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The Colorado Rockies at sunset, as seen from 35,000 feet: (By Victor Mirontschuk, @yourtake)

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Your Shot Connections: New York City

Jeanne Modderman is a photo producer for National Geographic and edits the Daily Dozen. She has been with the Society since 2008 and is inspired by all that is around her, including the always creative minds of the Your Shot community.

On our recent photo walk in Brooklyn I met Victor Mirontschuk. While we were talking, I was delighted to find out that he and two other members, Krista Ledbetter and Ivan Lesica had recently met up in New York City for a photo walk and meet up of their own. I talked to them about their get together below.

(Photograph by Victor Mirontschuk, taken during the meet up)

Jeanne: All of you met on Your Shot. Initially what drew you to each other?

Victor: I first began my involvement with Your Shot in April of 2013. As I reviewed all the great photographs that were posted, I started noticing some very creative, interesting and consistently unique photographs and the same name kept coming up over and over again and that was Ivan Lesica. I visited Ivan’s gallery frequently and was very impressed with the unusual quality of the photographs he would post. I also noticed that Ivan had a large number of followers who would comment and favor his photographs. I then started visiting the galleries of people who followed Ivan and also the photographs that Ivan favorited or commented on.

I saw that Krista was also a big fan of Ivan’s as she wrote very detailed comments and observations about his photographs. When I visited Krista’s gallery, I noticed her photographs were very different from Ivan’s as Krista photographed street life. I also noticed that Krista had taken a lot of photographs of San Francisco, a city that is dear to my heart. It was great to see SF through her eyes. It gave me a different perspective on SF and street photography.

As I started commenting on both Ivan’s and Krista’s photographs they both would comment on my photos and give me positive and constructive comments. Over time National Geographic’s Your Shot became the vehicle that connected the three of us.

Krista: The first photo of Ivan’s that I saw was the one chosen for the first assignment, Everyday Explorations. After seeing that shot I had to check out his gallery and was amazed at the style and creativity of the shots. That’s when I left one of my first comments on the site. Then I was just scrolling through the photos when I came across Victor’s shot of a girl with a big bubble in Madison Square Park, the kind of street photography I love, so I opened it up and left a comment and took a look at more photos. I was very happy to have discovered his gallery. Then Ivan and Victor both visited my gallery and left comments, and we have been doing that pretty much every day since last May.

Ivan: Krista and Victor would regularly visit my gallery and comment on my photos and I would visit and comment on theirs. As a New Yorker, I mostly photograph New York City. I was drawn to their galleries because of their photos but also because many of them were taken in New York. I wanted to see their interpretation of this large city. I loved what I saw.

(Photograph by Krista Ledbetter)

Jeanne: What made you decide to meet in person?

Krista: We have been viewing each other’s photos almost daily for over a year so we decided to meet up when I went down to NYC in April to shoot for three days. I had always wanted to go to NYC since I was a child but somehow just never got there, and seeing Ivan and Victor’s NYC photos day after day was (and is) a big inspiration for me to get down there and shoot.

Victor: One day I thought I should meet Ivan. He lives in New York City and so do I. Why not meet and get know this person on the other end of Your Shot? One day we met at the clock in Grand Central Station and went to have a beer. We spent several hours discussing photography, our personal history and Your Shot. Based on that meeting we have developed a friendship in which we share and critique each other’s photographs and our enthusiasm about photography. When I got my first Daily Dozen, I think that Ivan was genuinely more excited than I was. That is one thing I really like about Ivan, he is thrilled and excited when someone we know gets recognition for a great photograph. We also have been out shooting together at Queens 5 Pointz, a place where there is a massive amount of graffiti. I learned during that shoot that our styles of photography are very different and yet I learned a great deal from Ivan.

Ivan: Victor and I met in person first as he described. We had been emailing and calling each other for a while. However, a few months ago Victor informed me that Krista was coming to New York and if I was interested in meeting up, all three of us. Of course I said yes! We met in Victor’s office and than continued our meeting at the coffee shop below. My brother was visiting me at the time so my time was limited. I thought I’d only stay for a few minutes, but the conversation turned to photography and an hour later I was still there.

