There is no doubt that vintage film cameras are cool and there is something special about shooting film in the digital age. This workshop is for those who want to connect with a mechanical camera to express photography the way it was in its heyday of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s. David Brommer has never abandoned film photography and has a massive collection of “vintage users” he maintains.
Dates: June 2nd, 2024 9 AM-5 PM
Genre: Analog Street & Urban Photography
Group Size: Max 5 participants
Skill Levels: All
Includes: 3 rolls of film, camera rental, film processing and scanning, breakfast and post workshop group zoom.
Cost: $350.00
In this special one day workshop he will open up his cabinet of cameras and let you choose which one to shoot with during the day. Fancy a Hasselblad medium format? We have a red one with three lenses. A Nikon? Take your pick of SLR or Rangefinder. Want to experiment with a half frame 35mm? The Olympus Pen F is your camera. For those who want precision, grab the Contax with Zeiss lenses, or go instant with Fujifilm Instax. You may also bring a manual camera you inherited or were gifted and want to learn to use. You’ll have three rolls of film to work with during the workshop.
The focus of your day will be street and urban photography. This includes people and architecture with an emphasis on compositional elements. Film photography can be fun and surprising and each film emulsion has a look all their own. This workshop will give you a firm grasp of the basics of mechanical film cameras, exposure and composition.
Nikon FE 50mm Nikkor 1.4 Ais Fujifilm Superia 400 Converted to B&W (note the grain)
The day begins with coffee and bagels while we get a lesson on how to load film into your camera. After a quick rooftop photo op and exposure discussion, we take to the streets and head to little Island on the Hudson. Crossing the West Village we stop at the “secret garden” and continue east to the photo paradise of Washington Square Park and grab lunch. We then visit the Photo Lab 5R for a tour and workflow discussion. From there our walk continues to the Alamo and the East Village ending in Tompkins Square park. Cameras will be collected and film dropped off at our lab. Just like in the hinter years, you will get to look at your work about a week later after they have been developed, scanned and emailed to you. A few weeks later we will meet on zoom for an image review.
Nikon FE 50 mm 1.4 Fujifilm Superia 400Nikon FE 50 mm 1.4 Fujifilm Superia 400Nikon SP 35mm 1.8 Kodak Tri-X with Shitty Iphone Scan
Each student receives 3 rolls of film (B&W & Color Options) that includes processing and negative scanning. (Prints available at additional cost). Breakfast included, lunch on your own. Workshop is rain or shine. 2 weeks after the workshop a group zoom will be conducted with student submitted work to discuss and review. Class is limited to 5 students.
Cost: $350 Includes three rolls of film, camera rental, film processing and scanning, breakfast and post workshop group zoom.
Take your photography to the next level with this Intensive & Transformational Shooting Experience in The Street Photography Capital of The World, NYC. Plus secure your seat at the International Photography Conference’s 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Delegates Dining Room at The United Nations where Francoise Kirkland will receiver a Lifetime Achievement Dedication in honor of the great Douglas Kirkland and IPC’s Environmental Photography Award to Benjamin Von Wong will be presented. Our class will have it’s own table-a great opportunity to rub elbows with great photographers and industry insiders (and a one hour guided tour of the UN too!)
Dates: May 13-17, 2024
Genre: Street & Urban Photography
Group Size: Max 8 participants
Skill Levels: All
Includes: Critiques & Lectures, 2 Group Dinners, United Nations Luncheon, MTA Pass for transport to the five boroughs, Museum Entrances, teaching materials, snacks and plenty of camera whispering along with a pre and post workshop zoom.
$2,500 Workshop Fee ($100 Deposit and final balance due May 5th)
Locations may include: Little Island, the West Village, East Village, SoHo, Chelsea Galleries, MOMA, Central Park, Governors Island, Coney Island, Times Square, High Line Park, Harlem, Fifth Avenue & 57 Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Little Italy, Ground Zero and the Lower East Side, Union Square, Washington Square Park, Queens and Brooklyn.
