Local Art Residency - Raphaela Neihausen

Robert: Raphaela! So happy to have your work up at the shop. Because you’re an OG local LOCAL - our team decided that each would ask a question of you for the Local blog.

My pleasure!

Robert: I feel like we discussed this opportunity a good time ago and here we are. How do you feel sharing a bit of yourself with our community here at your local shop? 

So true - I signed up to do this on a complete whim around two years ago and then poof, time flew by and the date was suddenly here. When I was curating exhibit images, I leaned into shots that were very much my personal view of the immediate neighborhood around us. Pictures that someone else might not have taken, or would have taken differently. I loved the idea of sharing these small moments with my friends and neighbors who walk through the same streets (and lineup in the same LOCAL line! ). 

Lucy: Your lifework is multimedia, with a particular focus in film  - how do these images connect back to your film heritage?

Whether film or photography, I’m always a sucker for beautiful lighting and visuals that allude to a story beyond the obvious. How we frame the world is how we see the world and I frequently obsess over visuals – both in photography and film.  For those curious about my filmmaking history, they can check out the short doc Joe’s Violin (free to view online!) and Miss GULAG (available via iTunes).

Lucy: Are the tomatoes from your garden?

Very much so! Gardening has always been a favorite hobby and my backyard fruits & veggies became a popular subject during this pandemic. On a sidenote: this tomato image reminds me of an abacus and I love reimagining traditional objects with modern spins. 

Adele: These photos are such a beautiful look into our Montclair community. If possible, what is your favorite aspect of our town?

Beyond the incredible people, and of course my local coffee shop, I love how the trees and flowers bloom in weekly waves during spring. How each home is painted differently.  The gorgeous parks and annual film festival (full disclosure: I’m its founding executive director, so might be a bit biased).  The way each season completely transforms the landscape around us, supplying us with a new palette of colors.

 Brenna: What do you hope people feel after spending time with your work?

I hope people feel some warmth, curiosity, and joy. 

Max: Did you pick your color scheme intentionally or are you generally attracted to objects that vibrant, bright and lively?

The latter – I am generally drawn to vibrant, bright and lively colors (as frequently reflected in my photos and wardrobe).

Sam: You mentioned that all of these photos were taken just a few blocks from Local? Was this intentional? Is there a narrative that carries through all of them?

When curating this exhibit, I intentionally selected a majority of photos that Local customers might recognize from their everyday surroundings. These are the small details that we often miss in our daily rush. The guiding principle is that you don’t need a fancy camera, tripod, or any professional tools to notice and capture a bit of beauty. A phone with a camera and willingness to look is enough.

Lastly, what is your favorite coffee shop drink?  :)

I’m a vanilla latte girl, although every now and then I’ll mix it up with a cortado or a flat white.

See more of Raphaela’s work on Instagram @raphaeladailyphoto and @raphaelaneihausen

Local Art Residency - William Bullard

LC: What a treat to have your work shared here at Local! So much to cover here but let's start with your relationship to Montclair, NJ. Please tell us how you are connected to this town.

WB: During the summer of 1976, I drove across the country interviewing at every independent high school that still needed an English teacher for the fall.  The last interview was at MKA, and I was the last thing between the English chair and his vacation, so I got the job.  My wife and I moved to a railroad flat above the ice cream store in Upper Montclair, and I started my first teaching job.  Two years later I remember that I couldn’t believe they were actually paying me to teach…I was having so much fun.  In 1978 we moved into a cottage on Central Ave owned by the school, which we later bought from them.  In 1983 and 1986 our kids, Nick and Zoe, were born.  In 1991, we moved to San Francisco so I could try my hand as the academic dean of a school there, but Montclair was always my “origin story,” and I never felt so woven into the full life of a community as I did there.  And I never found brighter, harder working, more joyful, whole, and fully alive students as I knew at MKA during those 15 years.  To get to see a group of them again 35 years later – brighter than ever and still full of beans – was so cool.  Thank you.

LC: I had the pleasure of seeing you reconnect with some of your students from some time ago. It made me smile and got me thinking about reconnecting with some of my childhood teachers and mentors. How has this role (of teacher) allowed you to become an excellent communicator in your current (photographer) craft?

WB: I don’t think I have anything more profound to say about photography than most photographers, but just as teaching helped me overcome my natural introversion, it also gave me some ability and confidence to connect to strangers, to be interested in and respect their presence, and see in a moment the potential for a story…all important qualities for street photography.

LC: Alrighty then...let's get right to it. I listen to my clients talk about your photographs and I laugh at the wild swing of characterizations. What were you REALLY going for when setting out to capture these moments in time?  

