Mamiyaroid 52
The Photos You Miss
I took an end-of-summer break, partly because my digital camera was still being serviced, and because I was finishing the edits on my big “ethics in street photography” piece. I’m excited and nervous for that to publish but I stand by it.
I’m now back at work in-person and I anticipated having less time and it’s turned out to be true. I want to finish a draft of a new novel by the end of this year, so I’m making this a monthly newsletter. I still have two informative interviews to transcribe with two women in photography, so look out for those.
I’m also taking a photography class about photographing time and place and I’m loving it. This past week our assignment was to visit a New York City neighborhood that is either unfamiliar to us, or one we haven’t visited in a while, and walk down the main street, following the subway line, and make a left or right at the first cross street, turn left at the end of the side street, walk up and then make a right and head back to the main street, walking down until the next cross street. Photographing the entire time. I haven’t looked through the photos yet but I know I got some happy surprises.
But today is about the photographs you don’t get, either because of timing or because you can’t get permission. This happened to me twice during this assignment. The first time I saw bubbles and then saw a little girl using an electronic bubble blower that was shaped like a fuji instax camera.
A little like this:
I wanted a photograph of the girl, but her mother declined. I don’t blame her. It was a residential street and they were hanging out in front of their house, inside their gates. Who was I? Just some stranger coming down the street with a camera.
I returned the next day and came to a house with an old man sitting out front, playing rock n roll oldies, drinking a Heineken. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let me photograph him but I was curious about him, so I asked him how long he’d been living there and he said 48 years. We talked a bit and he said his name is Nelson, and he’s “only 83 years old”. When I asked him how long he’d lived there he said the neighborhood was first Norwegian, then Scandinavian, then Irish, then Puerto Rican (like him) and now Chinese, and his house has only had 5 owners in its entire history. He said, “Over there is a Chinese neighbor and over there is a Chinese neighbor and then there’s my family.” (I did my assignment on 8th Avenue in Sunset Park.) He said the rose bushes in the backyard were planted by his mother and they still bloom every year. He was wearing a military ball cap but I didn’t see which war it was for. He talked a bit about how he walked to elementary, and then junior high school but went to Chelsea Vocational High School in Manhattan. I told him I was walking around photographing and he said “What? For yourself or the paper?” I loved that, “the paper”. When I asked him for a photo he waved his hand to decline. I knew it. When I miss a photo I’m glad I’m a writer and can get it down in another form.
I wanted to show you his house so I went looking on google street view, hoping I’d recognize it, and guess what? There he was!
Until next time…
Adalena
I love to receive comments and questions about photography and cameras!
My email: adalenakavanagh@gmail.com
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Original photography prints: adalenakavanagh.bigcartel.com (I change out the shop every month of so. If you see something you like, let me know, I’m happy to make you a print.)
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-Adalena Kavanagh