This is a mentorship workshop where Steve or David meets with each participant prior to the start for a one-on-one Zoom meeting assessment of your portfolio and a tech check to discuss gear and best ways to use it regardless of your system brand. We make tweaks to enhance your speed of response which might include back button autofocus, Auto ISO, Easy Exposure Compensation, frame rate and playback options along with other best practices all designed to simplify your process and build your muscle memory so the technical fades to the background and you increase you success rate.
photo by David Brommer
AN INTENSIVE & TRANSFORMATIONAL SHOOTING EXPERIENCE
This intensive workshop will help you find your own unique vision and street style through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the streets. But mostly you will be shooting the theatre that is the street; sometimes together, often on our own.
You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up. You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!
Though the schedule may seem packed, woven into the program is down time to relax, edit your work and percolate on the experience and what is being taught.
We encourage flexibility and independence among participants and will attempt to personalize your experience whenever possible. If you fall in love with an area and want to continue working there–you are encouraged to do so.
Limiting the participants to 10 allows us to tailor this workshop to meet the needs of each participant. Lectures and assignments will be personalized to get you out of your comfort zone and push you forward in your work.
We have curated this tour to alter between the spectacular indoor and outdoor iconic New York photo opportunities like The Whitney (currently the Biennial is on exhibit), Grand Central Station and The Oculus with the usual vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods New York is famous for. New Yorkers David Brommer & Steve Simon will take you to these and other hidden gems.
The Dinners: Gemma @ The Bowery Hotel and David’s Rooftop in Chelsea
Gemma is the iconic Italian restaurant on the ground floor of The Bowery Hotel. It’s a very special dinner location, a true New York City culinary experience. The stunning atmosphere; the delicious food and the quiet ambiance makes for a great epicurean evening of conversation.
“Gemma has an unlabored panache that makes an evening go down very easy”.
-THE NEW YORK TIMES
David’s wife Barbara Brommer is an accomplished chef and will delight you with special morsels to be appreciated while photographing a magnificent sunset 23 floors above the Chelsea neighborhood with stunning views of lower Manhattan, Empire State Building and the new skyscrapers of Hudson Yards.
Street Philosophies
Steve & David will help and encourage you to find your own unique vision through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the city. David will bring his years of experience and share his lessons to help you find and develop your photographic style. In classroom David will lead talks that dissect the anatomy of photographic style that will help students achieve a definable style they can call their own.
All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop. You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up.
You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people, overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!
photo by Steve Simon
Post Workshop Mentorship
After our workshop we have a post-workshop Zoom Class where we have our final lecture and critique of images not yet seen and Steve & David put together a narrative of your best work from the workshop. You also can schedule a final hour-long one-on-one Zoom session to talk about the final outcome of the workshop and areas to work on moving forward.
photo by David Brommer
Street Tech
We will talk urban-tech with Steve giving you his minimalist view on gear along with simplified shooting processes to maximizing your response time to capture decisive moments. This will be in our one on one session where we tailor the technical for the gear you use.
Steve’s street tools include Nikon mirrorless and DLSR cameras along with a carefully curated selection of lenses. He is also familiar with a wide range of equipment to help you maximize your mirrorless, compact, rangefinder, DSLR or even your camera phone for compelling urban images. David shoots Nikon and Fujifilm, but is also known for shooting analog and will have a few film cameras on hand for the curious. David is a famous “Camera Whisperer” and calls himself “PolyCamerous” from his years working for B&H Photo and the camera industry.
Though our focus is on vision more than gear, we will talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash, camera support and tripods and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically. Steve will go over his post-process workflow in Lightroom.
It’s a street and urban photography masterclass but the lessons learned will benefit you in all genres of image-making and help you to create a compelling New York City portfolio.
A natural inclination of photographers, when seeing an interesting subject or scene, is to take one shot and move on. In most cases there was a good photograph in there, but by casually investing in only one shot, the full potential is missed. When you find something interesting you stand a better chance of “scoring a banger”, (meaning making a great image), simply by taking a few more shots and zeroing in on what you saw in the first place. Even if the first shot ends up being the best, at least you got a few to choose from.
A country classic: a pie straight out of the oven cooling off on a pastoral window sill.
What at first sight would seem an easy-peasy composition, needs constant compositional adjustment. Below are the shots in sequence, shown raw out of an iPhone 13 Summer 2023.
I love the shot, but the red car just kills it for me. Way too intrusive, we need to crop it out.