WB: I enjoy working in art museums because they provide ready-made some of the crucial elements for all street photography:  a “set” or dramatic stage that provides geometry, lighting, and, of course, compelling props and people who are absorbed, mindful, unself-conscious, often dressed for the occasion, and naturally arranged in tableaux.  Sometimes the compelling picture is purely formal – abstract arrangements of color and form that, once framed by the camera, hold the eye.  “Alexander Calder at the Whitney” is a good example of a time when I saw such a potential and waited until the woman in white turned to reveal that phenomenal Gallic profile.  Other times, the juxtaposition between the viewer and the work of art allows for a suggestive, psychological portrait.  “Brancusi at the Guggenheim” is one of many examples when I returned time and time again to a work of art waiting for the right person to appear in exactly the right relationship to that iconic sculpture.  And sometimes, though more rarely, a kind of dialogue occurs in which the viewer and the work of art appear to interrogate each other, in which the painting or sculpture appears to move or speak in response to the viewer.  “Ferrucci’s Caesar at the Met” or “Michelangelo’s Brutus at the Met” are the most dramatic examples in which that mutual interrogation occurs across cultures and millenia, but I see that happening in the Mukherjee, Medicis, and Picasso portraits as well.

LC: Your exhibition here at Local, 'Pictures at an Exhibition', encouraged me to revisit several Street Photography masters. I agree with your summation that the photo allows us to 'witness story after story unfold that can only be revealed in 1/250th of a second and bound within a 2:3 aspect ratio.' Looking back at images from Arthur Fellig (Weegee) and Saul Leiter who really nailed that raw NYC of yesteryear - I also think there's a bit of  'someone else out there understands me' as these images are so very personal. Do you ever feel like you've perhaps gone in and ultimately allowed someone permission to express something they couldn't have otherwise?

WB: In general, I find that street photography, and particularly these images, do not reveal a story as much as they create one.  So they may offer an illusion of self-expression, but it’s a fiction, entirely invented by the power of the frame, which creates its own context, and the invisible-to-the-eye momentary expression of the subject.  The man next to Louise Bourgeois’s creature was not, as it appears, shocked by the threatening shape looming behind him; indeed, I have no idea what prompted his fleeting look of horror, but it was perfect for the story that the frame of that picture tells, the frame which conveniently eliminates all the other visitors and thrusts him into a relationship with the sculpture that he’s not even looking at.

LC: You are lucky in that you are able to share your work across different venues. What are the types of things you learn from having the same work in different spaces?

WB: It’s rare, actually, for me to have this kind of opportunity to engage in a dialogue with an audience, but I’d say I’ve learned more by photographing in different venues than by exhibiting in different forums.  Occasionally, I’ll get into conversation with a curator or editor about the work, but then it’s usually a matter of selecting and sequencing photographs.  I have learned that folks often believe that the scenes have to have been staged or posed.  Or, at least, that the subjects knew that I was photographing them.  Those kind of questions seem to speak to the success of the illusion I just mentioned, that the images seem intimate and personal, that they seem to get inside a relationship or reveal a mind.  In fact, the subjects rarely know, if ever, that I’ve made a photograph, and I’ve never posed or set up a picture.  Occasionally, I’ve been tempted to ask, but that would defeat the purpose and certainly result in weak image.  One of the strategic advantages of photographing in museums is that I’m just another visitor with a camera, so it’s pretty easy to stay inconspicuous, to be the observer who does not influence what he’s observing.  Different exhibits inspire different general responses from visitors.  For example, the Michelangelo drawing show at the Met in 2018 seemed to pull in a lot of “slow art” sensibilities – visitors who would study a work for 20 or 30 minutes and be completely transported.  On many occasions I was able to get within a foot or two to make a portrait.  Others seem to provoke “mirroring,” visitors who take on a stance or posture reflecting a figure in the work of art.  In that case, I will compose the image ahead of time and wait (or “fish” in street photo lingo) for a visitor to complete the photograph.  But overall the failure rate is very high.  If I emerge from two hours at an exhibit with one image that I eventually print, I count the day as a huge success.

LC: Tough question (maybe) but do you have a favorite camera and why? 

