72 pages of pure ďŹ lm!
cover by jeremy nixon
.17
le negatif book is here!
.17
Ivi Topp Artist/founder
Jola.L
november
editor-in-cheaf
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contrib
Andrew Pope www.failpyre.com
Chirag D. Shah chiragdshah.com
Fernando Pereira Gomes www.fpgomes.com
Jason Lester
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonlester/
Ryan Frigillana www.friggyphoto.com
Reuben Radding
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pineear/
SEPIA PRINCE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepiaprince/
Shawn Nyland-Hoke http://www.shawnhoke.com/
Cover by: Jeremy Nixon
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/100mph/
butors:
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jeremy
y nixon
jeremy
y nixon
jeremy
y nixon
jere
emy nixon
I first went to Occupy Wall Street certainly supporting the cause, but not sure what I was going to find there or whether I would like the movement itself. But it was clear that the media wasn’t getting the story, so the only way to find out was to go to New York City myself. What I found was not what the cable news channels told me I would find. This was no bunch of dirty leftist hippies. This was a gathering of people from across the spectrum, Republican Ron Paul supporters and bona-fide communists and everything in between. The 99%, just like they said. I’d brought color film as well as black and white, but once I saw what was happening I knew it had to be shot in black and white, like the protests of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. I used a 35mm lens for almost all my shots, sticking to the best two words of advice in the history of photography: get closer. I’ve been back several times, and if the movement survives winter as I think it will, I’ll be back several more times.
jeremy
y nixon
Sepia
Prince
WAKE UP Through personal experience, I find that there are existential signs which correspond to the emotional state I find myself in at the moment. Hours prior to making this photograph, I was pretending to be concentrated on the computer screen I was sitting in front of. In actuality, I had been in a dream-like state, preferring to be looking into the viewfinder of my Pentax Super ME instead of a database comprised of names and legal jargon. That day, I decided to re-awaken my soul by visiting the “headquarters” of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations during my 60-minute respite. Only a few blocks away from the law office I work at, I was amazed at the hubbub and chaos of the situation. DLSRs on “machine gun mode” and the rhythmic patterns of makeshift drums could have been enough for many people to retreat to a more hushed environment. However, the man I witnessed in “Zen mode” was quite the contrast of the situation he and I were in at Zuccotti Park. His personal state at that moment contrasted with mine from earlier when I was “half asleep” on the job. After making the photograph, I knew that not only was the message he was sharing meant for me, but for everyone involved in the movement. While there is great value to verbalizing our wishes to ourselves or the state, silence is just as golden especially when done voluntarily. Portraiture, the most popular photographic genre, has always been a challenge for me because of my inconsistency in making my subjects comfy in front of the camera. Utah-based photographer Justin Hackworth states “Well, I like to let them [subjects] know it’s not up to them. It’s up to me to make a good picture.” Absolutely, he’s right. When I approached the gentleman in this photo, no words were exchanged but rather just a look into each other eyes and we let the moment play out naturally. After making the photo, I gave him a “thumbs up” and walked away anticipating how the image would turn out. After viewing the portrait as a print, I knew I had to summon my friend Kenneth Thomas for a poetical touch. ”$ubmi$$ion” by Kenneth Thomas The almighty dollar Can purchase near anything Even the quieted submission Of the exploited masses No need for censorship When money can purchase Acquiescence
sepia p
prince
Fernando Pe
ereira Gomes
Fernando Pe
ereira Gomes
Fernando Pe
ereira Gomes
Fernando Pe
ereira Gomes
As a teenager growing up in a first world country, I always wanted to be part of something bigger and more politically exciting, but I was never at the right place at the right time. Although I read about everything going on in the world in the newspaper, and flipped through photo after photo, it was never quite the same as actually being in the middle of the action. Then, when I came to New York for college in the fall, I found myself amidst what I had always wished for. Initially, I wasn’t sure how to approach the Occupy Wall Street movement photographically, mainly because I didn’t fully know how I felt about it politically. After some research and reading up on the matter, I decided to venture down to Zuccotti Park. I first went during the day, and found that among all the tourists and picket signs, I couldn’t translate onto the frame the mood I felt the movement deserved. Then, weeks later, I decided to go back at night, and I found it to be radically different. There was a very serene air around the park, giving the peaceful demonstration far more depth than the crowd-gathering daytime protests I had previously witnessed. In this atmosphere, I was able to photograph some of the protesters more closely, and I also got the chance to talk about their experiences after a month of camping, as well as why they’re there. This more personal perspective of the Occupy Wall Street protest is what I aimed to reflect through these two photos.
Fernando Pe
ereira Gomes
Jason
Lester
t
The Occupy Wall street movement in the Financial District of New York City is an interesting beast, and a necessary one. These two shots were taken on October 14, 2011 at Zuccotti Park, mere hours after it was announced that the park would be “cleaned” by Brookfield, the owners of the park. This cleaning appeared to be an obvious attempt at eviction, and indeed, the same excuse would be used in November by Mayor Bloomberg to clear protesters from the space. After mass resistance, the cleaning was averted. The Occupiers are a diverse group of people from all walks of life; they are made up of many races, ages, and socioeconomic situations. While there is an air of disorganization to the movement (that the organizers take a certain pride in), the participants are passionate, and the issues being discussed are real and important. It will be interesting to see how long Occupy survives in its current format, but I have no doubt it is going to be around for a while.
