Local Art Residency - Scot Surbeck

LC: Tell us a bit with respect to this exhibition as compared to the previous exhibits from back in March 2019 and September 2020.

The current exhibition has a somewhat similar layout as the 2019 show (below)

But it is quite different from the 2020 show (below).

Current show (below)

SS: The current exhibit has a good balance between the photos and the surrounding space. The photos are complicated and dense and therefore invite contemplation. The spacing allows viewing without distraction from adjacent photos, yet keeps the photos close enough to be seen from a distance as a coherent group.

LC: I can’t help noticing that, and opinion only, the images seem more personal, more raw than previous…almost peeling back a layer of your subject and allowing us the viewer a closer connection to the the actual person. Does this thought seem accurate?

SS: There is a developing looseness and ambiguity in my work that I like. I don't have an emotional agenda when I shoot but I like to find images, through my camera, that interest me and others. Every viewer will interpret those images differently.

LC: There’s an image of a construction worker’s arm in the foreground of a kind of ubiquitous NYC construction area that is very powerful. I have to ask if you were aiming to capture that particular shot after assessing the scene or simply caught by lucky chance.

SS: I was looking through my view finder at the construction worker in the background when the worker in the foreground suddenly thrust his arm out. I took the picture.

LC: Of this collection, which image stands out most to you and why?

SS: They all make me happy, individually and as a group.

LC:. I’m already looking forward to your next collection. Anything planned that you can hint to?

SS: A year is a long time. I'm looking forward to it as well :)

See more of Scot’s work here: www.scotsurbeck.com

Local Art Residency - Todd Boressoff

LOCAL: I have to start out by saying how very grateful I am to have this particular work in the shop at this time. Our 5th anniversary as a business is on the horizon on 2.2.22 and having images of my beloved NYC in the shop is really fitting. 

The years associated with these images are 1968 - 1972 and one can’t help but make the connection to current day in that there’s quite a bit going on as a city and as a still relatively young country. Did you fully feel the gravity of the moment as these images were captured?

TODD: For the majority of these photos I was simply trying to stay alert for something interesting – an expression, a design in the frame, a juxtaposition of details, etc – and to shoot spontaneously. However, for three I was very aware of the gravity of the moment. With the photo of the cop shooting I was intensely aware of him, though in the moment I never saw the innocent boy with the Impeach Nixon sign. The tickertape parade was of the returning Apollo 11 astronauts (the three waving at the bottom of the photo). I climbed up the facade of Grand Central to get the angle. The third was of the 1969 Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.

LOCAL: We haven’t had vintage prints in the shop before. These images were captured and developed by you. I’ve worked in a dark room before and can say that the photographs take on a greater meaning when the photographer essentially takes care of the image from conception to birth. How do you feel about that invested development process vs. todays rather ubiquitous photography process?

TODD: I am ambivalent. Anti: I hate the proliferation of self-promoting selfies. I also regret that photojournalism suffers with news outlets slashing photo budgets in favor of photographs sent by the public.  Pro: The digital world enables me to take more risks, to better examine a subject from multiple perspectives. And digital photo development is a godsend. Lightroom and Photoshop enable me to work in color more effectively than chemical processes. I still take care of the photograph from conception till birth. I spend as much thought photographing and as much time “developing” as I did fifty years ago. The digital world lets me take online courses at the International Center for Photography with “classmates” from all over the world. We can screen-share our work and get feedback instantly, not just from the teacher but from everyone. Also, I can share work on Instagram, again with photographers worldwide. If you are interested, search on Instagram for todd_boressoff.

LOCAL: I appreciate that these photographs are not for sale demonstrating the value to you as the photographer and to some degree, historian. In this world where commerce is king and queen and nearly everything is for sale, how do you reconcile the artistic value vs. making some dollars? 

