TITLE: Bus Stop

An attractive young woman presents a stark contrast to a hard hat worker as both strike a similar pose while waiting for a bus on New York City's Madison Avenue. The black facade of the nearby building acts almost as a scrim for these two "performers" who, unaware of each other, are acting out the routine of a big city: keep to yourself, look down (having a cellphone as prop helps).

AUTHOR: Jim Lustenader UNITED STATES

Finding the extraordinary in the everyday. Capturing human nature in action. However you define it, street photography has a special cinematic character, combining photojournalism, documentary and pure surprise to catch an unguarded moment.

Spontaneity, immediacy, empathy and luck: all are part of it. But to me what makes a street photo truly memorable is visual tension, even a bit of incongruity, between subjects and their surroundings. Tension lends intimacy and depth, inviting the viewer to pause and decipher possible meanings; it offers a glimpse of the photographer’s intention while providing opportunity for imagination.

I focus on the interplay of elements in a situation that evoke the humor, sadness, beauty, irony, mystery or absurdity of being human, and that hint at what the subject is about. People's eyes, dress, body language, and relationships to objects and each other are some of the things I look for to create a storyline that resonates. I view life as bits of theatrical business, and catching them is where the fun is.

Since I shoot on the fly, my usual kit is minimal: a Contax G2 rangefinder with 28mm and 45mm Zeiss lenses, or a Contax T3 with a 35mm Zeiss lens. I shoot black and white film because I like its distinctive, timeless look and that it reduces visual complexity and focuses the eye.

Publications: Black & White magazine (7 times); Don't Take Pictures Magazine Online: Photo of the Day.
Solo exhibitions: Griffin Museum of Photography; Umbrella Arts; In An Instant Gallery; Dartmouth College.
Gallery representation: Soho Photo Gallery, NYC; TheCommotion.ca, (limited edition prints)
Juried exhibitions: Over fifty, including Soho Gallery; Salmagundi Art Club; Your Daily Photograph; Center for Fine Art Photography; Analog Film Photography Assoc.; New York Center for Photographic Art; Black Box Gallery; Greg Moon Art; WPGA Pollux ("Photographer of the Year"), Charles Dodgson and Jacob Riis Awards; Cape Cod Art Assoc.; Texas National Art Competition; Camera USA; Minneapolis Photo Center; Colorado Photographic Arts Center; Boca Raton Museum.
Permanent collections: Three photos in the Municipal Museum of Malaga, Spain. < BACK TO GALLERY