I try to compose the car out, but then a garbage can enters the scene. No one ever said photography was easy. Keep working.
Car is out, but that garbage can is just annoyingly a tad bit in the view middle left.
How about we just fix it in post? Quickly cloned out now but… I feel dirty solving the problem in post rather than in view finder in the moment. Do you feel dirty using cloning tools and generative fill? Tell the truth now.
This the final image. I was bouncing around the kitchen to make sure the background was not distracting and retained a sense of place. I miss the fields, but at least have a slice of them. Now how about a slice of that pie?
“You are responsible for every centimeter of your view finder”
There are a few lessons here, but two stand out. First: watch out for the background. Second, and really equally important as the previous: keep working the scene & subject. Put more effort into making the image and you will be rewarded with better photographs.
This is my final edit on the image. I decided to stay in my style of dominant black and white and ran the file through the raw convertor in photoshop.
The focus is on the streets, and street photography to be precise. I’m very excited to announce the first series of photo walks and workshops in partnership with two of my favorite photography educators, Steve Simon, the Passionate Photographer, and Art of Intuitive Photography’s Mindy Véissid. Before I share with you these exciting opportunities to delve deep into our shared love of photography allow me to tell you why I’m super excited to partner with them.
Steve Simon is a brilliant photographer and educator on many levels. Throughout my tenure at B&H Photo, it’s always been a pleasure to platform Steve as he shared his knowledge in a friendly, responsible and ethical manner. Steve’s background is in journalism and his moniker of being the “Passionate Photographer” is a perfect description of his work. Now focusing mainly on the genre of street and urban photography, Steve’s take is to examine the sense of place along with a humanism often lacking in the genre. Steve blends technology with a keen eye and is a master of teaching the technical while being grounded. I have always had a deep respect for Steve, and to work side by side with him, and a group of students, will be a sublime way to explore two of my favorite cities, Milan and NYC.
Winter New York City Weekend Mentorship Workshop
Let’s start with the NYC three-day workshop which will be an intensive and transformational shooting experience in a wintery NYC. This intimate 3-day weekend masterclass, limited to just 6 students, (as of the writing of this post, only four spots are left open), is designed to engage in both the learning experience and your ability to create a unique and powerful portfolio of imagery from New York. It’s going to be a blast, as Steve and I are connoisseurs of this city, inside and out. While Steve will be focused on sharing his techniques to maximize street photography, I’ll be helping you imbue the work with a style all of your own.
Street and Urban Photography Workshop in Milan, Italy
For the past 21 years Italy and I have had a special relationship. I met my wife Barbara in the B&H Super Store (counter #6) 24 years ago while she was visiting NYC and thus began a love affair with her, and her native country, Italy. I was privileged to study Italian language in Milan for three months and return to the bustling city several times a year since.
Milan is like no other city, and when Steve invited me to teach alongside him I jumped at the chance. To say Milan is photogenic is an understatement! This 5 day intensive Street and Urban photography class, with a side trip to Lake Como, will advance you to the next level. In addition to Steve and I, we will be joined by Ugo Cei, a local travel photographer. I can’t wait to share with you what I know (and love) about Milan, as we explore the neighborhoods, food, and culture of the business and fashion capital of the world.
Both of these workshops include a pre workshop zoom meeting. They are shaping up to be memorable, and most of all, will represent a unique chance to add images to your portfolios and socials that will be treasured and admired.
While both of the above workshops are certainly of an advanced nature, I have vowed to help all levels of photographers. So if multi day/instructor workshops are a little too heavy for you, let’s do Photo Walk Abouts in my native NYC with the Art of Intuitive Photography School that are a fun filled 3 hour stroll.
Winter Walk About in Washington Square Park
12 years ago, an intrepid New Yorker by the name of Mindy Veisid, was a student of mine at the B&H Event Space. She was destined for great things as she launched her own photo school based upon a concept she pioneered called, “Intuitive Photography”. This method espouses an openness to creating images based upon emotions of the self and place. Since that humble start, Mindy has taught hundreds of classes to beginning and experienced photographers. This summer Mindy invited me to teach at her school and I’m excited to be an associate instructor. We are offering two 3 hour programs photographing in my favorite place in NYC, the iconic Washington Square Park! This will be just the beginning of AOIP collaborations and with a modest investment in time and money, you can jump start your photography by joining these “photo walk abouts”.