TODD: To concentrate on becoming a professional photographer, in 1970 I took a half-day position as an assistant teacher at a preschool in Park Slope. I learned two things. I hated the job of becoming a photo professional – taking pictures that others wanted, promoting myself, spending more time on selling than on taking and making photographs. I also learned that I loved early childhood education, which led to a forty year career in roles from assistant teacher to many years as a teacher, director, advocate, and policymaker on the local, state and national level. But I never stopped loving photography.

LOCAL: One of my favorite images is the mirrored reflection of the record store. So much going on inside the shop and there’s the one woman who paused to look up and you captured it! I can draw so many parallels to philosophy and the importance of taking a moment to stop and look up and around. Did you know how incredible this photo was in the moment you developed it?

TODD: Not when I took it, but yes, when I developed it I liked it a lot. But it has continued to grow on me. Those are real records, LPs. You could thumb through them to your hearts content and chat with the folks around you. I miss that.

LOCAL: NYC has gone through quite a bit in the 50 years since these images were captured. How do you use your craft to make a bit of sense of how things have changed but in many ways, stayed the same? 

TODD: I don’t. I don’t really use photographs to try to make sense of things. Just to capture for myself, and hopefully others, what I’ve seen.

LOCAL: Of these photos, which has the greatest meaning to you and why?

TODD: Sadly, I can no more answer this than I can which classical composer or which tenor saxophonist has the greatest meaning for me. Or even which piece by Beethoven or which solo by John Coltrane. In a way the photographs are like my children. How could I choose? But I can choose which has the most meaning for me at this moment. It is the little boy looking out the back window of that car. I identify with him these days, spending so much time trapped inside.

LOCAL: Anything else you would like to share about this powerful exhibit?

TODD: Just to thank Robert and Adele for again presenting my work on that beautiful, well-lit magnetic wall (with none of the expense and work of framing).

LOCAL: What’s your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

TODD: This is well known to everyone at Local Coffee: a small 2% latte.

Local Art Residency: Q+A with Street Photographer Scot Surbeck

Scot, it's fun to think that this is your second exhibition at Local. You're still taking photos and we're still serving the community. How has your passion for your art evolved since we first displayed your work back in early 2019?

My passion is constant. It’s been there from the first time I pressed a camera shutter, many years ago. What is evolving is my emotional growth. Also the ability to see something photographable, compose the picture, and click the shutter, usually within 1 to 2 seconds.

It's challenging to have this Q+A without mentioning the current state of affairs in the world. As the person behind the lens capturing this environment as it unfolds, what significant trends are you able to highlight?

New York City is recovering, as I discuss in my artists statement. What’s trending is the awareness that this pandemic can be defeated only when we, and our governments, study history and respect science.

This past question leads us to the current state of our beloved NYC. At 50 years old myself, I've lived through quite a bit in the city and always felt that some mix of pure grit and spiritual vibes would enable the greatest city in the world to persist through difficult times. Please share your POV on how NYC will continue to persevere through challenging times as you review thousands of images over the past 5 years.

New York City has always been a potent and unique mixture of enlightenment, brilliance, awareness, toleration, humor and strength. I go to the city, day after day, to be recharged by that energy. Taking street photos is a wonderful plus. My photos confirm what I already know. New York City has an indomitable time tested spirit. It will defeat the pandemic and beat back the foes of democracy, and in the process solidify it’s position as a beacon of civilization for the world.

You mentioned in our last Q+A the desire to 'get better' (sic) at Street Photography. Would you be able to compare more recent photos to your initial from a technical perspective?

In my previous show, I used 26 large format pictures,  (20) - 13"x19' and  (6) - 20"x30". Set in two grids, they were easily seen from a distance. 

In this show I've used 108 pictures, all 5"x7", set in one grid. Though the overall grid of pictures has a strong visual presence, you have to get close to see the details. There is also a much stronger sequencing effect here, with paired photos selected for their shared emotions, actions, colors, shapes, etc. This technique, along with the smaller photo size, creates a slower and more intimate viewing experience than the large format pictures. It is a presentation technique I will continue to explore.

A client asked me yesterday, how does the photographer capture these images without intruding on or modifying the moment? From a purely technical perspective, what insight(s) or recommendations on Street Photography can you share for our fellow Photophiles out there?

