Huntington Photographers on a Mission in New York City

Huntington High School photography students were on a mission during a recent trip to New York City with teacher Pamela Piffard. The trip followed lessons on architectural photography and manmade elements as well as street photography and portraits.

“Architectural photography and manmade elements is the photographing of buildings and similar structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and accurate representations of their subjects,” Mrs. Piffard told her students. “Manmade elements include street signs, billboards, sewer grates, taxis, signs, etc.”

Students were shown a series of photos in their classroom prior to the trip in order to set the stage for the visit to Manhattan. “Interesting photos vary the horizon line and the angle the photo is taken at,” Mrs. Piffard said. “Try to use lead in lines and rule of thirds.”

Students were asked to snap 25 images to fit with architectural and manmade elements and another 25 to go with street photography and portraits; people involved in activities or people posed for photos.

“Street photography is a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings,” Mrs. Piffard said. “Street photography uses the techniques of straight photography in that it shows a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society. Street photography often tends to be ironic and can be distanced from its subject matter, and often concentrates on a single human moment, caught at a decisive or poignant moment.”

Students were shown an assortment of photographs and asked to determine whether they fit the definition of street photography or portraits.

“The best thing about street photography is that it is possible for the final viewer of a print to see more than the original photographer,” Mrs. Piffard said. “One of the great things about a city is that more things are happening, even within a small neighborhood, at any moment than any human can comprehend. Photography allows us to freeze one of those moments and study all of the small dramas that were taking place.”

The Huntington photographers also visited a handful of galleries in Manhattan, including the Yancey Richardson Gallery on West 22nd Street and the Bruce Silverstein Gallery on West 20th Street and then the teenagers chose either the Gagosain Gallery on West 24th Street or the Benrubi Gallery on West 20th Street.

Students were asked to describe in writing the exhibit and experience and submit it to Mrs. Piffard along with their 50 images.

The traveling party met at the LIRR station in Huntington at 7:15 a.m. and returned back home by 2:15 p.m.