Learn more here (and check out AOIP’s other offerings):
There you have it, three amazing ways to increase you photo skills, make great photographs, get a handle on your gear, and visit some amazing locations. All skill levels, all budgets. Make sure you have signed up for the newsletter, as I’ll be adding more events in the coming weeks.
One final word, I am honored to be partnering with these two photographer instructors. Having worked with them for well over a decade, I trust and admire them deeply. Being a big fan of the adage “together we stand divided we fall”, I believe learning all together empowers our imaginations, deepens our knowledge, and enhances our experiences.
Feel free to email me any questions, these workshops are limited to 8 students and will fill up quickly. Ill see you on the streets! Let’s go!
Finding Photographic Style and Composition in NYC is a four day intensive workshop to develop your style and advance your composition skills with classroom sessions, assignments, museum and gallery visits, critiques, and guided photo walks in some of NYC’s iconic neighborhoods led by David Brommer. Photographers who are looking to perfect their skills and spend every waking moment in the city that never sleeps will be taking advantage of high level instruction and techniques with an emphasis on creating a body of work that will feature their own voice. Being exposed to new visual concepts and photographs from a series of visits to selected Chelsea galleries and two iconic photo collections at ICP and MoMA, students will ultimately build a solid portfolio of images.
Classroom sessions: In this part of the program, David Brommer will deliver his two signature lectures “Finding Photographic Style” and “Composition Beyond the Rule of Thirds” to give you the right tools to create a series of compelling images during your time in NYC. The classroom will serve as a home base, providing an environment for post processing and critique sessions, as well as working as an arena to discuss ideas and evaluate progress. The classroom sessions will be held at the photo department of New York Film Academy , a brand new facility in Battery Park with state of the art classrooms with views of the Statue of Liberty and the port of NYC.
Photo Walks: The photo walks will explore iconic neighborhoods and landmarks including The Brooklyn Bridge, Lower Manhattan, Central Park, The West Village, Times Square and Grand Central Station. A live model will be available for one selected location photo shoot that will also feature a mini lighting workshop.
Gallery Visits: The neighborhood of Chelsea, with its more than 300 galleries, has the highest concentration of visual art per square foot on the entire planet. This experience will be a unique opportunity to visit key institutions and enjoy short gallery talks. The itinerary will include Steven Kasher Gallery, Robert Mann Gallery, Bruce Silverstein Gallery and Clamp Art.
Final Party: The grand finale of the workshop will be the “Black & White” dinner, a party hosted by David Brommer and his wife Barbara. During the party the students will showcase their work and enjoy a “Black & White” menu of photography inspired gourmet dishes created by Barbara, (a chef and Bauhaus schooled artist).
Notes: This is an intensive workshop with lots of walking. It is not a basic class, it is intended for intermediate and advanced photographers. Class is strictly limited to 12 students. Be prepared to work hard, create dynamic photographs and grow as an artist.
Fee: The fee for the workshop is $699.00. Workshop is limited to a maximum of 12 students. The fee includes admission to ICP and MoMA and the final party.
Meals are not included, however we will be enjoying the vibrant NYC food scene.
Payments: A $200 dollar deposit is required to hold your reservation. The final balance is due March 31st. Students paying in full by March 1st receive a $50 discount for the workshop (for this option, please use the Early Bird Enrollment button to pay).
Chose your payment option from one of the three below:
Workshop Cancelled. Subscribe to this blog to find out when more will be offered.
The Workshop Reservation Deposit ($200.00) is NOT refundable. If you cancel before April 15th you will obtain the fee refund minus the deposit amount (i.e. Workshop cancellations are subject to a $200.00 fee).
If you wish to pay by check please email me directly for instructions and payment information.
Any students who wish to bring a Fujifilm X System camera will receive special love. However, any digital camera or iphone is recommended. While the Suspect does love film, it will be hard to add film to the critique sessions and receive instant feedback.
Any questions please feel free to email or ask in the comment field. Thank you and see you NYC soon.
