Optic Nerve Street Photography Collective

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

We got so many great submissions this month for our ‘Hands’ challenge! The judges had a tough time, but in the end, Rome-based street photographer Fabio Renzi won the day.  There's a lot to love about Fabio’s photo: the optical illusion of the extra hand, the stark contrast between light and shadow, the pastel colours that Rome provides so well, the repetition of the shape of the bollard on the wall behind it, and the pattern at the top-left that looks like someone rolled a die and threw a five.

Congrats, Fabio!

Two ice creams are better, Rome 2020

We caught up with Fabio to find out more about this intriguing shot. He told us:

“In the center of Rome there are ice cream parlors on practically every corner. I often stand at the exit of these to try to take some interesting photos. When I took the contest photo, my attention was captured by the sharp cut of light. I lurked in the hope that an interesting situation would arise, and in the end, it did. The person holding the second ice cream was one step behind the woman in the photo, completely in shadow, and there was only a fraction of a second in which that person had just their arm with the ice cream in the light. I found myself in front of a surreal and funny scene, which thanks to luck and timing, I was able to capture.”

If you would like to see more of Fabio’s work, please check out his Instagram profile at https://www.instagram.com/eyes_look_rome/. 

Thanks, Fabio, and congratulations again!

[opticnervecollective]

Picture of the Month - Behind the Shot!

Congratulations to Vienna-based photographer Petra Rautenstrauch for winning our challenge this month - ‘Pets’-  among some stiff competition. (People and animals, am I right?) Despite the serious look on the cat’s face, this photo is pure fun, with a hint of Magritte’s The Son of Man surrealism. 

Me, as a cat with a hat, Vienna, 2021

We asked Petra to tell us the backstory of this self-portrait/animal photo:

‘I found this cat behind the window about two years ago in a house on my street. It was a lucky shot. I later found out that there are three cats living in this flat. On the same day I took the image with the hat, I also took pictures of another one of the cats, sitting in another window, with a mosquito net. She looked so scared and so beautiful at the same time; I was fascinated by her.

Since finding out there were three cats living there, I always walk by those windows to hopefully see them again - or even better - to make another funny shot with a reflection. But I had never found a cat sitting in the window again. Mostly the curtains are closed or the cats aren’t in the windows when I walk by - until last year. I passed the flat again with my young dog and found the red cat sitting behind the mosquito net, giving us the same beautiful, frightened look.

I still pass by this flat. You never know what tomorrow will bring.’

Congratulations, again, Petra! Sometimes we return to a place many times in the hope that it yields more treasures!

To see more of Petra’s work:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/petra.rautenstrauch/

Website:  www.rautenstrauch.at

[opticnervecollective]

Picture of the Month - Behind the Shot!

Our challenge this month was ‘Layers.’ Most street photographers we know want to take better layered photos, but it’s one of the hardest things to achieve in the genre. Turkish photographer Emir Sevim was the winner of our competition with this double-take-inducing shot from the streets of Istanbul. We loved his clever use of foreground and background elements. The perspective is great as the objects in the foreground get smaller as they go down the block, as do the people. Congrats, Emir on this fabulous shot!

Flow of Life, Istanbul 2022

This is what Emir had to say about his image:

It was a cloudy day with no sun. I always wanted to go somewhere different from the places I took pictures. While I was wandering around the streets, I saw the bags hanging in the grocery store on the corner.  I got this photo after taking a few other photos, which you see below.

Thanks, Emir, for sharing the other shots you took as well as the winning shot. It’s always helpful to see how a photographer worked the scene. Congrats again!

To see more of Emir’s work:

IG: @emirssevim Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/187118160@N02/ www.emirsevim.com

[opticnervecollective]

Lynne Kaplan

My journey with photography began long before I ever held a camera in my hand. It was in my living room, watching my dad’s slide shows. When they were over, my brothers would say “Great,” and I would say “More!”

