Batsceba: I'd like you to tell me a little bit about your travel around North America, for work I guess. Where you've been and how you deal with places (what's different) where you're doing the street photographer
Mark: For the past 17 years I've been working as a school teacher, so travel is usually not for work. The travel I do now is all for exploration of new places (usually including rock climbing, hiking, or kayaking), visiting family, or specifically to do Street photography. 3.5 years ago we moved from Vermont to New Mexico. This is very significant because I no longer have reasonable driving access to Montreal, Boston, New York, or Philadelphia. These are all great locations for Street photography. However, we do now have better access to many incredible natural wonders and wild areas for outdoor pursuits. Western cities are very different than Eastern cities. Western cities (especially Southwestern cities), tend to be spread out with lower concentrations of people (with a couple of exceptions). This obviously means fewer opportunities for shooting Street. The first step is to learn the various areas of a new city, and figure out where the people will be. I am still working on this, and I have yet to visit (with the sole intent of shooting Street), some of the more promising cities for Street.
1) Are you a professional photographer? No
2) Why street photography? Because I do not have the patience to do serious landscape of studio work. Also, I tried painting when I was young and I could never finish a painting because I continued to try to make it "perfect". With Street photography I don't have a choice. I must accept what I am given.
3) What do you look for in an image? I look for something that is interesting to me. It could be graphic in nature, color, an expression, or a particular event
4) Where in the world would you most like to photograph? Tokyo, among many others.
5) Who would you most like to photograph? Anyone in the street in New York City in the early 1970's.
6) Your favourite street image of your own to date and why? This is very difficult, but one that I am very proud of is Men In Black.
Men in Blak
7) Your favourite piece of equipment? My Contax G1. It is a beautiful thing to hold.
8 ) Is photography art? It can be.
9) Black And White Or Colour? It could be either, dictated by what the image provides. If I am shooting film it is usually B+W.
10) What are your thoughts on editing? Editing for Street should be limited to what can be done in camera and in the darkroom.
11) Why do you share to Progressive Street and who would you like to see showcased from Progressive Street? In order to share my vision of the world, what catches my eye. Also to learn. Showcased? Anyone who shoots consistently excellent Street.