You have to learn how to blend into the scene, to move in a way that doesn’t draw attention to yourself. It’s very difficult to do. It’s takes years to learn and master.

Mindful of current environment, Scot was thoughtful to recreate the exhibition here for online viewing

Local Art Residency: Interview with Professional Photographer Donna Dotan

I’m so grateful for being able to share your work here at Local. It’s like nothing we’ve been lucky enough to display.

What were your thoughts in deciding to post in these confusing times? 

First of all, I am so grateful for the opportunity to post this series at my favorite coffee shop! So thank you! I think now is actually a great time to have this work on display. Life is going at a slower pace for many people, so I think art will be more appreciated now than when you're trying to get your coffee as fast as possible to catch the train! 

You are by far one of the nicest people I have met since moving here to Montclair. Where does that come from? 

I'm always nice to the person giving me caffeine and baked goods!

In our conversation, I was reminded how important it is to continue to support the arts. Musicians, actors, painters, illustrators, photographers...all still need to express themselves through their craft and encourage us to challenge what we know and believe. How have you used this time to continue your artistic journey? 

I wasn't working at all during the first few months of quarantine, which was a very drastic change for me because I went from shooting 3 times a week and running a creative agency with my husband and business partner, Brian, to being a full time momma of my two boys - Liam who is 5 and Jesse who is 19 months. 

In retrospect, I think stepping away from work as an artist is incredibly valuable. It allows you to step back, recalibrate and come back with a fresh perspective and renewed energy. I recently went back to shooting and it was amazing how differently it felt to absorb the space and create compositions that I might not have considered before. I hope all artists can use this time to look at their passion from an internal view, and then activate your work based on what you see.

Tell us specifically about this exhibit. What prompted the approach? Given its POV, what challenges were there in capturing this landscape?

This series is called Reflections from Above because the shots are all taken from the tops of glass skyscrapers in Manhattan. I "found" one of these reflections while on a shoot with Brian and from then on we were on a hunt to find more mind blowing reflections! 

In order to achieve the symmetry we wanted, the camera had to be pointed straight down and the shot had to be taken hand-held (without a tripod). This required wrapping the camera strap several times around the wrist, setting a manual focus on the view, and then holding our breath so the camera wouldn't shake! We did all of these at the "golden hour", which is about 15 minutes after sunset, and we only have about a 10-minute window to capture the perfect light and color saturation. We hope to continue to find more of these views and keep the series going, which currently has about 10 images. 

I like to think each new pass at something provides some level of learning or perhaps even personal growth. What did you learn in capturing these images?

We started doing this series at a time when all of our work was commissioned. This series reminds us that some of the best times we have as artists are the times when we are shooting for fun! 

I also think these images say a lot about who I am as an artist. I absolutely LOVE color, and I love enhancing color in photoshop. I love shooting at twilight. I love the rush of shooting from the rooftop of a 90 story glass tower. And I love being the only judge of my work. 

Brian says "It gave me a new perspective on New York City. Most of the time I'm walking around and I'm looking up, but rarely would I take the time to find a new way to see my everyday surroundings. This made me remember what I love about New York City, that it is constantly changing, evolving, renewing, and pushing the boundaries of what is fresh and exciting. 

I look at these photos and can’t help but think about jumping from some spectacular height (hopefully sticking the James Bond landing). What do you think now after seeing them up?

I think I want them to be BIGGER! I had one client print one on plexiglass at 45"x65" and it looked spectacular. 

What projects are you working on moving forward? 

I'm shooting a lot of new developments right now as well as luxury real estate. As far as personal projects, I have plans to capture people in their homes during the Covid-19 era. If anyone's interested in having me capture them and their families at home, they can e-mail me at donna@donnadotan.com. 

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Brian drinks iced coffee all year round! I recently gave up caffeine unfortunately (but I promise to still be nice!) 

Learn more about Donna and her beautiful view of our world here