Joe Greer
Joe Greer (@ioestreet)
Joe Greer is one of my favorite modern-day photographers and has inspired me to be a street photographer throughout the year. Joe's passion for documenting life and the slight nuance of life is beautiful. In addition, his ability to showcase the beauty of film and iPhone photography is unmatched. So now, who is Joe Greer? Well, Joe is a Leica Ambassador and is a film photographer who uses the legendary Leica M6 camera.
Joe Greer is one of the photographers who revitalized film photography in the modern-day. His choice of film is Portra 400 film or HP5 for black and white. Portra 400 film stock has a unique look compared to other film stock due to the warm, solid colors and beautiful contrast, which lends well to his street photography. Portra 400 film is a mainstream film stock and is widely used by many photographers. For Joe, portra 400 is considered a signature look because of the way he's been able to fully utilize the warm colors in the stock. HP5 black and white stock is another popular film that provides a grainy high, contrast look. This is great for photographers looking into having that classic black and white photo. The film offers such a fresh look, and during the processing, it can also add additional layers of looks. According to Joe's "The Beauty of Imperfection."
Joe Greer's style of street photography is daily life captured on the streets. His known work is his street photography in New York City, mainly focusing on the life of New Yorkers. The photos consist of eye contact with the camera capturing the person slightly removed from the moment. This type of street photography is different because it generally leaves the subject undisturbed, but Joe he approaches with the intent that his presence is somewhat felt. The 28mm focal length that Joe uses also lends to that approach, as with the 28mm, you'll need to get very close to your subject to have clean photos. 28mm is considered a wide-angle lens, and if you're not careful, too far will add unnecessary issues that may not help the picture. Joe's usage of this lens gets close to his subjects to tell a story about what's happening to the subject. The facial expressions that Joe can capture draw the audience into his photos. It provides context to what is happening around the subject and raw emotion.
I enjoy Joe Greer's work so much. The ability to bring out emotion in his photos while still being candid makes his street photography unique. Thanks for the inspiration, Joe.
