women photographers

Street Stories from Padua and New York

July 4, 2017 by Casey Meshbesher

Francesca Magnani’s street diptychs build a photographic bridge across the two cities she calls home

This series spans the course of 20 years, during which I have walked and portrayed the streets of New York, yet always a part of me still is in my hometown of Padua in Italy. I have called my project Duplicittà (duplicity.) I‘ve had Padua in the back of my mind when I was in New York, and vice-versa, as if one could change a rearview mirror and set it to the other place.

I’ve always lived alone, so I was the only “witness” of myself here or there, and I wanted to express that. As an Italian woman, moving to New York educates you to get used to a new beauty. For a street photographer, the street is already a form of stage, but I also look at real performances — dancers, acrobats, and the religious devotees of Saint Anthony of Padua, who walk through the village each year on June 13th.

In a few pairings, you see Piazza della Frutta with Union Square — the only New York location that, with its Upstate Farmer’s Market, and as a gathering place of many friends, has always reminded me of an Italian piazza. Padua and New York become a polarity of two physical places, but also two states of mind, and two moods.

This way of pairing has no strict rule, but pairs are dictated by the emotion that sparkles when two contexts are put side by side — because of a color, or because of the subject matter, other times it’s just an unmistakeable feeling — and which introduces the pleasure of a deeper form of knowledge, that immediately overwhelms the clarity and the nature of a single shot. The pictures communicate with each other, and there is the mind/eye conversation within the viewer. Each image is a complete story, but also a seed for a new story, a double sided one.

Since I moved to New York in 1997, I tell with words and images what moves me and what makes me move. With this way of seeing and photographing, and because I‘ve been teaching Italian in New York for years, while also writing for Italian magazines, I’ve always kept an ideal bridge of thoughts and feelings with Italy. Probably I miss everything about my country, from food to relationships with people, from book covers to hearing my language on the street. But whatever I might internally miss, I express it and keep it alive in my images. No matter where I am, my way of seeing allows me to find similarities and developing affinities for other things that I have at hand where I happen to be.

This way, the click of the camera works as a constant reminder of mindfulness — “Wherever you go, there you are.”

Francesca Magnani | Website| Instagram|

European Vacation

June 28, 2017 by Casey Meshbesher

#SheSpotsSeniors speaks to Maria Moldes about her keen eye for vacationing seniors in Spain, By Lisa Guerriero

Please tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in photography.

I studied psychology at university. Until then, photography was just a hobby for me. They were pictures I took on my travels.

Four years ago, I received a grant to study photography for one year. This is when I started to develop my different projects, and from that moment, photography took all of my time. I started sharing my work on Instagram and then had my first few exhibitions. Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue doing this for many years to come.

Quite a bit of your work includes older people. What attracts you to them?

Senior citizens seem to like me, and I have empathy for them. The population is getting older and we now have a longer life expectancy, but that isn’t reflected in the media. They continue to show young people as the only protagonists. It seems that older people are invisible to society, and that truly bothers me.

My photographs reflect the community in which I live. Spain has one of the oldest populations in the world, and this is apparent in the streets.

What inspired you to begin photographing people on the beach?

I have always felt that the beach is a place where people forget about their problems and nothing bad can happen. I’m attracted to all the bright colors, and to these people that seem to be happy and uninhibited. This combination creates absurd, funny and even surreal situations.

Do you find it difficult to take candid photos?

No, I’m very comfortable doing it, and really enjoy capturing these moments with my phone. I feel that the scenes are of reality, but I can project my point of view on them, through my pictures.

What are you trying to say to your audience?

I use photography as a way of expressing myself, and the story behind all my photographs are the same. It’s the way I see the society in which I live, and in some cases, how I would like it to be.

We live in a time that lacks glamour, and I use my imagination through my photography to reconcile myself with this reality.

Are you continuing your beach series or are you exploring different areas of the town?

I’m going to continue to revisit the beach but, I’d also like to explore the city. At this point, I’m definitely open to taking photographs anywhere there are interesting people.

Maria Moldes | Website | Instagram |

Guest interviewer: Lisa Guerriero

New York Streets from A to Zi

June 18, 2017 by Casey Meshbesher

Street views from Daina-zi, interviewed by Jennifer Tonetti Spellman

How long have you been shooting street?

