Interview With Jonathan Greenwald, New York City Street Photographer - Page 2

That's an interesting technique. For a lot of people, shooting people on the street can be very intimidating.

I am always asked abut my method and I always give the same advice: never make eye contact. It changes everything, especially the way you photograph people. Make eye contact behind the camera.

You're often right in front of the people you're photographing. It's amazing they're not looking right into the camera.

I also tend to hold the camera at obscure angles so they don't realize I'm even taking a photo. I use a battery grip for the [Canon] 20D which makes portrait shooting a bit easier; I hold the camera from the bottom and snap away. I was toying with the idea of holding the camera around my neck, walking into a crowd, and snapping away with a remote control. It would be interesting to see the results.

Do you ever feel guilty about photographing homeless people and not giving them anything back (or do you give anything)?

I struggle with that very question every time I take a photograph. The way I look at it, I am documenting what I see and I don't make light of the situation. I am not in the area long enough to interact with my subjects and if I did, it would likely change the way I photograph people.

What I most like about my photographs is the spontaneity and that would be lost if I began interacting with my subjects. I may just continue capturing people, whether homeless or not, without interacting with them. I don't exploit anyone and prefer to show people in their natural [environment].

Do you find differences between the cities (NYC and Toronto)? Are there more homeless in one city compared to the other?

I am finding a significant difference between the homeless in NYC and Toronto. I have yet to draw relevant conclusions, but my preliminary assessment is this: the homeless in Toronto are friendlier and more personable. And there is [one] big difference: age. My wife lives in downtown Toronto. Walk in either direction on Queen St. W., and you can encounter as many as four or five homeless kids on a single block. Most are dressed like punks and have signs that tout everything from solicitations for marijuana research to beer. Perhaps it's the amount of foot traffic on that one street in comparison to the multiple access points in NYC.

You mention age. What about differences in the level of desperation?

Article Author: Chantal Stone

Chantal is a professional Wedding & Portrait photographer based in Central Ohio. Her portfolio can be seen at Chantal Stone Photography. She also maintains a blog, where you can see much of her recent work, and a not-updated-nearly-enough photoblog.
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