Just What I See by David Norbut

David’s Introduction

A true pioneer, Greg Schmigel has blurred the lines between Mobile Photography and the origins of classic street shooting. His photographs are timeless and serene. A true inspiration, Greg shows us that it’s not about the camera you carry, it’s just what you see.

Chinatown #12

Humble beginnings

I often tell people I’ve always been a big fan of photography as an art form, but wasn’t always a creator of the art coming up as a kid.  I had the cameras that mom and dad had given me or my grandparents had given me as gifts. It didn’t really fall into place until around 2001, when I decided to buy a DSLR from a co-worker, and even then I was only seeking out urban decay and stuff like that.

Five years later, I have a really good friend, Ricky Carioti, who is a professional photo journalist, and I was living with the guy. He got me turned on to taking pictures, specifically shooting high school sports. Same guy started to do a lot more photo journalistic work, and I was always intrigued by the fact that he was taking pictures of people, not so much on the playing field, but people in public. I talked to him a lot about it, not knowing really anything about street photography as a genre.  I didn’t know too much about the people who started the whole thing. I was finally convinced by Ricky to start going out and taking pictures of people and I was terrified to do it; it’s pretty intimidating to go out and shoot street photography if you’ve never really done it before. So I just kept happy with my sports photography, doing it for the schools and making a little bit of money here and there. Later on, I revisited street photography and I got a little more comfortable with it, but I was still the guy, hiding behind the bushes taking pictures of people walking by.

The Bicyclist

2007. The iPhone comes along and I got one. I was loading up my contacts and got everything loaded from my old phone so I started looking at the apps, which were very few at that time. I remember thinking, “Oh cool, check it out, there’s a camera.” I pointed at whatever was on the table and I wish I still had that photograph. It was at that point, I realized, this phone actually has a decent camera on it and I always have it with me.

Faces at Freedom Plaza

One night my same friend Ricky came over with a Cartier-Bresson book called “The Bystander” and I was basically introduced to street photography in that one night. That was it. I knew, though I had never taken a true street photo, that whether it was the next weekend or the following weekend, that’s what I was going to go out and do. In the beginning, I carried a Leica Deluxe 3 and a Canon Rebel. By 2008 those fell by the wayside and I was just using my iPhone… and that’s really how it started.

Bus Boys

On his camera of choice

Chase Jarvis said “The best camera is the one thats with you.” I think that’s a true statement. At this point, I don’t use the phone because it’s always with me, I don’t use the phone because everyone else is doing it or because it’s the hip thing to do these days. I use the phone because it’s the camera that I have become completely comfortable with. Since I’ve gone fully iPhone, I have shot with other cameras, a Ricoh  X100, an X10, but all the photographs I was taking were exactly the same as my iPhone. I don’t mean from a data perspective, an M9 would obviously blow away anything on an iPhone from a data perspective. But what I believe is my own style, and my composition, and what I see… it was the same no matter which camera I was using. It was a fulfilling feeling, because I’d reached the point where I felt completely comfortable with what I’m shooting. I find this peace with myself.  I’m not out trying to force landscapes on myself, I’m not out there trying to do portrait work. That’s for other people. I go out and I shoot just what I see, with my phone, and it’s like a perfect match. It’s not about the camera, it’s what the artist sees.

On printing

My friend Anton said something recently, and it’s one of those things that instantly stuck with me and I think it’s going to be one of those things I keep written down in my wallet for a long time. He said “I don’t think a photograph is truly a photograph until its printed.”
For me, maybe the reason I didn’t hesitate to print my work is because I feel that is the natural process for photography. Okay! Let’s get these off the screen and onto the walls. I wish more people that I admire would print their stuff, but maybe it’s just personal preference. For printing, I use a company called Mpix; they are one of the only companies that I know of that use an Ilford true black and white paper.

Advice for aspiring street photographers

First thing I would say: whatever I tell you, don’t listen to me. I say this as a joke and with a bit of a serious light.
I think I have a bit of an unorthodox approach to street photography. I’m not a sit and wait for the decisive moment kind of guy, I’d rather move along with the crowd, be part of the crowd. Sometimes, I’m an after the fact kind of shooter, whereas I’m out shooting and I will cross a street and in the crossing of that street I’ll fire off 30 shots. Sometimes I’m not even looking. I’m shooting from the hip, I shoot behind the back, I’ll shoot from wherever I feel there is a shot.

To me a very important part of my photographs is a character; I can walk all day long and not take a single picture. That’s not to say people aren’t interesting everywhere, but I try and find something interesting about a character, whether it’s their face, whether it’s the way they are dressed, their walk, something they are carrying, something that catches my eye, and that’s usually in a street or city setting.
I’d say keep your eye out for characters. Composition is important, although as I mentioned, I don’t sit and wait. I usually don’t go to place and say “Ok, this is a perfect frame here I have created, now wait for characters.” Composition is definitely important, but then again, I’ve got some shots in my collection that, to me personally, are some of my favorite shots that go completely against the grain of general photographic rules. And that’s one of the things I love about photography. Just love what you do.  I don’t go out and shoot what I think, I go out and shoot what I see. I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how it’s supposed to be or what’s going to make people appreciate my photograph. I shoot just what I see.

The Conversation

On missed photographs

I almost didn’t get this photograph, more for an ethical standpoint. But I saw that shot, I think we were crossing First and Second, my wife and I, and I saw her sitting there and it was a cold, cold morning. I try not to shoot the homeless; I think they are easy shots. I do have some shots of them but as I’ve matured with this I try and stay away from that. But this one particular shot, here is this big paste up reading “I can’t afford to love New York” and this women’s huddled over in the cold and is obviously homeless; it just all kind of came together. I almost missed this shot because my inner self was saying “Don’t take this picture.” But something spoke to me.

I Can’t Afford to Love NY

I may not think about the shots I’ve missed, but I do often wonder where some of the people that I’ve taken pictures of are now…
We take all these pictures of people and there is bound to be some of whom have died, ya know? They aren’t here any more. But you have their photograph and it’s kind of a weird connection, you’ve documented them for a minute. There are some people I will never see again. There are some people I have seen again, since I have taken their picture. But I do often wonder, where are these people now?

On Jazz

When shooting in the streets I’ll listen to, by far hands down, Billie Holiday. I don’t know if it’s an homage to Baltimore, my dad’s hometown, but there is just something about her music that really gets me. It’s the city, it’s the grit; she’s one of the true divas. We’ll put Mariah Carey and those gals aside. Billie Holiday, Nina Simone… those are the divas. I like to listen to jazz a lot. I am not a jazz head, I couldn’t tell you all the big names in jazz. I have my core group that I really like to listen to. My grandfather was a big band singer so I was exposed to it when I was a kid, and I guess it really just stuck with me.

Advice to your younger self

I’m 43 now, and I was having a conversation with a good friend. We both kind of realized, from a numbers perspective, within a couple of years, I’m probably on the down slope. I’ve probably hit the halfway mark.  It’s funny to think about that. I tell everyone I’m 43 on paper, I think in my heart I’m 22, and my body is probably 68…(laughs).

In all honesty, I would say something that my father would probably say… Life is short, so go out and do things, take photographs, paint pictures or be the best accountant you can be. Do what you really love to do. Travel abroad, go to a foreign country, learn another language, learn to play a musical instrument. Find something you really like to do. Take it from being a hobby to a passion and sometimes, take it fully into your life. As far as enjoying life and smelling the roses, you gotta do that too.

Greg Schmigel
E-mail: [email protected]
Flickr | Twitter | Instagram @publicview

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David Norbut

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