Suspect Photography

words and images from david george brommer

Analog – Film Photography One Day NYC Workshop + Photo Walk Sunday June 2nd


There is no doubt that vintage film cameras are cool and there is something special about shooting film in the digital age. This workshop is for those who want to connect with a mechanical camera to express photography the way it was in its heyday of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s. David Brommer has never abandoned film photography and has a massive collection of “vintage users” he maintains.

  • Dates: June 2nd, 2024 9 AM-5 PM
  • Genre: Analog Street & Urban Photography
  • Group Size: Max 5 participants
  • Skill Levels: All
  • Includes: 3 rolls of film, camera rental, film processing and scanning, breakfast and post workshop group zoom.
  • Cost: $350.00

In this special one day workshop he will open up his cabinet of cameras and let you choose which one to shoot with during the day. Fancy a Hasselblad medium format? We have a red one with three lenses. A Nikon? Take your pick of SLR or Rangefinder. Want to experiment with a half frame 35mm? The Olympus Pen F is your camera. For those who want precision, grab the Contax with Zeiss lenses, or go instant with Fujifilm Instax. You may also bring a manual camera you inherited or were gifted and want to learn to use. You’ll have three rolls of film to work with during the workshop.


The focus of your day will be street and urban photography. This includes people and architecture with an emphasis on compositional elements. Film photography can be fun and surprising and each film emulsion has a look all their own. This workshop will give you a firm grasp of the basics of mechanical film cameras, exposure and composition.

Nikon FE 50mm Nikkor 1.4 Ais Fujifilm Superia 400 Converted to B&W (note the grain)


The day begins with coffee and bagels while we get a lesson on how to load film into your camera. After a quick rooftop photo op and exposure discussion, we take to the streets and head to little Island on the Hudson. Crossing the West Village we stop at the “secret garden” and continue east to the photo paradise of Washington Square Park and grab lunch. We then visit the Photo Lab 5R for a tour and workflow discussion. From there our walk continues to the Alamo and the East Village ending in Tompkins Square park. Cameras will be collected and film dropped off at our lab. Just like in the hinter years, you will get to look at your work about a week later after they have been developed, scanned and emailed to you. A few weeks later we will meet on zoom for an image review.

Nikon SP 35mm 1.8 Kodak Tri-X with Shitty Iphone Scan


Each student receives 3 rolls of film (B&W & Color Options) that includes processing and negative scanning. (Prints available at additional cost). Breakfast included, lunch on your own. Workshop is rain or shine.
2 weeks after the workshop a group zoom will be conducted with student submitted work to discuss and review. Class is limited to 5 students.


Cost: $350 Includes three rolls of film, camera rental, film processing and scanning, breakfast and post workshop group zoom.

Sunday June 2nd 9 AM to 5 PM

David Brommer & Steve Simon Street Photography & United Nations NYC Spring Workshop May 13-17 2024

Take your photography to the next level with this Intensive & Transformational Shooting Experience in The Street Photography Capital of The World, NYC. Plus secure your seat at the International Photography Conference’s 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Delegates Dining Room at The United Nations where Francoise Kirkland will receiver a Lifetime Achievement Dedication in honor of the great Douglas Kirkland and IPC’s Environmental Photography Award to Benjamin Von Wong will be presented. Our class will have it’s own table-a great opportunity to rub elbows with great photographers and industry insiders (and a one hour guided tour of the UN too!)

  • Dates: May 13-17, 2024
  • Genre: Street & Urban Photography
  • Group Size: Max 8 participants
  • Skill Levels: All
  • Includes: Critiques & Lectures, 2 Group Dinners, United Nations Luncheon, MTA Pass for transport to the five boroughs, Museum Entrances, teaching materials, snacks and plenty of camera whispering along with a pre and post workshop zoom.
  • $2,500 Workshop Fee ($100 Deposit and final balance due May 5th)

Locations may include: Little Island, the West Village, East Village, SoHo, Chelsea Galleries, MOMA, Central Park, Governors Island, Coney Island, Times Square, High Line Park, Harlem, Fifth Avenue & 57 Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Little Italy, Ground Zero and the Lower East Side, Union Square, Washington Square Park, Queens and Brooklyn.

