A Conversation with Jive ~ NYC street and documentary photographer
Introduce yourself, where you’re from/located and what type of photography you primarily shoot.
Everyone calls me Jive for the most part. I’ve had this nickname since I was maybe 8 or 9. I’m from Brooklyn NY, and my forte is in street/documentary photography.
How did you get into your chosen medium? Do you remember the catalyst that influenced your decision to begin your journey?
Growing up, I had a lot of friends who did Graffiti, and while I was never a great writer, I would tag along with them with a little plastic camera and always take photos of our “missions.” This habit slowly turned into me carrying that little plastic camera everywhere with me, and taking photos of other things I found interesting or that caught my eye.
Do you have any photographers or artists who have influenced your creative style when composing your photos? Anyone in particular who inspires you to create?
A few. I think Gordon Parks and Joseph Rodriguez were the type of photographers I looked up to because the emotion and rawness of their images just slapped you in the face. Boogie, and the legendary Vivian Maier. I’m lucky to have some of my friends be my biggest influences. Steve Sweatpants, Jeremy Paige, Pie Aerts, Gabe Rivera, Jack McKain.
What is the camera (and film stock if applicable) that you're currently using while out taking photographs? Can you share what drew you to this setup?
Currently I’m married to my (Leica) M6 and my little Fuji X100V. When it’s not too cumbersome I’ll trek around with the Mamiya RZ67, and an occasional stroll with a Hasselblad XPan. To be honest, I’m not a fan of Kodak’s new price gouging on their film stock, so I’ve been shooting nothing but Cinestill lately.
Can you share some insight into your creative process when looking for a composition or framing your photo?
I think how the scene/image makes you feel is just as important as how it looks. I try to capture little scenes of serenity in the city, sometimes sadness, sometimes monotony. I think most of us have looked at a photo and felt an emotion related to it, and those are the types of images that stick with us.
I want to be authentic to whatever it is I’m capturing. I don’t want to reduce it to some pretty colors.
How do you strike a balance between being proactive in seeking out interesting moments, and being receptive to capturing moments that unfold naturally?
I just follow my gut and how I’m feeling that day. Sometimes I want to walk around and let the universe steer things into my path. And sometimes a spot or an area is just calling to me, and I’ll park myself on a corner or a bench, or hide away somewhere inconspicuous and wait and watch. Probably 80% of my time is spent just observing. Always observing. I’ve always been a people-watcher my mother tells me.
Are there any distinct characteristics or elements that you aim to capture in your street photography that are unique to NYC?
New York is special because we have the entire world at our fingertips here. There are people from all walks of life, from different cultures, from different niche subcultures that exist in urban cities, and they are all special and unique and interesting. New York can seem like the happiest place on earth, under a blue sky, greenery, and people relaxing outside; but there is also a blanket of sadness and exhaustion sitting just below that. It’s a hard city to live in, but we find time to appreciate it anyway. I think both of those elements should be documented and photographed. The city is changing a lot. And documenting that change is just as important. Post-Covid NYC feels different to almost all of us.
Can you share any memorable experiences or encounters that you've had while practicing street photography?
I remember a few years ago a huge blanket of fog covered the city. It was a long day, my friends and I had just wrapped up shooting some coverage for an all-day event. I can’t quite remember what that was, but we sat on Steve Sweatpants couch around 11PM, and noticed the fog rolling in. With the quickness, we all grabbed our cameras and took and UberXL into the city and proceeded to shoot and empty, fog-filled, drizzle ridden NYC into the morning. It felt like the city was ours. I’ll never forget that night.
In your opinion, what makes a great photograph, and how do you strive to achieve this in your own work?
I have no idea lol. Some images are just powerful. Sometimes the most simple images are powerful. Sometimes black and white images speak to me more than any color photo could. Sometimes a color photo is so beautiful I can’t take my eyes off of it. I have no clue what it is about these images that captures my mind and eye. I think artists have a certain way of injecting their sheer will into their art, and the same goes for photography. Sometimes scenes move you so much that the energy you felt and put into that photo constantly radiates out of it. I very much lead with my intuition. I was never trained in photography, I never went to school for it. But I spent my entire life looking at images and trying to take something away from them.
Do you have anything creative you’re working on or excited about for the future?
I recently took a trip to the Balkans. I traveled around Croatia, Bosnia, and Italy. My family is from this area and it’s probably been over 15 years since I’ve visited these places. A younger me never understood the importance of the places that raised my parents and my ancestors, but I’m a different person than I was 15 years ago. I’m currently working on putting together a book of the images I took on this trip. It was very emotional for me and I truly believe this is some of my best work.
Any final comments?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s difficult to be an artist. It’s hard work, it’s a lot of tear-filled nights. It’s pure stress sometimes. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Somewhere along the way of life we lose that creativity and that imagination we so easily possessed as a child. Obviously school, jobs, and life inundates us, and we focus our attention on other things. I think one of the hardest things to do is to push aside these things that weigh so heavy on us, and choose to be creative and expressive.
And I just want to reiterate, to anybody making it this far in this interview… don’t ever let impostor syndrome win. You’re where you are because you got yourself there. Life is hard, might as well leave some beautiful things behind to show the world you existed.
