when I did a thread on Berkeley. Coincidentally it remains my most replied-to thread. In general though, my most popular threads tend to be on SF, which isn’t surprising.

Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.

I wish most of my Oakland threads got a larger response than they did, but I understand why most of them don’t… I tend to focus on clusters of neighborhoods, which is not very conducive to getting a lot of posts when you’re talking about a website that was created for skyscraper enthusiasts. Unsurprisingly, my DT Oakland threads tend to do better than the Oakland neighborhood threads. However, in the last month or two I’ve noticed an uptick in the response to my Oakland threads, neighborhood tours or otherwise. That could be due to any number of reasons, but I’m not complaining whatever the reason is lol.

Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?

My only tip/personal wisdom to pass on is that if you think that something you care a lot about – be it your city, your neighborhood, etc. – are being misrepresented or underrepresented, do something about it. You have a valuable perspective that won’t be heard unless you make yourself heard. If you don’t say anything, you’re implicitly saying that you accept being misrepresented by others and you don’t mind if more people buy into the misrepresentation. Using a camera is far from the only way to do something about it, but it is a very powerful instrument… From my own experience, pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. And when the source of misrepresentation is coming from the media, it pays to fight fire with fire.

Who should we ask these questions of next?

I’d say Chef would be a great choice. His photography is the reason the Twin Cities are near the top of my list of places in America to visit that I haven't been to yet.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Chef

What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?
I shoot with a Nikon D40, it is a great camera for the money. I have two lenses an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. I'm not a big equipment geek but I am starting to run into the limitations of the D40. I would love a D3 if somebody wants to buy me one, or more realistically a D90. The recent out of date models always seem to be good deals.

If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?
It is hard to say. I've only been doing photography for three years, I think my style has been evolving. In general I have a architecture style, a streetscape style and a people shot style. Here are a couple of examples:


mplsaug201107 by afsmps, on Flickr

For people shots I try to do slice of life type photos - a moment in time:


mplsjuly2011124 by afsmps, on Flickr


Talk about your inspirations and influences.
My best teacher in high school was my art teacher, I had him for three years. Largely because of him I majored in art in college. A lot of my influences come from art, especially in how the great masters and impressionists captured the different natures of light. Or at least I try to do that, hopefully as I get better at photography I will also get better at that aspect of it. In the winter a lot of my people shots have the person lit up and the background completely dark, that comes from Carravagio. The photos I took of Stillwater, Mn last fall were shot immediately after seeing an exibit on 19th century romanticist painting, the valley shots were an attempt to copy that style.

I haven't been influenced by very many big name pro photographers because I don't really follow that sort of thing; maybe I should. My biggest photographic influences were what I saw here when I first started checking out SSP - mrherodotus, ColDayMan, Flash, MSPtoMKE, sabotai, kingofthehill, segun, mr.John, Kilgore Trout, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. As far as pro photographers go the only one that I ever followed was Wing Young Huie who is a Minneapolis street photographer who has done a number of public art projects in the city based on his photographs. Some of his stuff is out of this world, if any of you have the opportunity to check out his books you should.

I try to compose photothreads rather than taking individual pictures. I usually start out taking random photos and put the best ones together in a mock up thread. Once I have 5 to 10 good photos a theme will usually emerge. Those photos tell me what I should try to shoot more of. Minnesota is a very elemental place, so that has an impact on my photograghy. If it is the middle of winter and really cold and gloomy I try to take stark, gloomy photos. If it is late spring and lush and green I try to take photos that reflect that.

Where have you not been that you want to photograph?
I want to photograph everywhere. I especially want to shoot Utica and the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York. I grew up there but haven't been back since the mid '90s. It would be one of those threads that comes from the heart. I have reoccuring dreams that I am back there shooting. If you grow up in the rust belt you never really leave it all the way.

Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.
I think the last two which were of Savannah and Duluth were the most popular. They are both compelling places to shoot and aren't seen very often here, that is a winning combination.

Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.
I think Minneapolis - city and nature is the best thread I have done so far, but it didn't make it to the second page. Cities that have a lot of posters get a lot of responses, but if do multiple threads of a city that only has a handful of posters you have to constantly raise the quality of your photography to keep people interested.


Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?
Don't shoot port facilities if you have any outstanding warrants.

Who should we ask these questions of next?
Paradox21

[diskojoe]

Love your work chef. Im kinda surprised that Paradox21 has not been asked to do this already but great choice!

[Okayyou]

^^ Thanks for the shout out NF.

^

I try to compose photothreads rather than taking individual pictures

I think this is an often overlooked aspect. Great stuff Chef.

[Chef]

Thanks, I'm glad you guys like my photographs.

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?

One thing I forgot to mention in regards to this question is that I think it is good to only show your very best stuff. When I first started doing photo threads I would go on a walk, take maybe 200 photographs and post 40 of them. Now when I go on a walk I take the same number of photos but only use 2 or 3 of them. At least that is the case with my Minneapolis and St Paul photos, obviously if I go to another city and only have a day or two to shoot it becomes much more compressed. But still, my Savannah tour started with 2000 photos shot in a day and a half, which I boiled down to 79 photos for the final thread.

If people only see your top shelf stuff they are going to think you are a much better photographer.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Chef

Thanks, I'm glad you guys like my photographs.



One thing I forgot to mention in regards to this question is that I think it is good to only show your very best stuff. When I first started doing photo threads I would go on a walk, take maybe 200 photographs and post 40 of them. Now when I go on a walk I take the same number of photos but only use 2 or 3 of them. At least that is the case with my Minneapolis and St Paul photos, obviously if I go to another city and only have a day or two to shoot it becomes much more compressed. But still, my Savannah tour started with 2000 photos shot in a day and a half, which I boiled down to 79 photos for the final thread.

If people only see your top shelf stuff they are going to think you are a much better photographer.

I can relate to that. When I didn't really appreciate photography I posted every shot I took because I didn't see much a difference between any of them. Nowadays I have a more critical eye for framing/lighting, so I end up shooting less shots but try to convert that into higher quality. I've been going through all the 10,000+ shots of Oakland I've taken and picking out the best ones... I'll probably end up with somewhere around 200 shots.

Getting back to your point though, IMO that's what every photographer does regardless of skill level. Nobody shoots 100%... there's always going to be some duds in a set.