This is a mentorship workshop where Steve or David meets with each participant prior to the start for a one-on-one Zoom meeting assessment of your portfolio and a tech check to discuss gear and best ways to use it regardless of your system brand. We make tweaks to enhance your speed of response which might include back button autofocus, Auto ISO, Easy Exposure Compensation, frame rate and playback options along with other best practices all designed to simplify your process and build your muscle memory so the technical fades to the background and you increase you success rate. 

photo by David Brommer

AN INTENSIVE & TRANSFORMATIONAL SHOOTING EXPERIENCE

This intensive workshop will help you find your own unique vision and street style through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the streets. But mostly you will be shooting the theatre that is the street; sometimes together, often on our own.

You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up. You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!

Though the schedule may seem packed, woven into the program is down time to relax, edit your work and percolate on the experience and what is being taught.

We encourage flexibility and independence among participants and will attempt to personalize your experience whenever possible. If you fall in love with an area and want to continue working there–you are encouraged to do so.

Limiting the participants to 10 allows us to tailor this workshop to meet the needs of each participant. Lectures and assignments will be personalized to get you out of your comfort zone and push you forward in your work.

We have curated this tour to alter between the spectacular indoor and outdoor iconic New York photo opportunities like The Whitney (currently the Biennial is on exhibit), Grand Central Station and The Oculus with the usual vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods New York is famous for. New Yorkers David Brommer & Steve Simon will take you to these and other hidden gems.

photo by David Brommer

The Dinners: Gemma @ The Bowery Hotel and David’s Rooftop in Chelsea

Gemma is the iconic Italian restaurant on the ground floor of The Bowery Hotel. It’s a very special dinner location,  a true New York City culinary experience. The stunning atmosphere; the delicious food and the quiet ambiance makes for a great epicurean evening of conversation.

“Gemma has an unlabored panache that makes an evening go down very easy”.

-THE NEW YORK TIMES

David’s wife Barbara Brommer is an accomplished chef and will delight you with special morsels to be appreciated while photographing a magnificent sunset 23 floors above the Chelsea neighborhood with stunning views of lower Manhattan, Empire State Building and the new skyscrapers of Hudson Yards.

Street Philosophies

Steve & David will help and encourage you to find your own unique vision through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the city. David will bring his years of experience and share his lessons to help you find and develop your photographic style. In classroom David will lead talks that dissect the anatomy of photographic style that will help students achieve a definable style they can call their own. 

All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop. You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up.

You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people, overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!

photo by Steve Simon

Post Workshop Mentorship

After our workshop we have a post-workshop Zoom Class where we have our final lecture and critique of images not yet seen and Steve & David put together a narrative of your best work from the workshop. You also can schedule a final hour-long one-on-one Zoom session to talk about the final outcome of the workshop and areas to work on moving forward.

photo by David Brommer

Street Tech

We will talk urban-tech with Steve giving you his minimalist view on gear along with simplified shooting processes to maximizing your response time to capture decisive moments. This will be in our one on one session where we tailor the technical for the gear you use.

Steve’s street tools include Nikon mirrorless and DLSR cameras along with a carefully curated selection of lenses. He is also familiar with a wide range of equipment to help you maximize your mirrorless, compact, rangefinder, DSLR or even your camera phone for compelling urban images. David shoots Nikon and Fujifilm, but is also known for shooting analog and will have a few film cameras on hand for the curious. David is a famous “Camera Whisperer” and calls himself “PolyCamerous” from his years working for B&H Photo and the camera industry. 

Though our focus is on vision more than gear, we will talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash, camera support and tripods and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically. Steve will go over his post-process workflow in Lightroom.

It’s a street and urban photography masterclass but the lessons learned will benefit you in all genres of image-making and help you to create a compelling New York City portfolio.

Any questions please feel free to email david@davidbrommer.com

Check out David & Steve’s NYC Street Photo Tips Video

New 2024 Workshops Q1 – Lets Take It To The Streets! Destination: Milan & NYC

The focus is on the streets, and street photography to be precise. I’m very excited to announce the first series of photo walks and workshops in partnership with two of my favorite photography educators, Steve Simon, the Passionate Photographer, and Art of Intuitive Photography’s Mindy Véissid. Before I share with you these exciting opportunities to delve deep into our shared love of photography allow me to tell you why I’m super excited to partner with them. 