WB: Actually, it is an easy question.  All of my recent museum work is made with Leica Q2, either the regular model or the new monochrome version.  It is a light, nimble, silent, inconspicuous camera with a fast, fixed 28mm lens, pretty good autofocus, and excellent resolution at high ISO values – so it’s very good in the dim light of most museums.  I do very little post-processing and print on smooth baryta paper because I want the prints to look like classic silver photographs.  The harder choice for me is between B&W and color, and with the monochrome camera, I often have to make that choice before I go into a show.  By experience and taste, I am a B&W photographer and mostly agree with Ariana, your previous artist, that color is often a distraction and conceals more than it shows, especially in street photography.  I have photographed frequently in Cuba – really the color capital of the world – and always process that work in B&W, which focuses my eye on the geometry of the streets and on the character of the people.  And yet with the museum work, where the color in paintings is so critically important to the experience of the artwork, the juxtapositions I’m seeking are often strengthened by working in color.

LC: What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

WB: Small cappuccino, regular milk (just a little, please).

Learn more about Bill by visiting his website here

Local Art Residency - Todd Boressoff

LOCAL: I have to start out by saying how very grateful I am to have this particular work in the shop at this time. Our 5th anniversary as a business is on the horizon on 2.2.22 and having images of my beloved NYC in the shop is really fitting. 

The years associated with these images are 1968 - 1972 and one can’t help but make the connection to current day in that there’s quite a bit going on as a city and as a still relatively young country. Did you fully feel the gravity of the moment as these images were captured?

TODD: For the majority of these photos I was simply trying to stay alert for something interesting – an expression, a design in the frame, a juxtaposition of details, etc – and to shoot spontaneously. However, for three I was very aware of the gravity of the moment. With the photo of the cop shooting I was intensely aware of him, though in the moment I never saw the innocent boy with the Impeach Nixon sign. The tickertape parade was of the returning Apollo 11 astronauts (the three waving at the bottom of the photo). I climbed up the facade of Grand Central to get the angle. The third was of the 1969 Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.

LOCAL: We haven’t had vintage prints in the shop before. These images were captured and developed by you. I’ve worked in a dark room before and can say that the photographs take on a greater meaning when the photographer essentially takes care of the image from conception to birth. How do you feel about that invested development process vs. todays rather ubiquitous photography process?

TODD: I am ambivalent. Anti: I hate the proliferation of self-promoting selfies. I also regret that photojournalism suffers with news outlets slashing photo budgets in favor of photographs sent by the public.  Pro: The digital world enables me to take more risks, to better examine a subject from multiple perspectives. And digital photo development is a godsend. Lightroom and Photoshop enable me to work in color more effectively than chemical processes. I still take care of the photograph from conception till birth. I spend as much thought photographing and as much time “developing” as I did fifty years ago. The digital world lets me take online courses at the International Center for Photography with “classmates” from all over the world. We can screen-share our work and get feedback instantly, not just from the teacher but from everyone. Also, I can share work on Instagram, again with photographers worldwide. If you are interested, search on Instagram for todd_boressoff.

LOCAL: I appreciate that these photographs are not for sale demonstrating the value to you as the photographer and to some degree, historian. In this world where commerce is king and queen and nearly everything is for sale, how do you reconcile the artistic value vs. making some dollars? 

TODD: To concentrate on becoming a professional photographer, in 1970 I took a half-day position as an assistant teacher at a preschool in Park Slope. I learned two things. I hated the job of becoming a photo professional – taking pictures that others wanted, promoting myself, spending more time on selling than on taking and making photographs. I also learned that I loved early childhood education, which led to a forty year career in roles from assistant teacher to many years as a teacher, director, advocate, and policymaker on the local, state and national level. But I never stopped loving photography.

LOCAL: One of my favorite images is the mirrored reflection of the record store. So much going on inside the shop and there’s the one woman who paused to look up and you captured it! I can draw so many parallels to philosophy and the importance of taking a moment to stop and look up and around. Did you know how incredible this photo was in the moment you developed it?

TODD: Not when I took it, but yes, when I developed it I liked it a lot. But it has continued to grow on me. Those are real records, LPs. You could thumb through them to your hearts content and chat with the folks around you. I miss that.

LOCAL: NYC has gone through quite a bit in the 50 years since these images were captured. How do you use your craft to make a bit of sense of how things have changed but in many ways, stayed the same? 

TODD: I don’t. I don’t really use photographs to try to make sense of things. Just to capture for myself, and hopefully others, what I’ve seen.

LOCAL: Of these photos, which has the greatest meaning to you and why?

TODD: Sadly, I can no more answer this than I can which classical composer or which tenor saxophonist has the greatest meaning for me. Or even which piece by Beethoven or which solo by John Coltrane. In a way the photographs are like my children. How could I choose? But I can choose which has the most meaning for me at this moment. It is the little boy looking out the back window of that car. I identify with him these days, spending so much time trapped inside.

LOCAL: Anything else you would like to share about this powerful exhibit?

