What do watercolor painting and street photography have in common? According to Michael Schoenfeld, everything.
Michael Schoenfeld treats his camera like a watercolor brush—work fast, or lose the moment when it comes to street photography process and portraits. Whether approaching a stranger on the cobblestone streets of San Miguel de Allende or photographing his longtime collaborator Jerry Joseph, this photographer has spent decades mastering a deceptively simple philosophy: shoot with instinct, edit with intention. The result is a body of work that captures not just faces, but the fleeting chemistry between photographer and subject.
By: Michael Schoenfeld, Photographer, Michael Schoenfeld Studio
These two images, while similar in some respects, couldn’t be more different.
Similarities: I personally view the photographic creation phase much like a watercolor painter approaches their canvas. You have very limited time to work with what is in front of you; if you dwell too long on any small point, the emotional content will get lost, so working quickly and intuitively is essential. No navel-gazing! You can prepare, which is good, but when you are making the image with your camera, keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel (so said Jim Morrison). People often ask me, “How do you know when to stop shooting, and what approach do you use to find the best images?” Easy short answer? Work backward in the edit—the last few frames satisfied you for some reason and you stopped shooting, so you must have solved all the puzzles in front of you to your satisfaction.
Differences: The passerby in San Miguel de Allende was a complete stranger, replete with a rather profound language barrier. That never stops me from approaching someone, and I have practiced using gestures, kindness, and gentle persuasion to communicate with someone like him.
Jerry Joseph, on the other hand, has been a close friend for over thirty years. He is such a talented songwriter, singer, and rebel. I know him so well, I can anticipate his gestures. Artists are such delightful subjects—I’m not sure whether it’s innate vanity or vulnerability or both, but they almost always perform for the camera in wonderful ways.
When you are creating the images, concentrate and, paradoxically, relax and be open to surprises, but always remember the watercolor paint will dry quickly and you must work with purpose.
The edit—I approach this in almost the exact opposite way: slow and thoughtful, allowing me to examine every detail. Color harmony/contrast; composition; emotional nuance. I usually prefer someone not looking into the camera, but there are really no rules here—just what feels right. I think the viewer is more able to engage if they are not being stared down. But for every rule there is an exception.
I have been a student of the street for decades, and my personal approach is to engage with the subject, not photograph them in some “stealth manner”—nothing wrong with the classic Henri Cartier-Bresson approach as far as I’m concerned; I am just looking for something else. And the incredible challenge and joy of photographing the same subject over and over is equally thrilling. I have to constantly find a new way to photograph a familiar subject.
About Michael Schoenfeld
“Generalist, specialist, multi-disciplinarian, child at heart, focused, highly skilled, flexible, synergistic, daydreamer, adaptable, renaissance type.” Nonsense. I’ve always harbored an inner desire to understand and experience darn near everything—the “grown-up gets to live out the childhood ultimate field trip fantasy” thing. But I grew up (sort of) and realized even the most insomniac-ridden among us only get the same twenty-four hours. Lord knows, I am truly grateful for this life; I’d be an idiot and a jerk if I weren’t. But what I have come to appreciate about my slightly scattered mind is a need to explore the omnipresent connections “between” things. I am the metaphor king, or so I’m told. Feels a little like putting on a coat someone like Wes Anderson could love, and everyone around you says, “It fits nicely, Michael, go with it.” (They also tell me not to talk so much.) Slim chance. As a native of Utah, the “Beehive State” is a wonderful place to practice advertising photography, skiing, outdoor sports, child rearing, adult rearing, filmmaking, and keen observation—not kidding about that. (Really, I’ll shut up now.). www.michaelschoenfeld.com
