I like to photograph everything. At least everything that catches my eye or is interesting to me. I love street photography because you never know what is around the corner and once a moment passes, its gone forever. One theme that I seem to come back to over and over again are dogs. Its not on purpose, dogs are just awesome subjects! Below are some of my favorites over the years. What are some of your favorite subjects?
In October of 2002 I was walking around the streets of NYC, when I was drawn down a street in the Village. There were people standing around, firemen accessing a situation, and a FDNY firetruck. I stood directly across the street from the truck when all of a sudden, a Dalmatian popped its head out and looked at the firemen. I immediately got off some shots, wishing I had color film in my camera. Yes, film.
Fast forward 10 years to 2012. I framed the image and brought it with me to NYC. With some of the clues in the photograph, I was able to find the firehouse. Thankfully, it was not one of the houses that fell victim to budget cuts.
After knocking on the door a few times, a fireman opened the door, I explained that I wanted the house to have the photo, and then he said, “Would you like to meet her?” The dog was still alive! Her name is Twenty, after the firehouse.
As you can see from the photo with Twenty and me, the fireman should probably stick to his day job and leave the photography to me!
I left that firehouse feeling 10 feet tall. 10 years after creating one of my favorite images, I was able to give something back and meet the ‘star’ of the photo. I walked away in search of my next image, my next memory, my next story.
Tim
When I first started out in photography, I hated people in my pictures. I thought they were ruining my shots (my shots weren’t great to begin with). I missed a few opportunities waiting for people to move only to have more people come into my viewfinder. As the years went on I realized how important people are to the story. They provide a sense of scale. One cannot grasp how tall and powerful a waterfall is if you cannot see how small a person is in relation to it. People provide clues to culture. A shot of a man playing the accordion in Paris, no matter how cliche, adds to the story. People in your photographs can make the viewer feel what is in the picture. The old man in the winter coat, grabbing his collar to keep the wind out shows how cold it was that day.
Engaging people on the street can add to your travel experience. I am a big advocate of getting out of your comfort zone. Eat local. Shop local. Shoot local. This holds true if you are visiting Clearwater, Chicago, or China. Capture the people of that area. Get them in their surroundings. Complete the story.
Hey, you may even get a great restaurant or museum recommendation too!
When I walk the streets of New York, I am amazed at the ability of man to build, to create, to push the boundaries of innovation.
When I go to the mountains, I am reminded of how insignificant man really is.
Tim Schultz Photography 