Cut to 2012. I was intrigued by a new street photography club. It became apparent to me at that first meeting that I’d always been a street photographer in my mind, seeing the world through moments and frames. What began as a passion for observation now had a creative purpose. And fortuitously, this is where I was approached about starting what became the Miami Street Photography Festival. As a person who never took a class, it was such a gift to learn from the diversity of submissions to the competition and from the experience and talent of our featured guests.

In our initial year, the founders submitted work. We didn’t have ranked awards then, but a few were chosen as Best In Show. I was bowled over to have Alex Webb, Rebecca Norris Webb, and Maggie Steber select the photo below. It validated that what I see can also be enjoyed by others and certainly did a bit for my confidence. 

2012

When I look back at some of my early street work between 2012 and 2014, I find there was a consistent graphic quality involving grids, shapes, stripes, and leading lines.

2012

2013

2014

I’ve always been reluctantly comfortable getting fairly close and embracing the intimacy that can be captured that way. But, from the beginning, what attracted me most were themes of quirkiness, humor, sentimentality, and solitude.

2013

2015

Even when shooting political events, protests, and sports, I often approach them from a street photography perspective.

2013

2012

Find more of Lynne’s work on Instagram at @street.kred.

[opticnervecollective]

Alexandra Avlonitis

Photography, which I began to study and practice about seven years ago, was never on my artistic radar. I had been a fine art painter for years, but at one point found myself stuck without inspiration or direction. A friend told me about the class she was taking at the International Center of Photography here in New York City. I was open to something new, thinking this might ignite a creative spark and so, in short order, I enrolled. 

I quickly came to realize that the fundamental elements of painting–light, composition, and color–were identical to those of photography. And that whether inside the studio or out, the artistic tool box was the same.

My street photography class at ICP was a revelation and set me on a course that was deeply personal and satisfying. As a native New Yorker, I was always captivated by the never-ending human drama unfolding in the public sphere. Immersing myself in that world with a camera in place of a paint brush, I am guided by a quote from the photographer Brassaï: “Photography has one leg in painting and one leg in life but the two things must be combined.”

You can see more of my work at: Instagram:  www.instagram.com/alexandraavlonitis

Website:  www.alexandraavlonitis.com

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Point Taken' competition is Sonia Fitoussi, a street photographer shooting in Paris and London, among other places. 

This theme came to us through a call for suggestions on Instagram from @sandy10011 and photos could include fingers pointing, or other items such as signs. As long as something was suggesting a direction or highlighting where something is. Sonia's photo fulfilled this brief more than any other, thanks to its bold red colour and possibly the largest pointing finger we've ever seen. It's hard not to miss the man, as much as he might try to blend into the background. Congrats Sonia, on such a fun photo!

Him! London, 2015

Sonia let us in on the story behind this shot: “I was walking on the South Bank of the Thames in 2015, near the National Theatre, when I saw an unusual, very large, bold red shed that captured my attention (red is my favourite colour and a very iconic colour of London!). On it was a very large pointing finger. I immediately wished that a passer-by would walk under the finger, and I was in luck as in the next five minutes this man on his little red cart passed in front of it! Later, I took some more photos of people passing by but this one was the best as it was quite surreal to see him coming from nowhere with a matching red cart and what looked like a cleaning kit! I also like the fact that he seemed very small compared to this huge shed.”

Sonia posted a series of people pointing on Instagram, and they can be seen here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZi0UlbIG3r/

To see more of Sonia’s work:

Instagram:  @soniafitoussi_streetphoto                      @soniafitoussi_portraits                     @myjolishop

Website:  https://soniafitoussi.book.fr/

Thanks for taking our challenge, Sonia, and for sharing the story behind this winning shot!

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Tired' competition is Czech street photographer Daniel Šorm! 

We received a ton of great entries this time, and it was genuinely tough to choose just one winner. But Daniel's shot stood out to us thanks to his amazing layering and composition. The light and shadows almost make some of the layers look as if they could be a billboard advert in the background. The repetition of the black and red also works very well in pulling the shot together. Great work, Daniel! 