Steve Simon is a brilliant photographer and educator on many levels. Throughout my tenure at B&H Photo, it’s always been a pleasure to platform Steve as he shared his knowledge in a friendly, responsible and ethical manner. Steve’s background is in journalism and his moniker of being the “Passionate Photographer” is a perfect description of his work. Now focusing mainly on the genre of street and urban photography, Steve’s take is to examine the sense of place along with a humanism often lacking in the genre. Steve blends technology with a keen eye and is a master of teaching the technical while being grounded. I have always had a deep respect for Steve, and to work side by side with him, and a group of students, will be a sublime way to explore two of my favorite cities, Milan and NYC. 

Winter New York City Weekend Mentorship Workshop

Let’s start with the NYC three-day workshop which will be an intensive and transformational shooting experience in a wintery NYC. This intimate 3-day weekend masterclass, limited to just 6 students, (as of the writing of this post, only four spots are left open), is designed to engage in both the learning experience and your ability to create a unique and powerful portfolio of imagery from New York. It’s going to be a blast, as Steve and I are connoisseurs of this city, inside and out. While Steve will be focused on sharing his techniques to maximize street photography, I’ll be helping you imbue the work with a style all of your own. 

Learn more here:

Feb 16-18, 2024: Winter New York City Weekend Mentorship Workshop with Steve Simon & David Brommer

Street and Urban Photography Workshop in Milan, Italy

For the past 21 years Italy and I have had a special relationship. I met my wife Barbara in the B&H Super Store (counter #6) 24 years ago while she was visiting NYC and thus began a love affair with her, and her native country, Italy. I was privileged to study Italian language in Milan for three months and return to the bustling city several times a year since.

Milan is like no other city, and when Steve invited me to teach alongside him I jumped at the chance. To say Milan is photogenic is an understatement! This 5 day intensive Street and Urban photography class, with a side trip to Lake Como, will advance you to the next level. In addition to Steve and I, we will be joined by Ugo Cei, a local travel photographer. I can’t wait to share with you what I know (and love) about Milan, as we explore the neighborhoods, food, and culture of the business and fashion capital of the world. 

Learn More:

April 21-26, 2024 – The Passionate Street & Urban Photographer Workshop Milan with Steve Simon, David Brommer & Ugo Cei

Both of these workshops include a pre workshop zoom meeting. They are shaping up to be memorable, and most of all, will represent a unique chance to add images to your portfolios and socials that will be treasured and admired. 

While both of the above workshops are certainly of an advanced nature, I have vowed to help all levels of photographers. So if multi day/instructor workshops are a little too heavy for you, let’s do Photo Walk Abouts in my native NYC with the Art of Intuitive Photography School that are a fun filled 3 hour stroll.

Winter Walk About in Washington Square Park

12 years ago, an intrepid New Yorker by the name of Mindy Veisid, was a student of mine at the B&H Event Space. She was destined for great things as she launched her own photo school based upon a concept she pioneered called, “Intuitive Photography”. This method espouses an openness to creating images based upon emotions of the self and place. Since that humble start, Mindy has taught hundreds of classes to beginning and experienced photographers. This summer Mindy invited me to teach at her school and I’m excited to be an associate instructor. We are offering two 3 hour programs photographing in my favorite place in NYC, the iconic Washington Square Park! This will be just the beginning of AOIP collaborations and with a modest investment in time and money, you can jump start your photography by joining these “photo walk abouts”.

Learn more here (and check out AOIP’s other offerings): 

January 26th, 27th (pick the date that works best for you) – Winter Walk About in Washington Square Park

In Summary

There you have it, three amazing ways to increase you photo skills, make great photographs, get a handle on your gear, and visit some amazing locations. All skill levels, all budgets. Make sure you have signed up for the newsletter, as I’ll be adding more events in the coming weeks. 

One final word, I am honored to be partnering with these two photographer instructors. Having worked with them for well over a decade, I trust and admire them deeply. Being a big fan of the adage “together we stand divided we fall”, I believe learning all together empowers our imaginations, deepens our knowledge, and enhances our experiences. 

Feel free to email me any questions, these workshops are limited to 8 students and will fill up quickly. Ill see you on the streets! Let’s go!

-David

Melchior Di Giacomo In Memoriam

March 25th we lost a lion of the photographic world, beloved by all who worked with him during his illustrious career, and a great sharer of vast knowledge, Photographer Mel DiGiacomo has shot his last photo.