I don’t really know. I did some in my late twenties, but then moved to NY wine country upstate. And living on a farm, street photography was not an option. Eventually we moved back closer to the city. I got back into street photography when I got my first digital camera about 10 years ago.

What camera do you shoot street with? Digital camera/film etc.

I shot with a Sony A 6000, but my son gave me, as a Mother’s Day gift last month, a Sony A7II. I have wanted a digital full frame camera for years, however, it was out of my price range, so I am thrilled to have it now. When I was young and shot film, I had a Leica M4 which was my favorite camera. But now I am happy with digital, and film is simply too expensive for me. I also do not want to deal with processing my own film anymore. I no longer have the patience, energy or time for that.

Why do you shoot street?

People interest me more than anything else. And the unpredictability of street photography is also an important component for me. When one shoots pre-arranged situations or static ones, the experience is relatively predictable. One has time to pick and choose. But, when one has to react quickly, as in shooting the constantly changing street conditions, then one’s subconscious comes into play, and street photography becomes a form of self-discovery. One reacts without much forethought, and what one captures may be telling and surprising. As you can see, self-discovery is something that interests me.

Some choose to shoot more predictable situations by choosing mostly similar subjects, even in street photography. And there certainly is an element of surprise within those parameters, but it is limited by seeking a style, situation or subject. It is a repetition of the familiar, and there is more predetermination in that than I would like. I grab whatever I am drawn to in the moment.

I think one of the most difficult things to know is oneself, and here I am almost 76, and still trying to figure myself out. The trouble is, one is constantly changing. So yes, I guess street photography is, for me, a way of understanding myself. It is other things as well of course. I love the challenge of it and the occasional synchronicity at what chance, or “fate,” places in my path.

How would you describe your style of street photography?

I don’t really have a style beyond the limitations of my awareness or what attracts me. There probably is a thread linking the images, but does it add up to a style? — I don’t know.

You were born in Latvia but grew up in Brooklyn and now reside upstate. Though you were in America most of your life, do you feel your culture at all influences your style?

I don’t think so. All my exposure to art and photography and literature is firmly rooted in America and the English language. The culture of Latvia, though very important when I was growing up, was mostly limited to folk songs and the language itself, which has a sensibility all its own as all languages do, but it was not linked to the arts such as painting, photography and literature. And Latvia itself did not seem quite real to me, since I don’t have any memories of it. It almost seemed like an invented place. The Latvian culture may have had a hand in shaping my perceptions and that in turn may have affected my work, but I have no way figuring out in what way.

Are you more of a mover (constantly walking/chasing etc.) or a waiter (seeing backgrounds and waiting for the “right” person to walk into frame)?

Mover most definitely, however age is forcing me to become a waiter. I walk, walk and then have to find a place to sit.

Do you speak to people on the street or is most of your work done with the subjects unaware?

New Yorkers tend to talk to each other — I love New York for that. But I like to capture the subject unaware, and very rarely process a photo where the person has posed for me when they became aware of my camera. I often get into conversations, but rarely use the photos that may result.

What helps you decide B+W versus color, and is that something that when you shoot you know which route you will take? Or does the decision happen in post processing?

It is always in processing. Since I try not to preconceive what I am photographing, I do not know what I have until I bring it up on the computer. Often, on the train home, I go through the photos on the screen of the camera, but am often wrong in my appraisal of what I have shot until I see the photo enlarged on the computer.

Favorite part of NYC to shoot in?

Midtown for sure. When young, I worked and lived Midtown, so I feel most at home there. Besides, now I need places to sit down and Midtown is the most accommodating.

Do you think you are at an advantage as a 75 year old female shooting street? (i.e. less threatening on the street?)

Yes, and no. Being the little white haired, non-threatening old lady certainly has its advantages, but at times it works the other way, and someone who might object to having their photo taken has no qualms in confronting you.

I know as photographers, all our images are our “babies,” but do any particular images make you stand more proud when you think “I got it!” ?

Yes, the ones that surprise me most, or the ones that I think of as going beyond my usual. However, the photos that fall into those categories change all the time. How I perceive my own work is always changing.

If you didn’t/couldn’t shoot street what other genres of photography intrigue you?

That is something I need to figure out. It is getting more difficult for me to do street photography. I guess what I would gravitate to would be abstract images — compositions. I wanted to paint when young, and this would seem to be the natural choice, yet I can’t say I am happy about it.