TODD: Just to thank Robert and Adele for again presenting my work on that beautiful, well-lit magnetic wall (with none of the expense and work of framing).

LOCAL: What’s your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

TODD: This is well known to everyone at Local Coffee: a small 2% latte.

Local Art Residency: Q+A with Street Photographer Scot Surbeck

Scot, it's fun to think that this is your second exhibition at Local. You're still taking photos and we're still serving the community. How has your passion for your art evolved since we first displayed your work back in early 2019?

My passion is constant. It’s been there from the first time I pressed a camera shutter, many years ago. What is evolving is my emotional growth. Also the ability to see something photographable, compose the picture, and click the shutter, usually within 1 to 2 seconds.

It's challenging to have this Q+A without mentioning the current state of affairs in the world. As the person behind the lens capturing this environment as it unfolds, what significant trends are you able to highlight?

New York City is recovering, as I discuss in my artists statement. What’s trending is the awareness that this pandemic can be defeated only when we, and our governments, study history and respect science.

This past question leads us to the current state of our beloved NYC. At 50 years old myself, I've lived through quite a bit in the city and always felt that some mix of pure grit and spiritual vibes would enable the greatest city in the world to persist through difficult times. Please share your POV on how NYC will continue to persevere through challenging times as you review thousands of images over the past 5 years.

New York City has always been a potent and unique mixture of enlightenment, brilliance, awareness, toleration, humor and strength. I go to the city, day after day, to be recharged by that energy. Taking street photos is a wonderful plus. My photos confirm what I already know. New York City has an indomitable time tested spirit. It will defeat the pandemic and beat back the foes of democracy, and in the process solidify it’s position as a beacon of civilization for the world.

You mentioned in our last Q+A the desire to 'get better' (sic) at Street Photography. Would you be able to compare more recent photos to your initial from a technical perspective?

In my previous show, I used 26 large format pictures,  (20) - 13"x19' and  (6) - 20"x30". Set in two grids, they were easily seen from a distance. 

In this show I've used 108 pictures, all 5"x7", set in one grid. Though the overall grid of pictures has a strong visual presence, you have to get close to see the details. There is also a much stronger sequencing effect here, with paired photos selected for their shared emotions, actions, colors, shapes, etc. This technique, along with the smaller photo size, creates a slower and more intimate viewing experience than the large format pictures. It is a presentation technique I will continue to explore.

A client asked me yesterday, how does the photographer capture these images without intruding on or modifying the moment? From a purely technical perspective, what insight(s) or recommendations on Street Photography can you share for our fellow Photophiles out there?

You have to learn how to blend into the scene, to move in a way that doesn’t draw attention to yourself. It’s very difficult to do. It’s takes years to learn and master.

Mindful of current environment, Scot was thoughtful to recreate the exhibition here for online viewing

Local Talk - Q+A with Photographer Leah Morgan

Leah, we're so excited to show your work at Local as it captures such joyful moments and expressions of a land and culture historically known for expressing their love. For me, it's a constant reminder that it's a good day to have a good day. Please tell us why you pursued this project.

Thank you for showcasing Good Morning Jamaica! I pursued this project because I absolutely love the country. The landscape is spectacular, the food is delicious, the water is warm and crystal clear, and the people, well, their smiles are contagious and their love for life is inspiring. For me, visiting Jamaica is a time to bring balance back into my life. A time for me to slow down, in a place where I am surrounded by happy people and positives vibes. Every day in Jamaica is a good day to have a good day.

Each time I visit Jamaica, my love for the people, the landscape and the culture grows stronger. I am continuously impressed by the loving spirit of the local people, their value of hard work, and most of all, their smiles.  I am inspired to give back to the people that give me so much joy. I would love nothing more than to be able to take the proceeds from this exhibition and contribute it to the local communities. Giving back to the community is always the mission that drives my work as a social documentary photographer.

Montclair is an interesting town where there is extreme levels of wealth but also poverty just around the corner and yet there seems to be dissatisfaction irrespective of social caste. How did you find the different classes of people vs. their general mood for the people in Jamaica?

I find the mood of Jamaicans is generally happy, no matter their class. When I ask locals how they are today, their response is usually given with a big loving smile and they say they are blessed. No matter what, rich or poor, big house or small house, showering with cold water or in a river, driving or walking to work, they feel happy and grateful to live another day.

There is one image from this Good Morning Jamaica collection of a man standing alone along the shore but he is not looking out at the ocean. He is looking inland with hand extended. What is going on here?  

