Featured iPhoneographer: Sheldon Serkin
Friday, August 26, 2011 at 10:12PM | Star Rush 
Above: Waterloo © Sheldon SerkiWithin and outside their frames images tell us stories. What are the back-stories, though, the stories we bring that are outside the frame? “I like photographs that allow the viewer to imagine an entire back-story to the image,” says Sheldon Serkin. “Whatever works in order to bring that story to light is my style.”
Tell us about yourself, Sheldon.
My name is Sheldon Serkin. I live in Brooklyn, NY with my wife, and our two children. I work with immigrant families, especially children, providing them with literacy services and connecting them to other support services.
iPhoneography is a bit of a compulsion at this point! I have a background in filmmaking and have always been a very visual person. I had always been intrigued at the idea of street photography but never had the nerve with my Canon DSLR. Too obvious! When I got my first iPhone, I was amazed at how covert I could be in capturing the people and moments I see in my day-to-day life.
I started out taking photos for myself. I soon felt compelled to share my pictures with friends on Facebook. I soon began a Flickr stream, a blog, and now an Instagram feed as well. I have been very encouraged with people’s responses to my work. It has been gratifying to share what I see with others and be inspired by others’ work.
All the years that I’ve worked at a community-based organization with children and families (which does require a certain amount of creative thinking!) I never realized how much I needed an outlet to tell stories and communicate feelings. I had stopped doing that when I stopped filmmaking. iPhoneography allows me to return to something that had been such an important part of myself in the past.
Above: Jacob © Sheldon Serki
What are your favorite or most frequent subjects, if any?
I love a great candid, one in which the subject is fully caught up in his/her actions or thoughts and completely unself-conscious. The subway is a great place to catch these moments, but it is even more exciting to capture them in other day-to-day situations--in a crowd of people or during someone’s workday. For example, the family in “Jerusalem” was shot by the Western Wall, and I love how each is in his own world. I also like to name my candid subjects; it personalizes the shots and helps me to keep them organized in my head. A name can tell a great story, as in “Sarah.”
Above: Jerusalem © Sheldon Serki
Above: Sarah © Sheldon Serki
How would you describe your creative, artistic, or photographic style, Sheldon?
Many of the other photographers I have come to know have a distinctive, recognizable style. I can not say I have a particular, single style because my photographs show a variety. Candid photography is a collaboration between your artistic style and your camera. You never really know what you will end up with at the end of the day. I like photographs that allow the viewer to imagine an entire back-story to the image. Whatever works in order to bring that story to light is my style.
What’s most important, most exciting, and most fulfilling for me in my creative process is getting the shot: capturing the moment, the interaction, the emotion, or the look that you observe or anticipate in the composition or frame you see in your head. This is true, especially when you anticipate and get in sync with the seeming randomness that surrounds, see the moment approach, and grab it. Of course, this happens much less often that I would prefer!
Above: Everything Must Go © Sheldon Serki
Tell us about one or two of your images, a favorite of yours or others?
Of my candids, I think that most people would say “Stan,” my photo of a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art, has a memorable quality to it. I’ve been surprised at the number of different stories and interpretations that this shot has generated.
Above: Stan © Sheldon Serki
My personal favorite, though, is “Sister Margaret in Times Square.” It is an example of being in sync with the movement and life that surrounds you. I saw her coming a few seconds before, saw the unease on her face, and waited for her to inevitably reach for her bag. I love the story it tells.
Above: Sister Margaret in Times Square © Sheldon Serki
What influences you, Sheldon?
Charlie Chaplin is a formative influence, though I am not sure it shows in my work. I can be very sentimental and love the mix of comedy and sadness in his approach to human observation. Robert Pollard is a hero of mine, both in his unstoppable prolificness and his consistency in achieving genius. Other iPhoneographers inspire me daily on Instagram, most especially those in New York.
Photography had never been a daily part of my life the way it is now. Iphoneography means daily opportunities for creativity and adventure, even just during my commute to and from work. It’s heightened my awareness of what is around me. It’s made me feel so excited and fulfilled when I get the shot.
Through Instagram, iPhoneography has also come to mean being a part of a larger community. I am very lucky to live in NYC, where there is a vibrant and innovative iPhoneography community.
Avove: Cindy Far from Home © Sheldon Serki
Sheldon, what is next for you?
Wouldn’t it be great if I could make a living doing this? I just want to keep taking good pictures, communicating through them to others, meeting others with the same compulsion and enjoying myself.
The best tip I can give to someone new to iPhoneography is to always have iPhone in hand, ready to shoot. In my experience, opportunities for great street photos appear out of nowhere, when you least expect them; “Jacob”, “Everything Must Go”, “Cooks” and “Cindy Far From Home” are examples of split-second shooting. For me, it is just these kinds of shots that make street photography a thrilling pursuit.
Above: Sid and Nancy © Sheldon Serki
Above: Cooks © Sheldon Serki
What are your favorite or most used apps?
My most used apps include Hipstamatic, Camera+ and Filterstorm. I pretty much shoot exclusively with Hipstamatic. It is a great starting point for editing.
You can see more of Sheldon’s photos here, or on Instagram, @shelserkin.
Camera+, Filterstorm, Hipstamatic, Sheldon Serkin in Interview
Reader Comments (4)
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Mishu loves them too!