Street Stalls

Please click here to go to the album for Street Stalls

Going into this photography project, I assumed I would just have to walk around the city snapping pictures of random things and then choosing the photos I like. I assumed that it would take an hour or less compiling the photos necessary for this project. I assumed that people wouldn’t mind the flashes of my camera, as tourists take many pictures in the city. I assumed wrong.

The first step I took in working on this project was choosing a theme. I figured that since the city is such a diverse place, I would need to narrow down the subjects of which I took pictures. From my frequent visits to Chinatown in lower Manhattan, I decided that street vendors would be the perfect theme. Prior to completing the album Street Stalls, I thought I would focus on capturing the essence of these stalls and in some cases, their owners.

I began shooting a week before the project was due, as it took me a while to decide on a theme. The two places that I figured would have the most diverse street vendors were Chinatown and SoHo. Coming out of the Canal street station, I noticed an entire block of street vendors and knew I had come to the right place for Street Stalls. In SoHo too, I noticed a few stalls that were located in random places that served as subjects for my album. All I had to do was figure out how to shoot.

One of my main goals in carrying out Street Stalls was to realistically capture images, meaning that subjects in the frame would be in their natural environment. I didn’t want to ask permission from street vendors to take their pictures because I want my viewers to see their usual means of conducting business. I also wanted to expose a bit of their lifestyle to my viewers, hoping that my viewers would realize that with running any type of business, hardships are always present. I wanted to get rid of the pretense that street vendors aren’t as hard-working as employees in fancy business firms.

Even though there were plenty of examples of street stalls in both of my locations, I found myself shy to shoot them. I received many blank stares from passersby and from the stall owners themselves as I attempted to discreetly capture them. Undoubtedly, this made me very nervous as I remembered the talk with Jeff Mermelstein. I imagined being cursed at or threatened if I took their pictures. I even imagined my precious camera being confiscated and destroyed in the hands of an angry stranger.

In order to combat this fear, I came up with an idea that would make people less suspicious that they were being “snapped” by a madwoman. I invited a friend to accompany me while I was taking pictures, which turned out to be quite convenient. Not only was she a resident of Chinatown (one of my project sites; also next to my other site) but I would be able to pretend I was taking pictures of her when I was indeed not. I found that vendors and customers seemed to care less when I appeared to take pictures of my friend. The only photo in which a vendor was camera-shy, even when I pretended to focus on my friend, was “Hanging Treasures.”

Through our Interdisciplinary course, we were able to explore the works of great photographers. During this time, I noticed that most of their work was in black and white (Mermelstein being a happy deviant), usually for a reason. It was then that I decided that my album would be in black and white too, as I had a compelling reason to do so. Being a street vendor is no ordinary job. You don’t have an office to work in, not many people working under or near you, and not much room for growth. It’s a demanding job most people do just to get by. Hence, black and white was definitely the way to go for Street Stalls. This effect shows viewers the gravity of the featured theme. Moreover, I added a blur effect to some of the photos for increased texture and to act as a surreal release from their reality.

All things considered, I was completely satisfied with the end result of Street Stalls. If I was to name my favorite photograph of the album, I would choose “He Has Hope.” This piece embodies what I hoped to capture on the New York City streets and the subject readily allows us into his milieu.

Shooting Street Stalls also helped me further appreciate the works of street photographers, especially because of the trials they must face.