Untitled, Marseille, 2014

Here’s what was going on ‘behind the shot’, according to Daniel: “I like to play with individual planes and layers when photographing in the streets. (Alex Webb and my compatriot Josef Koudelka, for example, do it to perfection.) This scene on the roof of the Mucem museum in Marseille called for it: people resting quietly on deck chairs and above them, in two planes, people walking quickly, with the sky as a background. It was like a set in a theatre. I took several versions in a few minutes, and as usual the first one is the best.

I’ve included here some photos with a similar theme.”

Frankfurt

Rome

Palermo

Armenia

Georgia

Thanks, Daniel. These are great examples of using the physical environment to help with layering your photos. And congrats again for winning this challenge!

If you’d like to see more of Daniel’s work, he can be found on Instagram: @dansorm. 

[opticnervecollective]

B Jane Levine

I was raised in the suburbs of New Jersey, a short bus ride from New York City. I trained as a biochemist to be an observer and a practitioner of rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods. Yet my creative mind is inspired and nourished through storytelling in the creative arts. Photography is my own attempt at a creative expression. I took an interest in photography and began taking classes at ICP in 1999 after leaving research. I began to hone my photographic vision through many trips all over the world. My photography spans many genres including landscape photography, long exposure cityscapes and infrared black and white photography. In 2017, I decided to focus exclusively on shooting on the streets in color, refining my compositions and getting closer to the action. It has taken years of practice and surrendering some control to discover how shooting scenes on the street provides the perfect setting to observe and explore the beauty, the rhythm, and the drama of everyday life. I approach the street with a curiosity, looking for moments that either intrigue my sense of place or remind me of internal moments which I find to be familiar yet confusingly unknown to me. I make an image of a moment that I observe, with no other intent other than to memorialize the moment, which I recognize is real for the subject as well as myself. Experimentation keeps me in the moment. The creation of a candid image on the street has been a reawakening or a rediscovery of parts of my life that were taken away through loss or just simply forgotten. Here are some of the early street images I shot in 2017 during my walks around New York.

To see more of my work:

Instagram   @bjanelevine Instagram   @bjlevine_everywherebuthome Website       https://www.bjanelevinephotography.com

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Not All There' competition is Alexandra Avlonitis, a New York-based street photographer. The theme was chosen from suggestions we got through a call on Instagram, and came from @nattydorks. We were looking for photos where something is hidden, missing, incomplete, removed, or should be there but isn't.

This photo from Alexandra really captured the theme best, without relying on cropping or clichés. It almost appears like a magic trick, with the person performing some kind of vanishing act. The amount of detail and strong lighting conditions also add to the quality of the photo. Congratulations Alexandra!

Passing Cloud, NYC, 2020

We caught up with Alexandra to hear more about this fantastic winning shot:

“The day this photo was taken was a warm and brilliantly sunny November day. I headed downtown to Chinatown, a favorite neighborhood for shooting. Exiting the subway, I wandered the streets waiting, as all street photographers do, for some street magic to happen. I was stopped in my tracks by a white puff of a cloud floating past a mostly obscured figure standing inside a darkened truck door. It was there, and then gone. Happily, I was ready with my camera.”

If you’d like to see more of Alexandra’s work:

Instagram:  @alexandraavlonitis Website:  www.alexandraavlonitis.com

Congratulations again, Alexandra!

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Two's Company' competition is Maine, USA-based Jill Maguire! We received a lot of great entries so it was a tough decision, but Jill's photo was a favourite of all of our members. The choice to present the shot in black and white was a wise one, as it helps to highlight the important components. Aside from the obvious humorous element that we loved, it really sums up 'Two's Company', as the two Dalmatians look like inseparable pals for life. Not only that, but the two feet in the background are a nice additional touch. Congrats, Jill!