If you are unfamiliar with Mel, A great place to start is watch the 3 minute highlight reel that the talented Kelly Mena directed and edited for B&H Photo 8 years ago.

I met Mel while I was producing educational content for B&H Photo Event Space and Depth of Field conferences, platforming him many times. His wisdom was infectious, his sense of humor legendary, but it was his seemingly effortless ability to capture photographs that really amazed me. Mel was an inspiration to work with, and I reflect fondly when he came to teach on the many stages we invited him to. I am deeply grateful that we recorded his wisdom so that all may learn and enjoy the many lessons of the great Melchior DiGiacomo.

Mel’s B&H Video Library Click on the Image to link to the video on YouTube

The Feral Photographer

This one hour video drips with wisdom about living the life of a photographer. Mel discusses visual literacy, career advice and how to be invisible when shooting.

Wedding Photography Tips: Mel DiGiacomo on Photojournalistic Approach

An absolute must watch short video for any and all wedding/event photographers.

So You Want to be a Sports Photographer?

Priceless advice and techniques for being a sports photographer.

Wedding Event of the Season: Mel DiGiacomo Session

Before there was B&H Depth of Field, there was the Wedding Event of the Season and we invited Mel to speak to 1000 lucky wedding photographers.

Everyone has Mel stories and I’ll share one that stands out for me. When he’d drive in from NJ to NYC to conduct presentations or review sessions, he’d drive his big Cadillac across the river. I’d have to meet him on the street and get him parked which could be a few blocks away. As we walked to the B&H Super Store he kept his Canon EOS 5D MK III and 24mm in his hands casually snapping away at what ever drew his eye. Arms extended, shooting from hip and shoulder Mel just banged out gorgeous B&W street shots effortlessly, sometimes stopping to talk to a stranger or engage with a coffee counter person. The only thing that excedded Mel’s lust for life and image making that was his wit and sense of humor. Mel was loved by all those who came in his circle.

Tom Tedesco, Mel, Neil Clipper and David Brommer at the Wedding Event of the Season 2017 Photo by Brandon Remler

Mel was important member of the pro tennis world. He covered the US Open for decades and was the only non tennis player admitted into the hall of fame! I asked fellow a photographer who I knew worked with Mel, Chris Nicholson (one of the four founders of National Parks at Nigh) about some Mel stories to share.

“My very first experience with Mel was from a distance. Part of my first job with Tennis magazine was managing the photo library. Part of that responsibility was sorting and filing a gigantic batch of Mel’s photos that he let us keep on hand. I learned a lot about how to shoot sports in a different way by seeing thousands of his images as a young adult. That definitely influenced my growth as a sports photographer.

The first time I ever met Mel in person was at a tennis tournament in New Jersey. I was in awe shooting next to him and a few other photographers I respected, what we might call the old guard of tennis photographers, the people who were there when tennis started getting big in the late 60s, and who documented the sport as it grew through the boom in the 70s and into the 80s and 90s. Most sports photographers, including tennis photographers, sit at the sideline with a long lens and shoot repeatedly, looking for the best few photos they can manage to capture out of a few hundred frames by the end of the match. Mel, on the other hand, sat at the side of the court with a rangefinder, picking it up only every few minutes or so to snap one artistic wide-angle black-and-white. It was a good lesson, that there is more than one way to work, particularly if you want to make art out of a common commercial genre. He was shooting with a rangefinder one-handed, mind you.” -Chris Nicolson

When news spread about Mel’s passing there was a great outpouring of love from the local NY Metro area photographers on social media. Mel lives on in his images, memories and those golden Youtube videos above.

God Speed Mel and thank you for being the unabashed and talented you.

Lastly, I’d like to share my favorite Mel joke,

“What’s the difference between a Pizza Pie and a Professional Photographer?”

The Pizza Pie can feed a family of four”

Mel DiGiacomo 1938-2024

Additional Reading:

This is taken from the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame when Mel was inducted in 2015.

MEL DIGIACOMO​

Mel DiGiacomo has been a staple at the US Open for the last 44 years.

Whether it is down on the court, in the stands or directly alongside the players, DiGiacomo is there with his camera in hand. In addition to the US Open, DiGiacomo has traveled the world to photograph a variety of sports and events.