Things, tokens, neat items, nick knacks, jewelry, ephemera, and other personal treasures or just plain stuff can make a great project with an interesting narrative. Follow your instincts on the selection of items, but make sure a strand of relativity is connecting to each object. Choose a background to photograph the subjects which can be something as simple as a colored seamless background, fabrics, a table or a wall. Use you have access too, even shooting straight down to objects laying on a soft bed of fresh cut grass might be interesting. What ever you choose as your background, make sure you use it for the whole series. Now photograph the items by utilizing a “still life genre” technique. Feel free to be explorative by adding other elements such as flower petals, rocks, wood, toothpicks, or anything that “works” with the subjects.
In my series Casa Toscana, I began by documenting the rooms of our home in Italy. I was enthralled by the light pouring into the rooms at different times of day and got very inspired to capture the nuances of the Casa Toscana. I would photograph the larger objects that were integral to the rooms, such as the vintage refrigerator or furniture. Looking closer I began to inspect drawers and boxes and set up a still life station to photograph these “house treasures” on.
They included a vintage telephone, an old book, a toy. In contrast to the intricate environment of the home, I took these objects and placed them on white poster board and photographed them in indirect available light. I began by taping the poster board to the edge of the table top along a wall, and then taping the top of the board to an outside wall in indirect light. I easily created a “seamless” white background. The objects sit in a neutral white space that was clean and neat. Each object had an unspoken story that it was able to communicate, and also served to break up the projects direction that was a study in rooms, compositions, and light.
When I returned with this work to NYC I had the film developed and scanned. I’m not too thrilled with the scans, but I was able to create a stunning blurb book on the project. The overall idea really turned into something much more than I had planned for. I gave a copy of the book to a few members of Barbara’s family and it brought some to tears to eyes of a special few. That’s how you know you did a good job, when you make the client cry. Please take a look at my Blurb Book Store to view the book and yes, it is available for purchase. I have a full preview of the book set up, so you can check out the whole story and all the images. The book is 111 pages!
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start shooting objects… and put it in a project.
~David
All images shot with a Hassy and the 80mm f2.8 or the 50 f4.0. Film was Fujifilm 160NS and scanned at time of development. One note I have to make, I was never happy with the scans and I got lazy and had the lab do them. Normally I would bust out the Epson V750 and do it myself. I learned a lesson, the more you have your hands on it, the better the final result will be.
When it comes to charming neighborhoods, New York City’s West Village is second to none. From turn of the century carriage houses to ornate brownstones and winding little streets the West Village has a romance all its own. This photo walk will culminate in the “secret garden” which will be in full bloom and offer exquisite photographic opportunities.
Hidden gardens found and photographed.
David will share his secrets to photographing great compositions and teach you to spot the elements that will help you capture this colorful and eclectic New York neighborhood. An emphasis on choosing repetitive elements to seek out and photograph will be encouraged to reinforce a project based thought process. This photo walk will set a great foundation for capturing, “Sense of place” and introduce you to the full potential of your camera.
Barrow Street
This Photo Walk will begin at a local Village café where David (and a few cappuccinos later) will show you how to properly set your camera’s functions to maximize this type of “street shooting”. You will also be given a “shoot list” to help you navigate and keep your vision sharp. DSLR’s, Digital Point and Shoots with override settings, and Mirrorless cameras are all welcome. Take this opportunity to learn your camera better, as David will be able to show you how to get the most out of the complex menu settings of a modern digital camera.
The lessons you will learn will be invaluable next time you are on vacation and roam about with your camera.
This West Village Photo Walk is limited to 10 attendees and runs from 9 am to noon. You are welcome to arrive at 8:30 am with a small portfolio (print or tablet is fine) to get some feedback on your photography.
This photo walk is rain or shine, and costs $79. per person. Please use the pay pal button to process the payment. Suspect Photography Workshops will gladly refund your payment in full if you cancel 3 days or more before the photo walk. Canceling two days before the day of the photo walk will earn you a workshop credit for future workshops.
Studies in Light and Composition
Entrance to the secret garden
Village Characters
Any questions please feel free to contact David Brommer. David has taught numerous photo walks and attendees always walk away with some great images, new photographic ideas and most of all, fun.
Remember, the limit is ten attendees and this walk is going to sell out so jump in now and reserve your spot.
Suspect Photography 