Old Dog Haven dog parade, Bellevue, Washington, 2014

We asked Jill to give us a bit of background for this shot: “I started attending festivals and events in 2014 to increase my chances of finding interesting moments to photograph. Wandering around city streets with a camera just wasn't doing it for me, and I really liked the energy and purpose of organized events. The Old Dog Haven parade was a great place to surround myself with sweet old dogs and if I got lucky, take a good picture or two.

I'm including a couple of the other shots I took that day. This was still very early in my street photography career, and I'm not sure I'd take these same pictures today.”

To see more of Jill’s work:

Instagram: @whatjillsaw

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jillmaguire/

Website: www.whatjillsaw.com

Congrats again, Jill!

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Hats' competition is Manuel Castañeda! We received a lot of great entries to this one, from the ridiculous to the sublime (and we mean both the photos and the hats themselves). But one artist seemed to stand out as THE hat photographer, thanks to many great entries, and that was Manuel, a Mexican street photographer. Even choosing which of his photos to choose wasn't easy, but this one seemed to provide mystery and a feeling of anticipation that the guitarist could emerge from the shadows and start blasting out a tune at any moment. Very well done, Manuel! 

Epílogo 17, Rioverde, México, 2021

Manuel told us that this photo, and some of his other entries, are part of a larger project:

“I took this photograph in the local market in the center of Rioverde. He is one of the few musicians left here. He didn’t want to be portrayed, but he accepted when he saw that his face couldn’t be seen in the photo.

“It is difficult to get a portrait of a stranger done in a small city like Rioverde. Older people are very suspicious, though fortunately my photographic style gives them a little more confidence as I focus more on details, either their clothes or some object they have, and not on their face. Yet many times they tell me that they do not want to be photographed anyway.

“I want to document everything that is disappearing in the region of San Luis Potosí, and that includes the market musicians. I’ve included several other photos from the project here.”

Such a great style, Manuel, and now we know that there is also a practical reason behind it. Congrats again for winning this month’s competition! If you’d like to see more of Manuel’s work, please visit his Instagram page,  @castaneda_v_ .

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Food and Drink' competition this month is Never Edit! This theme came to us through a call for suggestions on Instagram, and was thanks to @giulia_shots ('Food') and @nycdigital ('Dining Out/Bar Life'). It was a fairly self-explanatory and open one but led to some very fun entries! Düsseldorf-based street photographer Never Edit's shot caught our eyes due to its Martin Parr-esque nature, good humour, and in capturing the zeitgeist nicely (people do love to photograph their food!). Well done!

Untitled, Düsseldorf, 2018

We looked forward to hearing the back story on this somewhat unusual version of the ubiquitous food photo. This is what Never Edit told us: “I was visiting the annual Gourmet Festival Düsseldorf, which is allegedly Europe’s biggest open air event for high-quality and sought-after food. I saw this lady pointing her big camera not at oysters or lobster but at this rather unspectacular sausage with bread roll. She didn't seem the everything-I-eat-needs-to-be-shown-on-instagram type. After taking a quick shot I wondered for a while why she took the photo and what she was going to do with it. Sometimes I like to make up little stories in my head about the people I take photos of.”

This photo continues to amuse, no matter how long you look at it. Congrats again, Never Edit! 

To see more of Never Edit’s work:

Instagram:  https:/www.instagram.com/never.edit/

facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/Never.Edit

Flickr:          https://www.flickr.com/photos/never_edit/

Website:    https://www.never-edit.com/

[opticnervecollective]

Michael McCallie

My fascination with photography began in the summer of 2019. By profession, I am a classical musician and educator. For years, my friends, family, and students encouraged me to buy a camera to produce video content of myself performing for various social media platforms. I finally broke down and purchased a small mirrorless camera—and immediately hated making videos.

As the camera slowly began to collect dust in my office, I found myself looking over at it and thinking,“maybe I could take some photos with that thing.” After three months or so of shooting my family, the dog, sunsets, and all the other things that folks who aren’t sure what to point a camera at take photos of, I ordered a copy of Exiles by Josef Koudelka. I ordered it not because I had heard much about him, but because Amazon continually recommended it based on the amount of camera browsing I was doing.