Jason
Lester
Chirag D
D. Shah
t
Chirag
D. Shah
Chirag
D. Shah
Coming into Zuccotti Park, I was immediately struck by the energy of the place. Yes, you had the attention whores on the outskirts trying to steal attention from the tourists and passers-by, but in the center of the park you could see the real activity happening. The organizers, the workers working to advance the cause and keep the protesters warm and happy. As a photographer, I couldn’t get enough. There’s energy everywhere you look, and my lens is being pulled in all directions. A girl taking a nap here, an anarchist burning a dollar bill there. Snap, snap. I can’t stop snapping and I don’t want to leave. It’s a 24/7 spectacle, and it needs the lens of a photographer, of 100 photographers, to capture it all.
Chirag
D. Shah
Reuben
Radding
Reuben
Radding
Shooting at Zuccotti Park was very challenging to me as a photographer, and as a human being it left me with mixed emotions. It’s always a challenge to shoot a public event that I know is already being heavily documented. What can I bring to the table? Can I get a new view? There were cameras all around me, those of journalists, tourists, protesters, and even police, all steadily recording the action, day and night. By the time I arrived the scene had become something of a tourist attraction, and I felt the need to separate myself from the gawking onlookers who stood behind metal barriers holding their smart phones aloft to record the view from afar without regard to the meaning of the moment. I decided to get in closer. To try to feel the messages of the protest, to be with them, not take them. I try to be an artist as well as a documentarian, and I believe that the best of what I have viewed at the Occupy actions have been works of living art. The people are art. They use artists’ methods to speak. Some are there simply for the chance to have an audience, and some are there for spectacle, but most of the people I have met at Occupy Wall Street are what I would call ordinary visionaries; common people with a radical purpose. As I look through my photographs I wonder how these actions will be remembered. Will they be remembered as the start of a great shift in our culture, or a blip on the radar of political “news?” All I can do is try to get close, and to join with them.
Reuben
Radding
Ryan Fri
igillana
Ryan Fri
igillana
Ryan Fri
igillana
Ryan Fri
igillana
Coming from Long Island, I headed down to Zuccotti Park to take photos of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street movement in Lower Manhattan. I was there for only a day with my trusty Nikon and about 7 rolls of Tri-x at hand. The atmosphere of that place was electric; the music, the colors, the chaos. New York City never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I’ve been there. A million different things were happening at once and as a photographer, you savor these situations. I was very fortunate to catch the assembly at the perfect time. It was around late afternoon when the numbers had swelled to its peak and with a massive crowd like that, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. I found that my best photos came when I focused my work into one location and took the time to really observe everything at a micro level. I would sit in one spot and really get a feel for the area, honing my attention in on certain individuals and their interactions. I always try not to go looking for ‘the shot’, but rather to realize it when you do see it. On the flip side, sometimes the best shot is far away from all the action, outside of everything else.. away from the rest of the shutterbugs. I’d definitely love to go back and spend another day shooting there. It’s a wellspring of opportunity if you’re into street photography.
Ryan Fri
igillana
Shawn Nyl
land-Hoke
After hearing so much from the media about the disjointed and misguided protest movement occupying Zuccotti Park just north of Wall Street, I decided to stop by and take a look for myself. I’m glad I did. The people I spoke to at Occupy Wall Street were passionate, engaged people from all walks of life. It’s easy to dismiss a movement outright from a distance, but in order to understand what’s happening you have to dive in and talk to people. I happened to be carrying my medium format Hasselblad camera and I always find that I’m able to get more in touch with my subject using this camera, rather than a 35mm. To begin with, it takes a few more seconds to compose and focus with the Hasselblad. You can’t hide what you’re doing with a quick snapshot. As I focus the camera it gives me time to say what might have caught my eye or to ask a question. And often, they’ll be attracted by the camera and ask me “Do they still make film for that?” I was tempted to take my 4x5 Toyo field camera back the next time, but Bloomberg has since busted up the makeshift community that sparked an international movement.
Shawn Nyl
land-Hoke
Andrew
w Pope
Andrew
w Pope
Andrew
w Pope
I went down to Zuccotti Park, which is not too far from my house in New York, in early October. Though I am a photographer/ filmmaker by trade, I didn’t really go with the intention of taking photographs, but rather to show solidarity with the movement and generally check out the scene. But as usual I had my Nikon FM2 in my messenger bag. Luckily the lens on it was an 85mm, which is my favorite lens for medium portraits. I had three rolls of Neopan film. There were tons of people--both professionals and amateurs-taking photographs, but 99% of them were using digital cameras, if not camera phones. I saw a couple of other photographers using old film cameras, and we’d nod knowingly to each other as if we knew that we were probably getting the most lasting, powerful photographs out there. I’d like to think we were right.
Andrew
w Pope
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le negatif team, Ivi Topp, Jola.l