Meet The Photographer :: Wolf Weintraub

Jun 30

WOLF WEINTRAUB INTERVIEW

MF : How do you overcome creative blocks?

WW : Get out of the house et flânez the streets, maybe finding a good dog and walking helps me to think creatively. "What can't you find in a large city when you know how to walk and how to look" - Charles Baudelaire

MF : Which photographers have significantly influenced your artistic vision, and how can you see their impact in your work?

WW : Walker Evans, August Sander, and non-photographer Edward Hopper. Impact? A simple, somewhat static style.

MF : If you could have dinner with one of your favorite photographers, who would it be, living or deceased?

WW : I can't pick just one photographer, so it would be in Paris at La Closerie des Lilas. My guests would be Man Ray, Lee Friedlander, Brassai, Saul Leiter, Agnès Varda, and Guy Bourdin.

MF : What are 3 of your favorite photography books?

WW: I started with the Time Life Library of Photography Series + Camera Magazine, Robert Frank, The Americans, August Sander: Citizens of the 20th Century: Portrait Photographs and any book by Walker Evans.

MF : What draws you specifically to street photography compared to other genres?

WW : The thrill of chance encounters on the street. I think of the Alex Webb quote, "Street photography is 99.9 percent about failure. So often I feel defeated by the street. I sometimes find, however, that if I keep walking, keep looking, and keep pushing myself, eventually something interesting will happen."

Waiting For Morning Coffee Series, Brooklyn, New York, 2022 © Wolf Weintraub

MF : What are your thoughts on the ethical considerations of street photography, especially regarding privacy?

WW : I mostly photograph dogs who are good about it, I do engage with their owners at times, explaining my Dogs Waiting For Morning Coffee series. If I photograph a human, I sometimes ask permission, though often after so as not to lose the shot. Also, it helps to smile, and I do offer them a print.

MF : What gear do you use?

WW : Inside: Rolleiflex 3.5, Outside: iPhone square format and now trying out the Halide app using Process Zero (minimal processing) , more film-like.

MF : What strategies do you use to remain inconspicuous while capturing candid moments?

WW : It helps to shoot with an iPhone, I often feel invisible.

MF : Are there any specific themes or areas you'd like to explore further in your street photography?

WW: Oui, Dogs of Paris.