After Exiles, the rest is history. I ordered monographs by all the classic black and white documentary and street photographers: Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson, Helen Levitt, Garry Winogrand, and Lee Friedlander. Then I moved on to the folks who work in color: Alex Webb, Harry Gruyaert, Lars Tunbjörk, and Martin Parr. I was hooked. And soon, I began heading out into the city streets of my hometown, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, to try to make work that looked anything like the photos of those photographers I admired so much.

At first, it was completely terrifying to make photographs of strangers, but after much trial and error I began to feel more comfortable on the streets with the camera. Because Chattanooga doesn’t have a great deal of vibrant color, I tended to (and still do) work in black and white. Here are some examples of the first photographs I made:

Bridge Ballons, Chattanooga, Tennesse USA, 2021

Chiaroscuro, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, 2020

As I’ve become more comfortable working candidly on the street, I’ve begun to add more elements to my photographs, like multiple subjects, layers, and color—anything that adds complexity or depth to the frame. Some of my more recent work looks like this:

Rodeo Fresco, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, 2021

Within/Without, Miami, USA, 2021

Summer Job, Miami, USA, 2021

Although I’ve only made photographs in the street for a relatively short time, I’ve begun to see how the moments that catch my eye are actually a reflection of my personality and my own unique view of humanity itself. I’ve begun to treat my time out with the camera as an opportunity to reflect on the things that are most important and beautiful to me. This way, I make images on my walks—maybe a few good ones—while learning about myself and how I relate to the world around me.

Duck, Miami, USA, 2021

You can see more of Michael’s work at:

Website:  www.michaelmccalliephotography.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/cha.street/ 

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

Congrats this month to Miami-based street photographer and second-time ON winner, Lynne Kaplan! Submitted for our “Reflections” challenge, this eye-catching photo was a favourite with our members thanks to its pastel colour palette with bursts of blue from the plastic shoe covers. There are reflections galore, due to the infinity effect caused by multiple mirrors and reflective spheres. The different reactions of the people seemingly trapped inside infinity (and shown from different angles) adds to the enjoyment in looking at it.

To Infinity and Beyond, Miami, 2019

Here’s what Lynne told us about the shot: “I was excited to experience and photograph a Yayoi Kusuma infinity installation, but after waiting for my reserved time, I arrived to learn that visitors were only allowed one minute inside the room. Yikes!! I could barely observe, let alone photograph it. So I took one obligatory shot and spent my remaining 50 seconds breathing it in.” Street photographers often have to work fast, but that’s ridiculous! Thanks, Lynne, and congratulations again!

To see more of Lynne’s work:

Instagram:  @street.kred

Website:  www.lynnellenphotography.com

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

The winner of our 'Wild' competition is Harun Osmanovic. We suggested some different meanings of the word, and this shot seemed to work for several of those: wild fashions, people, and animals. And that bright pink background - someone chose a wild paint color! It sure helps to catch the eye, and the subject seems pretty wild as well. The suggestion of hiding around the corner from someone or something adds to the mystery, which is always good in terms of hinting at a bigger story. Congratulations, Harun!

Normalcy Is Around The Corner, London, 2021

We asked Harun, a London-based street photographer, to give us the 411 behind this shot.

“I'm very much a hobbyist; I love photography but am still on a learning journey. When the world shut in March of 2020, I turned to photography and found solace in rediscovering my immediate surroundings, the neighbourhood of Walthamstow in London. What fascinated me in particular were the shut stores, which created a very chromatic background to frame the people of the borough in. I loved spending time in the market, which is rich with scenes and characters. I had seen the individual from my shot multiple times and always admired their sense of style, and I had been eyeing the candy store with the vivid pink shutters for some time too. Luckily that day I encountered both together and it gave me this shot.

“Since walking in the market was all there was to do near our home, I spent a good portion of the last year looking for shots there. In particular, I was intrigued by the various plastic covers of food stalls, the store shutters and characters of the borough.”