(Photograph by Ivan Lesica, taken during the meet up)

Jeanne: Tell me about the meet up. Were people like you imagined they would be?

Ivan: The same thing happened when meeting for the first time with Victor and then with Krista; just big smiles on all of our faces. I felt as if I knew them forever, longtime friends. I did not know at that moment if I should shake their hand or give them a big hug considering how close I felt to them For that I can only thank the Your Shot Photo Community! We talked and time stood still. Photography is a our passion and we just dived into a conversation about our mutual photographs. I was shocked how many photographs of mine they remembered. The latest ones, the published ones, the DDs, what other photographers said about them. Were Krista and Victor as I imagined them to be? No, they were better.

Krista: It was so wonderful to talk about photography with people who share your passion for it, and whose work you know well. Ivan and Victor are both so kind and cool. They are very welcoming New Yorkers. I was so happy I was able to meet them. Thanks to Your Shot for providing the space to meet people who share your passion for photography.

Victor: When the three of us got together, it was like old times even though neither Ivan or I had ever met Krista in person. We had an instant connection and bond because of Your Shot. We had a great time talking about our passion. It was interesting to see how familiar we each were with one another’s work. We each have totally different styles, but there is still a very common thread to our work. I am in total awe of Krista in several ways. I was amazed at the volume of great shots she got in such a short period of time. It was as if she were on a mission or assignment to record and document the city of New York in a few days and she did so in a wonderful way. The other thing that blows me away about Krista is her research and historical knowledge of the areas she photographs. I have learned a great deal from seeing Krista’s photographs and reading her commentary about them.

One interesting thing happened when Ivan and I met first. Ivan always carries his camera around when he is out. So on his way to meet me the first couple of times he told me that he had just taken a really great shot. As it turned out, both of those shots got DD’s. We both joke that I have become Ivan’s lucky DD charm.

I am not sure what I expected but Ivan and Krista were very interesting, intelligent, and most importantly great people with kind hearts. They are passionate about photography and the YS community as a whole. We also discussed the vast number of interesting people we have met as a result of our YS community. For instance, I have used my architectural skill and knowledge to help fellow member Robert Booth save the historic Perth Town hall from demolition and also one of my prints of Manhattan is hanging on a young boy’s wall in Wales because his mother is a YS member. These are things that would have never happened without Your Shot.

(Photograph by Victor Mirontschuk)

Jeanne: How has meeting in person changed how you interact?

Krista: After meeting in person I am even more excited to view their photos and get their comments on my work. They are friends who share a real passion for photography and NYC. Even though the meeting was short, was great to be able to make that personal connection beyond the computer screen. This is what I love about Your Shot. So interesting to view the images and hear the stories from so many different places. See the creativity. And to share your own photos and get comments on them. It is always a pleasure to log onto the site and feel the community spirit.

Victor: Now having met in person, I feel we have a more personal connection. I admire both Krista and Ivan very much and I look more closely at their photographs and try to understand their perspective on particular shots. I also know when they like one of my photos they feel free to comment honestly, to praise or even criticize a particular photograph. I know that there have been times that I was really excited about a particular photograph and got a lukewarm response from Ivan. Since I have met him, I value his opinion as Ivan is a perfectionist and if he really likes a shot then I know it must be special. Krista, Ivan, and I are always trying to improve our photography skills. We can depend on each other (as well as others) to give us fair, honest, constructive comments.

Ivan: Your Shot is a place where I can express myself, where I can be me and show the world (literally) how I see my the world around me. After meeting in person a new level of friendship developed. Now, when I read their comments I can actually hear their voices. I can even understand their photos better because they match their personalities. Victor and I talk regularly; we are good friends and talk about photography and Your Shot all the time. We ask each other for advice and critique each other’s photos. I’m sure we’ll go photographing together again soon.