Joe Wigfall

G

goo0h

Well-known
Local time
10:20 AM
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
692
During lunch I stumbled upon this little deal on Joe Wigfall:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=y-IOEAlBpSo

I know he's not using a rangefinder, but thought it was interesting how he decided to *not* bring the camera to his eye. Seems kind of akin to Walker Evan's concept of the "anonymous portrait."

I also liked his little commentary on how he decided to take pictures during is lunch hour and to-/fro- work so that a part of him wouldn't die. A good reminder!
 
pesphoto said:
I just saw his video the other day. Im struggling a bit with that myself right now. Finding the time to do photography for myself. It can be done.
Have you seen this site? It has lots of phootgrapher vids.
http://www.seconds2real.com/
Click to expand...
No I hadn't. Thanks for the link!

Yeah, after a while of walking around taking pictures -- doesn't even matter of what really -- I feel so much happier and at peace. And yet it seems only too easy to forget that and not make sure that I take time out once and a while to take pictures. It's why I thought his comments were so reassuring. It *can* be done.
 
Yes I actually saw this and all the other wnyc shteershots videos yesterday. It was interesting and Joe seems like a really nice guy.

Make sure to add him on flickr (contact name joewig)!
 
I also tend to have my camera (often a Ricoh GX100, and most recently my new Epson R-D1) in my hand while walking to and from work and during lunch hour. That's how my GX100 totals up almost 5000 shots in the half year I have it now. And, esp. with the GX100 at 24mm or 28mm (equiv), I don't look at the screen or through the mounted OVF either - I have by now a pretty good idea of what I'll capture in the frame... Also, this is a great way of taking pictures of people very close up without them noticing, which also is what Joe Wigfall is doing. But his results are way more inspiring than my own. Need to practice ;)
 
I never expect people to reciprocate when I add them as a contact. Adding them just means that I like their pictures and want to see new ones show up in my contacts view. I don't want to force ayone to like my pictures in return. But of course I'm happy if they do...

Similarly, if someone adds me as a contact, I'll take some time to check out their photo stream, but only add them as a contact if their pictures do something for me, which is not always the case. I have enough contacts as it is, and time is in limited supply, so no point in cluttering up my life with pictures that don't inspire me.

So I added Joe as a contact as well, as I think I can learn from him. But I don't expect him to do the same, as his pictures are way better than mine, and I honestly don't think he could learn much from mine. Also, I guess that after being featured as prominently, he muust have been flooded with contact requests...

And if he chooses to add me anyway, I would be honoured...
 
Last edited:
Sorry to barge in like this guys, I've been following his works for over a year now.. he deserves some recognition by now, and he drops by on my stream once a while just to say hello. Just like you've said it Mattikk he's a nice guy. One has to have that sort of attitude to survive taking photos on the street esp. in really big cities like NYC IMO. That's one thing we can learn from him. :)
 
Very cool video, even cooler guy.

See, this guy gets my extra respect because, he's honest, he makes something out of his limitations (family, work, etc.), and he's consistent. And he has great instincts, I like all his shots shown on the video -- sometimes you see a street-photographer's pictures and wonder... huh?

Thanks for sharing the inspiration, Amos.
 
goo0h said:
I know he's not using a rangefinder, but thought it was interesting how he decided to *not* bring the camera to his eye.
Click to expand...

Of interest from what I hear the reason Joe does not bring his camera to his eye is for the fact that he is blind in one eye
 
I really like his straightforward and direct affability. He calls himself an artist even tho he doesn't make money from his work and he only does it in the snatches of time he can grab. I like that, too. Perhaps when people ask me what I do in the future, I will just say, "I'm an artist." It certainly beats the wishy-washy, "I'm a technology consultant." What the hell is that?

Interestingly, I've been doing what he does for a long time, ever since I moved to the New York area over 8 years ago. But I'm even more radical. Not only do I not put my camera up to my eye, I don't even hold it chest high. I usually shoot from my hip or waist, if facing forward.