Any influences, photographer-wise, whose work you are drawn to, be it street work or other?

The photographer I loved most when young was Andre Kertesz. I came to admire Ralph Gibson, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, William Eggleston, Richard Avedon and many more. There are many I follow on Instagram and Flickr whose work I admire. However, I often question the idea of influence, because even when one tries to do something similar to whomever one admires, the results are so very different, so does the influence really matter?

Any words of wisdom to your fellow women out there as they navigate the world of street?

The primarily male dominated photography world has become more accepting of women photographers. I have seen it evolve slowly over my 75 years. However, women street photographers are still included mostly as tokens in collectives, and what street photography is, or is not, is defined in large part by the male ethos. I wish for my fellow women street photographers to have the confidence in their vision, and to challenge the status quo so that eventually there is parity.

Daina-zi | Website | Instagram |

Guest interviewer: Jennifer Tonetti Spellman

A Senior in Transition

June 11, 2017 by Casey Meshbesher

Lisa Guerriero speaks to Julie Grace Immink about her personal photographic journey with her aging father, for #SheSpotsSeniors

Julie’s father, Joey “Dice,” at a local diner close to his new assisted living facility, in Los Angeles.

Please tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in photography.

I live in Los Angeles but I grew up on the Jersey Shore. Exploring the streets with my camera is how I began to connect to my surroundings. I bought my first film camera and began shooting when I was fourteen years old. Coming of age, I felt like an outsider but also wanted to belong. Photography gave me the ability to be part of something while also maintaining my autonomy.

For over ten years I shot film and hand printed all my work in a darkroom. As much as I loved the process I shoot mostly digital now with a Canon 60D.

Do you think being a woman affects your access to photographing strangers on the street?

Photographing strangers is my hidden talent, the stranger the better. Not sure if being a woman has anything to do with the ease of the process for me.

Princess Darla- A women who carried around a ventriloquist dummy on her lap everyday to make people smile. She lived in section 8/subsidized housing in downtown San Diego.

Showgirls — Women waiting at a bus stop in front of a strip club on Hollywood Blvd.

Quite a bit of your work includes senior citizens. What is it that draws you to photograph them?

My inspiration comes from anyone who is perceived to be on the outside of mainstream society. Sadly, seniors are often put into this category.

Squares — Square dancing couple at a hoedown in California.

Angie and Honey — She was my neighbor in Julie’s childhood home in New Jersey. Julie’s brother bought Angie the dog so she wouldn’t have to live alone.

Joey’s neighbor, Ted, in their New Jersey mobile home park.

Is there a different mindset between shooting on the street and photographing your dad and his neighbors?

When I am taking pictures the connections I make with people and spaces are equally as important to me as the photographs. If I am photographing on the streets, or in someones home the process is exactly the same. I aim to make connections and hope it translates well into a photograph.

Joey’s neighbor, Helen, watching her game shows in her NJ mobile home.

What inspired you to begin photographing your father and his neighbors?

After my parents divorce, my dad, Joey “Dice,” moved to a mobile home park in New Jersey. He lived there until last year, when he was hospitalized for mental health issues. It was then determined he could no longer live alone. We had to abruptly relocate him from the mobile home park where he lived for the past 25 years. He came to live with us in Los Angeles. I had a newborn baby, and my dad needed more medical attention then I was capable of giving. He needed assistance managing his insulin for diabetes, depression, etc. So, we found an assisted living facility down the street from us. He has adapted to his new environment and is doing well. I wanted these photographs to tell the story of aging and how community shapes our identity.

Joey’s New Jersey mobile home neighbors.

Did you find it difficult to photograph your father’s neighbors in their homes?

My camera gives me access into unknown worlds. The thrill of the connection to the people and their space motivates me to shoot. People fascinate me and I view it as a privilege to capture them in their natural environment. I do respect their need for privacy but I think that my subjects are honored to be noticed.

Joey’s new friend, Carrie, at a local diner near his assisted living residence in Los Angeles.

How do you compare your street photos to your ongoing “Transition” series?

On the streets I encounter seniors with various health issues every time I’m shooting. My feelings on how we handle aging and mental health in this country are present in both projects. My emotions just run deeper surrounding the photo series about my father.

My father will be relocating again within the next year to a new assisted living facility so, I’ll continue to document his adaptation to his new surroundings.