The North Bergen, N.J. native currently lives in Harrington Park, N.J.. where he has proudly resided for the last 40 years. “It’s remarkable that Harrington Park, a 4,800 person town, has two residents in the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame,” DiGiacomo said. “Neil Amdur, the former Sports Editor for The New York Times and me.”

DiGiacomo began his career at CBS as an usher and worked his way up to Production Supervisor for “60 Minutes.” After working for CBS for ten years, he decided to become a photographer when he was 27 years old. “My friend photographed my semi-pro football practices on the weekends and I always made fun of his photos,” DiGiacomo said. One day, he joked if you’re so good, get a camera,’ so I bought one, put it together and told him that’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

A year later, DiGiacomo moved to England to photograph rugby, then moved back to the United States and photographed hockey at Madison Square Garden. “A publisher hired me to make a hockey book,” DiGiacomo said. *Gene Scott, Founder of Tennis Week magazine, saw it and wanted the same thing, only for tennis.” DiGiacomo didn’t play tennis and, at the time, had never seen a tennis match. As someone who was familiar photographing football, DiGiacomo began shooting tennis matches with a football lens. The different lens gave him a now perspective on the game, which made him take photos in a way no one else did.

“In those days, you could get close to the players,” DiGiacomo said. “I used to shoot everything in black and white and in a very photo-journalist style, which was another thing people hadn’t been doing.”

DiGiacomo’s photos have been featured in several publications including Sports Illustrated, Tennis Magazine, Newsweek and Lite Magazine. His new style of shooting and vivacious personality greatly influenced his fellow photographers. “He’s a wonderful person to be around because he is so friendly.” Bob Litwin, a close friend of DiGiacomo’s said. “Even with really famous people he becomes a friend, not just a photographer.”

Throughout DiGiacomo’s time at the Virginia Slims Circuit and US Open, he interacted with several professional players, writers and fans including Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, Martina Navratilova and Mary Carillo. Outside of sports, DiGiacomo photographed a number of weddings, specifically tennis weddings. The first wedding he shot was Jeanie Brinkman’s, the Director of the Virginia Slims Circuit.

“I didn’t think too much of it,” DiGiacomo said. “Then, 20 years later, I was asked to shoot Jimmy Connors’ Manager Karen Scott’$ wedding, and more stemmed from there.” Pam Shriver, a former professional player, Richard Evans, a longtime tennis writer and Gone Scott each requested DiGiacomo for their big day.

DiGiacomo values all of his work, but is most proud of the impact he has made in Antigua photographing the tennis tournament at Curtain Bluff. In his first year shooting there, he noticed the ball boys and girls had bare feet, so he followed them home to their village, Old Road. “I ended up doing a book that had nothing to do with tennis, but also had everything to do with tennis,” DiGiacomo said. *I was down there for tennis, but I went into the village to document their stories.”

The proceeds from DiGiacomo’s photographs go into the “Old Road Fund” to benefit the children in the village. When the fund earns enough money. it goes toward helping the children attend college. DiGincomo has always supported tennis and the people he has met through tennis. He raised both of his children to become tennis players because he values being part of the tennis community and enjoys that tennis is a sport his kids, who are now adults, can play for years to come.

“I owe a lot to tennis because it changed my life,” DiGiacomo said. “It has given me so much, my family too.”

Assignment: Opposites Attract

On this next assignment (or shall we say ‘visual challenge’) we are going to explore how very different subjects can dynamically interact with each other, whether they are thrown in a situation or they just happen to exist in two diametrically opposite circumstances. 

The goal of the exercise is to push our vision to the brim of conflict,  break free from pre conceived notions and find the harmony in opposition. 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MAY 5 TH AT MIDNIGHT.
LIVE REVIEW MONDAY MAY 6TH AT 6:00 PM


Now point your cameras at it. Here are the rules:

You can submit one image in the theme “OPPOSITES ATTRACT”. This image is an assignment, you are highly encouraged to prioritize creating this photograph in the coming weeks. Since there is so much lead time, only newly created work will be reviewed.  You may NOT draw from your archive, by embracing this home work you will gain the full benefit of this assignment, seek out or make the image.