 That’s William. He's blind. Every day he walks alone, along the shore of Negril’s Seven Mile Beach with his cane in tow. He stops occasionally and puts his hand out, hoping someone will give him some spare change. I will continue to try to support him because having a disability is challenging enough, let alone in a place that doesn’t have as many resources. If you meet William, he greets you with a sweet smile and genuine gratitude, not just for the donation, but also for the time you invested in talking with him. 

Your work has taken you all over the world and I can't help but ask if there was one project that has had the greatest impact on your discipline.

I studied with a National Geographic Photographer in Italy for many years. She made the greatest impact on me by teaching me how to get up close and personal with my subjects, encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone which enabled me to deepen my creativity.  She helped guide me into more of a fine arts style of shooting. I'm always looking forward to my next opportunity with her.

A topic I've discussed with many of our Local photographers is that of digital/ cell phone photography vs. the more traditional camera. Do you have a POV for how or what is used in photography?

A few years ago, I might have said using a traditional camera was the best way to capture amazing images. But that’s not necessarily true anymore.  I believe it’s easier to approach a person with an iPhone because of its unobtrusive small size, and with today's technology, come away with stunning portraits.  Many of the images here in my exhibition were shot using my iPhone. 

I love that you extended your discipline into a charitable cause with Cards for Kids. Please tell us how you got started with this program and what it has meant to you.

 I started Cards for Kids after visiting and volunteering for several years at local schools in the Negril area of Jamaica. I noticed they needed so many supplies and necessities at these schools. Many of these children would arrive to class without items that we take for granted such as pencils, shoes or even food, which impacts their ability to learn properly. I simply can't allow that. It pains me to see families that are struggling to send their children to school and on top of that, worry about how their children are going to eat that day. I paired up with The Rockhouse Foundation and started donating to this amazing organization. The Rockhouse Foundation not only builds schools in impoverished areas, but they also provide the children with supplies, and most importantly, breakfast daily. 

What's next for you and how best to stay in touch with your work?  

You can learn more about my projects through my website, leahmichelephotography.com. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @leahmichelephotography.

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage? 

My favorite coffee beverage is iced coffee. I love it and drink it all year long, even in the winter. Plus, I'm meticulously obsessive about how it's prepared, so I make it myself, using an old-school espresso maker. First, I make the espresso in advance and refrigerate. Then, I mix 2-3 shots with a little bit of half n half, agave sugar, and ice.  Delicious...which goes perfectly with the Granola Lab Cranberry Cashew Compound that I'm constantly picking up from Local Coffee. 

Local Talk - Q+A with New York Street Photographer Scot Surbeck

Scot, let's start with the evening you hung your photographs @ Local. I was anticipating perhaps an hour or so to place all of the images and then 4 hours in, you were almost done. Clearly, there's a highly complex process driving your craft. So two initial questions:

How do you approach each project so there's a comprehensive contextual experience? 

I study the exhibit space and how people move through it, the lighting (both natural and artificial), and the sound (ambient and music). I  envision the experience of entering and first seeing the pictures, and then moving  in for a closer look.  I then try to create an exhibit that has a strong emotional and visual presence and also enhances the space.

How did you approach the project for Local including the masterful grid display system?

The large patina metal panels and high ceiling allowed me to create a show that is relatively dense with images  and includes large scale (20" x 30") pictures mounted high that can be easily seen because of their size.  By carefully and precisely arranging the photos, a grid was created which seems appropriate for pictures taken on the grid of streets in New York City.

You have a super intimate relationship with NYC which is evident from the manner in which you capture a variety of moments. NYC is arguably the capital of the world so no surprise in selecting this market but what specific elements draw you in?

 I always feel fully alive when I'm in New York City and I look for that energy in the people and situations around me.

Of the current collection of images @ Local, which one brings you back for re-interpretation?

I can't say there's one that I keep coming back to. They are all equally interesting to me. 

At what age did you begin your craft and what was the initial driver for you to consider photography as a path?

I've loved photography all of my working life, most of which has been spent as an architect. There was no one moment when I became a street photographer. It happened gradually, then gathered steam. Now street photography defines and nurtures me, and gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Photography is an evolution, personal development as well as technology and equipment. Do you like where we are today and where photography is going or do you prefer a past time with arguably simpler option?

My learning curve as a photographer was greatly accelerated by the transformation from film to digital, and the development  of image processing software such as photoshop and light-room. It simply became much easier - and less expensive - to learn how to produce decent work. Technology doesn't produce fine art however. In order to do that, you're on your own.

What's next on you journey? Is there a project that you are working on or working towards?

My journey is street photography. I want to get better, to keep evolving as an artist and a person.

What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Black coffee, room for half and half, sweetened slightly by stevia.

More of Scot’s work here: https://www.scotsurbeck.com/index