1. If you had to choose only one mode: black + white, or colour
Like many photographers of a certain age, I grew up with black and white film. Although I told myself that B&W was the better aesthetic choice, there was also the practical reality that home processing of colour was a drag (even though I had equipment to do it). In the digital era, there is a real choice. I look at every picture I take in both black and white and colour and pick colour only if it affirmatively helps the image. Sometimes colour is the image (the reason why a picture is appealing). But just as often, it can be visual clutter, a distraction.
I took a series of pictures of cops attending a funeral for two slain policemen (they are grouped separately in the People collection on my website). The pictures show the emotion of the moment. With a few exceptions, that was fully captured in black and white. Colour would have been out of place. Another picture I took (Pocket Square, The Bronx, 2019) is a portrait of a limo driver in the Bronx. He is beautifully dressed, with a purple striped tie. By chance, he was standing in front of a bright yellow wall. There was a lot of glam on display on that street corner, and much of it would have been invisible in a monochrome image.
One thing I do very often is to keep an image in colour, but desaturate some or all of the colours to varying degrees. That is sometimes an effective compromise, and also adds to the stark impressions I am drawn to. Selective colours also can be used to highlight parts of an image.
Looking over recent work, it is predominantly in colour (including desaturated colour), so if forced to choose, it would be that.
2. Favorite living artist (any medium)
David Hockney. His paintings often show blocks of colour, geometric shapes, and people who are almost placeholders—just shapes. I try to capture some of the same elements in my own work. If you had allowed me to pick any artist, I would have chosen Edward Hopper or Thomas Hart Benton.
3. Best photography advice you received
One of my teachers at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, MT, used a phrase which stuck with me, which is “kill your darlings”. She thought every photographer has pictures they have cherished for years that just maybe aren’t that good. Portfolios are often better when, with a tear in your eye, you consign these treasures to the cutting room floor.
Other valuable advice that I got from a sage in Vancouver is to take pictures that mean something to you, even if they aren’t necessarily crowd pleasers. I am drawn to pictures that are a bit stark, with empty spaces and lots of geometry. People often seem to be alone, seeking solitude. Many of the settings are urban, and often a bit run down. So, I may be an acquired taste that most won’t acquire. It still works better for me to do what I like and let the chips fall where they may.
4. What do you like best about living in NYC
One is the constant and varied street life and the wealth of neighborhoods. That matters to me as I am mostly a street photographer. Even after four years, I still find new places to go. And when I do return to a locale, the light, or what or who is on the street ready to be captured with a camera, is different from the last time. NY law allows pictures to be taken of people on the street for use in art photography without a release.
A second major attraction is the art museums. I live one block from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and am 12 minutes by bicycle through Central Park to MOMA. So, I can drop into the Met for an hour when there aren’t many people, and without advance planning. That is really a gift. When the museums reopened after the lockdowns, they were empty for months. It was like viewing a private collection.
5. Dream trip for taking pictures
A free Cuba. Cuba would be my choice if it ever gets past the current authoritarian regime, so that Americans could wander around Havana and other cities without a minder, and mingle and talk freely with the Cuban people.
View Jim’s work in The Commotion Print Room : Tree Shadows, Long Island City
jamesmpeaslee.com