Upload ONE 2-5 mb jpeg. Images must follow this naming convention: firstname_lastname.jpg ie: david_brommer.jpg and not have a water mark. Images will only be used for a one time recorded critique. By following the naming convention you will receive credit for your work in the form of a shout out during the review.

Take this assignment seriously. Street Photographers can hit the pavement and find the opposites attracting or you can set up the photograph with family, friends and other willing accomplices. Start taking notes, write down ideas that come to your mind while thinking about what Opposites Attract means to you. Plan where you will make these photographs or how you will construct the photograph.

One image will be chosen as the best in class and a $50 donation to IPC will be made in the photographers name. Your hard work will do good by supporting an excellent organization.

The International Photographic Council (IPC) is dedicated to increasing worldwide recognition of photography as a universal means of communication. Through a variety of efforts such as the awarding of scholarships to students and the recognition of professional photographers annually at the UN, IPC continues to promote photography in the spirit of its motto: “Peace Through Photography, the Universal Language.”

Suspect Assignment: Photograph Virtue

In keeping with a theme of Positivity through Photography we present our First Assignment: Photograph Virtue.

The idea of this assignment is to foster an appreciation for what is positive in our photo life. The Cambridge Dictionary states, Virtue (Noun) “A good moral quality in a person, or the general quality of being morally good”. Another suggestion by Douglas Holleley in his book, “Your Assignment: Photography” is to consider the “Seven Deadly Sins” polar opposites being; chastity, restraint, generosity, diligence, patience (of course we have all heard, “Patience is a virtue), kindness, and humility.
Please only use the above examples of Virtue as a starting point (Holleley stated the opposites are debatable). You are as always free to interpret virtue as you see virtue.

Submission Deadline: March 13th at midnight.
Live Review Thursday March 14th at 6:00 pm


Now point your cameras at it. Here are the rules:

You can submit one image in the theme “virtue”. This image is an assignment, you are highly encouraged to prioritize creating this photograph over this week. You may draw from your archive, because even that is an exercise, however to gain the full benefit of this assignment, you should seek out the image.
Upload ONE 2-5 mb jpeg. Images must follow this naming convention: firstname_lastname.jpg ie: david_brommer.jpg and not have a water mark. Images will only be used for a one time recorded critique. By following the naming convention you will receive credit for your work in the form of a shout out during the review.

We will review as many images as we can in one hour from David’s selection on submitted work. Class Zoom is limited to 100 participants at one time. The review will be recorded and presented on Youtube at a later date. Any questions, feel free to email david.

Working a Subject & Scene To ‘Score a Banger’

A natural inclination of photographers, when seeing an interesting subject or scene, is to take one shot and move on. In most cases there was a good photograph in there, but by casually investing in only one shot, the full potential is missed. When you find something interesting you stand a better chance of “scoring a banger”, (meaning making a great image), simply by taking a few more shots and zeroing in on what you saw in the first place. Even if the first shot ends up being the best, at least you got a few to choose from.

A country classic: a pie straight out of the oven cooling off on a pastoral window sill.

What at first sight would seem an easy-peasy composition, needs constant compositional adjustment. Below are the shots in sequence, shown raw out of an iPhone 13 Summer 2023.

I love the shot, but the red car just kills it for me. Way too intrusive, we need to crop it out.

I try to compose the car out, but then a garbage can enters the scene. No one ever said photography was easy. Keep working.

Car is out, but that garbage can is just annoyingly a tad bit in the view middle left.

How about we just fix it in post? Quickly cloned out now but… I feel dirty solving the problem in post rather than in view finder in the moment. Do you feel dirty using cloning tools and generative fill? Tell the truth now.

This the final image. I was bouncing around the kitchen to make sure the background was not distracting and retained a sense of place. I miss the fields, but at least have a slice of them. Now how about a slice of that pie?

“You are responsible for every centimeter of your view finder”

Jay Maisels

What’s the lesson?

There are a few lessons here, but two stand out. First: watch out for the background. Second, and really equally important as the previous: keep working the scene & subject. Put more effort into making the image and you will be rewarded with better photographs.

This is my final edit on the image. I decided to stay in my style of dominant black and white and ran the file through the raw convertor in photoshop.

Upcoming Workshops Info Click Here

Upcoming Workshops Info Click Here

Main Media Workshop just announced new workshop: Finding and Developing Photographic Style taking place on campus in Camden Maine. Learn more here.

-David