“So it makes sense that stuff is all done with a text.”Īnd the sex? “There’s a lot of sex on the street in texting, but I wasn’t looking for that specifically. “Back in the 80s you saw more street-corner drug dealing,” he says. While New Yorkers might be more guarded around street photographers, Mermelstein’s ability to peer at their phone screens has enabled him to reveal a side to the city – such as the drug and sex trades – that’s no longer on public view. Those two ingredients contribute to the challenge.” “After that, 9/11 happened, and then there was heightened awareness and worry about security and imagery in public. Many blamed the paparazzi for the car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales. Why? “I think a transition point might have occurred with the death of Lady Di,” he says. View image in fullscreen ‘Don’t fall for the cantaloupe!!’ … an image from #nyc. In any case, Mermelstein says it is “extraordinarily difficult to make a street photograph that’s memorable”. Even his wife, who helped edit this book, can’t work out how he photographed some of them. He’s coy when it comes to explaining his precise technique, though he does reveal that these images were among the most challenging he has ever taken. ![]() None of the images were shot on the subway: “I need more air to breathe as a picture maker,” he says. In pretty much every case, he did not ask permission to shoot a subject’s screen, and he’s taken care to ensure any identifying information is obscured. “Some of the most bombastic ones, the ones where I had to sit down, were from a person that looked ‘normal’,” says the photographer. He says he could never accurately judge which passerby might be sending a noteworthy message via their handset. “Maybe it was secret code communication, but it is so spontaneous, and its real, it’s fascinating.” “That one befuddles me,” Mermelstein says. There are botched drug deals, break-ups, hook-ups, cancer scares, at least one unwanted pregnancy, a quote from Marcus Aurelius, and an offer of a cantaloupe melon as a “consolation prize”. Entitled #nyc after the hashtag Mermelstein added to many of the images when posting them on Instagram, this 160-page photobook is a bumpy ride through contemporary New York society. The results of that three-year percolation have just been published. ![]() And then it really started to percolate.” ![]() She wanted to give it to the other person, but they had already eaten swordfish, but she was going to take it anyway. “I took a picture and it was an intriguing and flat-out funny exchange about her having an extra piece of fish. “Shortly afterwards I was near a Whole Foods, and I saw someone else on her phone,” he recalls. Nevertheless, he sensed he was on to something. View image in fullscreen Chit-chat … an image from #nyc.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |