Angel L. Rodriguez (Master Panner)

Modesty is a word I Will not be used for this béte noir character Of the Streets.

Words such as self-glorification and swagger do come to mind more readily. But indeed why not? If you have it. flaunt it. With peepers perfect for the surveillance of usually the pretty kind produces some remarkable panning images. Angel likes to back up his images as the rip reader spieler for everyone to enjoy life in the street. Producing his own gif language and encouraging all to interact indeed is an arnbæssador for the spirit Of Our street. But not just a genial panner, Often gives us a glimpse through a deft eye Of the world he sees. Colour and mono of the highest quality.

I give you the creator Of the panning war, the braggadocio, the street photography artist that is Angel Rodriguez

Angel took the replicant test from Progressive Street. Please find a little more about the man, inspired and enjoy

Robert Bannister

Yes, I am a professional photographer. cinematographer and comedian ( :-P). I actually shot my first pro wedding video at the age of 15! I have also worked at some of the largest television media and advertising agencies in the U.S.A. (E! EntertainmentlSpeedvision/OLN/ G4 Tech TV/Golf Channel etc. etc…) I am currently involved in a variety of Global Investment and Technology Projects as well.

Street Photography for me began once I started working at IBM and then Y&R in New York City. At the time I was using a Canon ELPH Jr. APS Film Camera due to its utterly diminutive size and its ability to fool IBM security into thinking it was a pager! I was amazed at the energy and fleeting moments I was witnessing all around me. I not only wanted to be an integral part Of it, but I wanted to capture these fleeting glorious moments as they ebbed and flowed around me. wanted to capture the essence of ‘The City' and I continue to do that to this day.

I have two approaches to the creation and ideation of an image. On some days I Will head out the door obsessed with a vision in my mind of what I want to express in terms of an image or My vision for photography can sometimes be attributed to musical or cinematic influences. I look for the elements that are needed to realize my vision and allow the non-synchronicity of life to play out until I can see the visual elements come together in one frame. My second approach is to integrate myself into a situation/city/street/place and use all of the photographic tools at my disposal to capture the essence of the moment as I see it. On more than a few occasions I heard my opportunity to capture a moment before I could see the subjects and compositional elements coming together. In the end, I try to find lighting, motion, subject and scene. I tend towards images With cinematic motion qualities and technical attributes.

It's not so much about where in the world I would like to photograph for me as it is in finding a World where I happen to be at any given moment to photograph. I like to find a world within a world. I am constantly scanning my surroundings in my never-ending quest to discover an unnoticed opportunity to obtain more "Street Loot".

I thoroughly enjoy the process of photography so I will approach anyone and everyone I am interested in if given the chance. FYI - I have had a lifelong weakness for women. It may have a lot to do with growing up in an environment of fashion and beauty thanks to my mother being in the business of owning Hair and Beauty Salons. As a child, I was routinely in the company of a dozen or so fashion-conscious women/men at any given moment. This familiarity with women and groups of strangers, in general, help me to cast aside any fear of social situations in regards to Street photography (l once asked in Atlantic City to cuff a crazed but willing party-goer, and yes I did make a film based photo).

This might sound cliche, but I look forward to the next image I create being my favourite. I have an endless appetite for creating and capturing moments in motion. That said, I do have a photo that I am partial to at the moment. It is a photo that I took while holding a coffee with my left hand and taking the image with my free hand. It was a beautiful morning and I noticed a cyclist with sunglasses approaching and lifted the camera to take the shot, drank my coffee and the rest as they say - was history.

My favourite piece of equipment at any given moment is whatever device I have With me that can allow me the ability to record a moment in time and be able to output it for later viewing. I have several cameras, both film and digital. That said, if I had to choose one single device for all my image capturing needs as of this writing it would have to be the Fujifilm X- pro2 with 35MM F2 lens attached. The ability to use an OVF that can change range view on command and also allow the use Of its internal EVF is priceless to me. To date, it is the only camera in the world that does this. I should also note that this camera has a sub-second startup time which is critically important for me I usually have less than I .75 seconds Irr photo opportunity. For the film-o-files out there, I also shoot with a Rollei 35t and Contax GI with its 35MM F2 Zeiss lens.

Photography is certainly an art in the hands of a person with a vision and the ability to realize that vision through talent, skill and absolute patience. I say this with confidence due to the body of work I have created not being something you would be able to easily capture with the naked eye or via a typical snapshot. The images I create are deliberate and align with my vision to convey the motion I see all around me.

More than 95% of the time I am capturing an image it is in the psychology behind this for me is that it forces me to focus on the elements of subject, composition. motion, emotion, ratio, proportions and luminescence. I create additional separation with movement and beams of reflected light where they can be found and applied. In general, monochrome images to me are much more timeless as they can be used to transcend time.

In regards to my photography, I use practical effects to Create motion blur and never resort to using Photoshop. I do not even have Adobe anywhere in my workflow(l use FastStone and Fuji's RAW suite to tweak my images). I need to be able to mirror the workflow, look and feel of my images across both the film and digital realms. As such I typically and make global exposure/colour tweaks as they are called for. I will also crop images to amplify tension or maintain balance when I feel it aligns with my vision or memory Of the moment I captured.

I initially came to know Progressive Street due to a recommendation by Robert Bannister. I was also taken by the image of the Mascot Dog, though it was quite funny. I was also drawn to share with the group due to its conscientious curation and emphasis on the image vs. the gear used. In the group, I discovered a bevy of lighthearted photographers of varying talents and eyes on the world. It was great to see that multiple contributions and varying styles were embraced and discussed. I also like that the group as a whole does not take the essence of capturing an image to be something devoid of humour. Taking anything seriously, especially in regards to photography, is something I am not too keen on. I love to make people laugh and smile. I hope I do that through my images and commentary. progressive Street allows me to me without taking life seriously. We are all here for such a short period of time and I want to embrace every moment that comes my way with a smile and a click of my shutter.