Thanks, Harun. The pandemic did share some unique opportunities with us if we were willing to be open to them! Congrats again, Harun! You can see more of Harun’s work on Instagram:

Instagram: @mrmostarr

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

Congrats go to Annette Lang for tagging the winning shot in our ‘Growing Older’ challenge! Annette is a German street photographer based in Nice, France. She hangs out a lot at the Promenade des Anglais there, a beautiful spot. We loved her photo from that location of an older gentleman getting his daily news via an older delivery method.

X-files for a retired Agent Mulder, Nice, May 2021

The pastel colours and straight lines, along with the timeless (apart from the hint of a face mask!) pose of an old man reading the newspaper, caught our attention. The vapour trails forming a cross directly above him ties the image together; it becomes apparent why this shot is so pleasing to the eye. Thanks to the sunny weather and calm nature of the scene, it also makes a good advertisement for growing older!

We talked with Annette about this photo and her series of this iconic location. “The photo was taken on the waterfront in Nice, the Promenade des Anglais. The magic of the location is the view it offers over the Mediterranean - as long as one turns the back to the six-lane busy road on the other side. The Promenade is lined with the iconic blue chairs and white benches. During lockdown, the latter were deemed too social a sitting place and taken away, happily welcomed back at the beginning of May 2021. With private gardens being unaffordable for most, the Niçois treasure both chairs and benches on the Promenade as a collective outdoor space and room for a breather. Our seniors can rest during their walks and enjoy a chat with whoever comes to sit with them.

“Here also are some photos with the blue chairs and also one of the more active elders here - having a strong sense of humour on top of it. I tried to choose different moods and visions of time on the blue chairs, ranging from solitude to togetherness, rogue mask moment and the eagle finger.”

Thanks, Annette! If you’d rather be on the Promenade in Nice right now than wherever you are, raise your hand! If you’d like to see more of Annette’s work, please visit her at:

Instagram:  @luxtasia 

Congrats again, Annette!

[opticnervecollective]

POTM - Behind the Shot!

Congratulations to Sigrid Debusschere, for winning this month’s ‘Signs’ challenge! 

Circus Renz, Cadzand, The Netherlands, 2019

Sigrid, a street photographer based near Brussels. submitted this photo which stood out to us for a number of reasons. The sign plays a significant role in the image, and the setting, subject, and black and white rendering all give it a timeless quality, especially after learning that ‘Renz’ is a circus. And the figure in the bottom-right corner really grabs your attention. 

Sigrid provided this description of the photo and her series, ‘Hidden Magic’:

“This image is part of my work ‘Hidden Magic’. Living in a circus means traveling and entertaining, in costumes and glittery suits, with hoops and trapezes, in a community where animals belong to the family. But what happens behind the scenes, after the applause, usually stays out of sight.

“With this series, I wanted to show circus artists in their dignity. I traveled for more than a year photographing various circus families. In order to broaden the view of these communities, I captured what is not part of the spectacle, the moments when the entertainers are no longer watched. I wanted these photos to reveal their strong sense of tradition, their daily lives, and the stories between the acts. 

“Light and shadow are dramaturgical elements from the circus that I make grateful use of as a photographer. Just as the arena delimits the place in which circus acts take shape, I use the camera’s framing to stage the scene. In this way I also put the characters in relation to their environment and each other. Each photo tells its own story. Together they read like a book, whereby the viewer can also fill in the space between two photos. Characters become persons, real people.”

Here are a few more from this project.

Circus Stromboli, 2019

Circus Franco Belge, 2019

Circus Renz, 2019

In 2021/2022, Sigrid’s solo exhibition ‘Hidden Magic’ will be touring Belgium, going to 18 locations in 18 months. More images from this project can be found on her website:  https://www.sigriddebusschere.com  Thanks for sharing this beautiful work with us, Sigrid, and congrats again!

Website:   https://www.sigriddebusschere.com

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/sigrid_debusschere/

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/sigrid.debusschere/