Photographers Squared - The Great American Shoot Out

New York photographers Mindy Veissid and RA Friedman believe that wherever you are, there is fascinating raw material to use to create eye-popping photographs. A study in contrasting ways of working and seeing, Veissid, whose camera of choice is a Canon DSLR with a 24mm-70mm zoom lens, and RA Friedman, who uses a medium format, 40-year-old, 80mm fixed focal length Hasselblad with black-and-white film, plan to illustrate this idea artfully while documenting and sharing their discoveries.

The camera work the two photographers do promises to result in a new and resonant body of images filled with pairings of colorful and richly textured black-and-white photos. Veissid and Friedman mutually agree on a subject and create contrasting renditions, showcasing how each has a unique approach and photographic eye.

Veissid and Friedman work with minimal camera equipment—one camera and one lens—without flash or tripod. They photograph intensely over five days, in five random locales. On these jaunts, they also do short slide shows of their work and Q&A presentations in high schools and local community groups. They aim to bring their unique photographic techniques, methodologies, and working philosophy directly to young photographers and creative enthusiasts, inspiring them to follow their own vision.

In this presentation, Veissid and Friedman show some of their work, talk about their project, and discuss their methods of approaching photography—Veissid, who shoots intuitively and, Friedman, about medium format photography. Fopr more information on their project, click here.

 

 

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Mindy Veissid is an award-winning fine art photographer and creator/teacher of the Art of Intuitive Photography. Her approach to photography is based on a feeling rather than thinking approach, in which she has learned to tap into her intuition to help guide her to a destination or subject. Teaching children, teens, and adults, Veissid teachees about how to trust oneself and how to open up and become aware of and follow our intuitive nudges. Veissid feels that in order to get a photograph that emits a story or an emotion, it must be recognized and seen for the beauty it contains. She ultimately prefers to experience photography rather than "do" photography.

Veissid has taught the Art of Intuitive Photography in institutions such as the New York Open Center in New York City, and the ViewFinder Center in Zurich, Switzerland. She has also presented at the B&H Photo Event Space, has been on NBC TV, and has been written about in BBC Capital. Veissid’s personal work has been shown in galleries and displayed in East Hampton, NY; East Sussex, United Kingdom; Middlebury, Vermont; Cold Spring, NY; New York City, NY; and has been printed in The Sun. 

Before becoming an international fine art photographer in 2009, Veissid worked in the corporate world, lived in Luxembourg, earned her MBA and worked in Switzerland. She resides in New York City, currently.

 

 

RA Friedman takes photographs and teaches photography in New York City, as well as maintaining a live/work studio in Philadelphia. He shoots primarily medium format film. His work utilizes digital technology and traditional photographic tools and techniques that connect with the history of the craft. In 2008, he established Tsirkus Fotografika, a photo-booth venture that uses instant film and vintage equipment. His antique Graflex camera is often seen at Jazz Age and Steampunk events. A Technical Theatre graduate of Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, he studied drawing with Charles Eldred and Linda Sokolowski. He received his M.F.A. in painting from LSU, Baton Rouge. From 2009-2011 he was a fellow for “Journeys South,” an initiative of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Project. 

Self-initiated projects have included a multi-figure pinhole shoot at Penn’s Rotunda during the 2012 Philadelphia Fringe. Friedman’s work has been shown by the Merchant’s House Museum in New York City, along with pieces by Sally Mann. His photos have appeared in The Sun, New York, and Supplementaire (UK). He is a regular contributor of writing and photography to The Laboratory Arts Collective and publishes a weekly email and blog focused on the urban landscape, entitled "The Concrete Muse." You can view Friedman’s work by clicking here.