Not that I'm comparing my work to his in any way. His stuff is really excellent. You can see some of my work in this style on Flickr:

New York Dames, explanation self-evident
Commute to work, many taken from my moving automobile

/T
 
What I groove on most is his optimism and energy. Can't say I loved all his "takes", but what saw that I thought was good, was very good. And, he keeps at it, That's the spirit. Never give up.


- Barrett
 
According to him 'super photographers' look through the viewfinder and ordinary photographers like him use hip shots.

That's ridiculous, he should just hang a camcorder around his neck and edit the frames when he gets home, he'll have some great shots.
 
This sans-camera-to-eye style of Streetography is both fun and challenging. The key is to shoot a ton, and edit like mad. Joe suggests that out of a hundred or so shots, he will post perhaps 3 to the web. Finding that successful image is a result of both seeing the opportunies in the field, and then carefully choosing the keepers. Digital and auto focus make it easier to practice this style, but it can be done with any camera. The variety of images and the suprizes that result can be really motivating and exciting.

Thanks for posting the link. Joe seems like a really nice guy sharing a great photographic genre.
 
Nh3 said:
According to him 'super photographers' look through the viewfinder and ordinary photographers like him use hip shots.

That's ridiculous, he should just hang a camcorder around his neck and edit the frames when he gets home, he'll have some great shots.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't call it ridiculous. His way of working is perfectly valid. He clearly states he wants to see the street with both eyes- something not easy to do with a dSLR pinned to your face.

Trying to get a shot from chest level that corresponds to what the eye sees probably takes a lot of practice.
 
I really don't like this kind of technique to street photography. I know most won't agree with me, but anyone can do what he is doing in my opinion. It's all about luck. You take a billion random pictures and then take them into photoshop.

You don't get the nervous feelings of invading privacy that you do with film and manual focus. You just walk a lot and starting taking up space in your memory card as you walk. It's guesswork. You just hope that you'll get lucky on 3 or 4 shots. Once the photographer starts letting the camera do all the work (autofocus, autoexposure, not even looking through the viewfinder), the less the photographer has a say about how the final image will look.

I really don't blame people for shooting like this though. Anyone that starts out with a digital camera and pursues street photography is going to give up on the viewfinder sometimes (especially because most dslrs aren't full frame). After all, its free of charge to take as many pictures as you want. But I do think that this really hurts the photographer and his pictures. It keeps him from learning about technique, and it keeps the pictures looking boring and bland with no personal style.
 
Last edited:
I don't really agree about the "luck" and "a billion random shots". Of course it can be, and digital auto-everything indeed makes this easier.

I myself regularly shoot "from the hip" or the chest, especially with my Ricoh GX100 set at 24mm or 28mm, manual focus around 3 meters or snap focus. With practice, you get a fairly good idea what will be in the frame for a focal length you're used to. I know fairly well what I'll capture without looking through the viewfinder or at the screen, although it's fair to say that you've got more chances of missing the shot you intended. When I walk around like this, I'm constantly on the lookout for scenes, combinations and compositions as they dynamically assemble and disassemble themselves, and try to move myself into position to capture such a scene that I see arriving. Sometimes the results are fine, sometimes they aren't, but there is certainly nothing random about it, as I clearly visualise the shot I want to take. I have the impression this is also Joe's approach.

The trick is sticking to one or two focal lengths and becoming intimately familiar with their field of view. This way, you can be immersed in the surroundings and much more aware of what is happening than if you've got your eye glued to the viewfinder (although rangefinders are already a lot better for this than SLRs).

So indeed it may not be for everyone, but with practice, there is not much randomness involved.
 
I read this article just yesterday about Mason Resnik's experience with Garry Winogrand.

I tried to mimic Winogrand's shooting technique. I went up to people, took their pictures, smiled, nodded, just like the master. Nobody complained; a few smiled back! I tried shooting without looking through the viewfinder, but when Winogrand saw this, he sternly told me never to shoot without looking. "You'll lose control over your framing," he warned. I couldn't believe he had time to look in his viewfinder, and watched him closely. Indeed, Winogrand always looked in the viewfinder at the moment he shot. It was only for a split second, but I could see him adjust his camera's position slightly and focus before he pressed the shutter release. He was precise, fast, in control.

Here is the link: http://www.photogs.com/bwworld/winogrand.html
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom