Chris Porsz, a former paramedic, has published ten volumes of his street photography shots. With an eye for the absurd and a love for the genre, it’s always a treat to flick through the latest volume has to offer.
In the latest book, “Streets of America”, Chris took on the impressive feat of visiting 23 cities in an 80 day coast-to-coast adventure. As such, there’s San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Boston, Philadelphia and many more to take in.
With a tenacity that is rare to find for this kind of work, there’s hundreds of images published in the book, and I’m pleased that Chris has shared a selection with us here.
I also asked him to share some insights into how he works – I’m exhausted just reading about his days pounding the streets in search of the perfect shot, but it does show that perseverance truly pays off.
In this year of the new Trump era beginning, and a very divided nation, there’s potentially never been more attention focused on our friends in the States, but on the whole this is a very positive book. Read on to find out more…
AP: How did you decide which cities you wanted to include in your tour?
CP: When asked why he stole from banks, the notorious American robber Willie Sutton retorted, ‘because that’s where the money is’! So, like most street photographers I headed for the big cities and I was also influenced by popular culture as seen on TV and Hollywood. Having watched ‘Breaking Bad’ I checked out Albuquerque and Santa Fe on Route 66, but was disappointed as it was a quiet day with few characters about. A local online travel counsellor who knew America well, helped me plan with a very flexible itinerary. She would book some flights and hotels in advance of my next city, so avoiding dodgy areas and saving me from wandering the streets with a heavy rucksack late at night.
AP: Were there any places you didn’t go to but wished you had?
CP: Inevitably in such a vast country my project was just a snapshot, but with hindsight there definitely was. Places such as El Paso on the Texas and Mexico border to try and reflect that centre of political controversy, for example. I also wanted to capture some of the election campaigning, but on my first visit in the spring of 2023, it was just warming up. However, in April 2024 I did witness pro and anti Trump protesters clashing outside the Supreme Court in Washington. I wish I had gone into the rural heartlands and swing States and also Miami but I ran out of time and money. I needed a year to do the project any sort of justice… perhaps I should have gone to Niagara Falls but reckoned I would just get soaked or, perhaps at Grand Canyon where I might see a few tourists admiring the view.
AP: What were your highlights? Will you be going back to any of them?
CP: I wanted to see more of the old America, so Fort Worth in Texas was perfect with its cowboys but unfortunately no rodeo. However, an added bonus was capturing a crowd gazing up at a total eclipse of the sun.
In spring 2023 I went for 50 days including Las Vegas where I just couldn’t get my mojo working in a search for some tacky Parr-esque images. I am glad I returned a year later for an extra 30 days and was rewarded by snapping a very drunk Elvis in a buggy on an escalator.
I loved Nashville – it was packed and buzzing with music filling the streets. But it was sadly marred by another mass shooting close by. Then an amazing coincidence happened while waiting for an Uber outside my hotel. A couple asked where I was from and on replying “Peterborough”, a man in the queue said he was too and that I had taken his picture 40 years ago and again in 2022 for my Reunions 2 book.
It was important that I reflected the national obsession with baseball which was not easy as some stadiums banned ‘professional-looking cameras or longer lenses, although ironically camera phones were not a problem. Fortunately, I managed to capture games in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
The poignant Washington Vietnam war memorial where I saw relatives searching amongst the 50,000 names for their loved ones. Nearby, the impressive Martin Luther King sculpture brought to mind ‘I have dream’ and the long struggle for civil rights. My image of two children in Baltimore holding hands sums it up for me. That night I was asleep in my hotel while around the corner six people were injured in a nightclub shooting.
Walking miles around a baking hot and tourist-packed Washington, I spotted a lone police officer guarding the steps of the Capitol building, cocooned in sheets and scaffolding. As I reflected on the attempted coup of January 6th 2021 a genial man and gun owner informed me the attack was all staged by the FBI and that the Sandy Hook school shootings was the work of paid actors!
Not exactly a highlight but just as memorable was in New York and just before my night flight home, when I ran after a dog wearing a pink tutu and went flying. Cradling my ‘baby’, I landed smack on my jaw in a square of hard mud where a tree had once grown. I was lucky that I managed to avoid using the American health system and the dental damage could wait until my beloved NHS sorted me out. To add insult to injury, I missed the picture too!
At almost 72 I will probably not return and there’s plenty in dear old Blighty to keep me busy.
AP: Did you find that the cities had lots in common, or were they all quite different?
CP: New York ‘the city that never sleeps’ is a street photographer’s paradise where you are spoiled for choice with great characters and backdrops. In other big cities, such as Dallas or Detroit I found the same kind of photography particularly hard as the car is king. The cities are devoted to massive multi-storey and subterranean car parks, valet parking, wide roads and pavements that are devoid of people in some dystopian concrete jungle. Noxious fumes belched from enormous tank like vehicles with their drivers concealed behind darkened glass. Most buildings were also obscured, and it is only on opening a door you realise what’s inside and where all the people were. I walked miles through litter-strewn streets unsuccessfully trying to avoid human excrement; passing by shop security guards armed with guns and tasers.
I didn’t want to overdo images of the dispossessed but I had to reflect what I was seeing in front of me. I was saddened to witness the shocking effects of the opioid crisis on fellow human beings. Like scenes from a zombie movie they staggered around, ranting and raving, lying comatose in doorways and gutters, rags hanging off them, exposing festering sores on oedematous limbs. These scenes were replicated in other cities such as Hollywood with tents on sidewalks alongside the red carpets of Oscar night. In the US, there’s simply no safety net. In Britain, we have problems but fortunately we still have a welfare state and it shows.
AP: How do you find the streets of the US compare with the streets of the UK and Europe?
CP: In 2023, I landed in San Francisco to an inauspicious start. On a filthy graffiti-covered airport shuttle train to downtown, a man sat behind me shouting, ‘I want to stab something.’ Then, with a large pair of red scissors, he destroyed his seat. Camera-in-hand I was tempted, but took my cue from sensible locals who had already moved to the next carriage to await the police. Our tube feels safe and pristine by comparison.
I don’t want to make sweeping generalisations but there are stark contrasts to some of the US cities. In Europe, it’s probably why Venice is one of my favourites – simply because of the refreshing absence of cars.
AP: You say you don’t know necessarily what it is you’re looking for when you go out – but are you going out looking for “moments” or do you just see if you get lucky?
CP: You do make your own luck and street photography is about walking many miles and letting serendipity play its role. As with my multi coloured punks from the eighties, I still look out for characters who stand out from the madding crowd and humorous juxtapositions and interactions that are often missed. A bit like fishing where I would walk all day without a bite, tired and despondent and about to go home when suddenly, out of the blue, on walks Philly Man who was made for the front cover!
AP: How long do you spend each day (roughly) walking around waiting for something to catch your eye? Do you tend to stay in one place and let action unfold in front of you or do you approach it differently?
CP: “All the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances.” So I wait and wait, and if no joy I find another stage. How do you capture those iconic places that have been photographed millions of times in a different way? For me, it is about finding the right character to match.
I probably spend a minimum of twelve hours walking up to twenty miles hunting for that decisive and elusive moment. In fact, I walked over seven hundred miles, along with thousands of miles on slow infrequent Amtrak trains, Greyhound coaches and inevitably planes to save time
AP: Did people mind you photographing? Do you think you have a different viewpoint/vantage point as an outsider, compared to say when you’re photographing in the UK?
CP: I get into lost tourist mode, and not being a street photography purist I do a mixture of candid and engagement. In fact, I often provoke eye contact as it usually produces a stronger picture. Worry about the response from strangers is the main reason given for not pursuing street photography but I have rarely had problems. Most are flattered and I find a smile and an explanation goes a long way.
AP: Can you tell us about the gear that you use?
CP: In the eighties, I was a bit shyer, so I did some telephoto work but I now realise the social context such as the shops is crucial. I try to adopt the maxim of one of my photojournalist heroes, Robert Capa: “If your photograph is not good enough, then you are not close enough.” Tragically he got too close in Indochina! I use a Canon 5D Mark III and EF 24 – 70 mm f/2.8 L USM lens. I thought getting a compact Fuji X100 would make me a less conspicuous, a better photographer and produce better images. It didn’t!
I must admit, when I walk around town, I rarely take the heavy gear now except for projects like my American trip. I was a bit sniffy about mobile phones and despite the limitations of no viewfinder and overriding settings, I am beginning to appreciate the advantages. The quality is so good with raw shooting available too and its always with you.
AP: Do you tend to shoot in one particular mode?
CP: My former career as a paramedic taught me to be always ready to respond immediately to the unexpected. To seize the moment before it has gone. So it is with street photography and why my best shot ever was in Union Square New York of a leaping collie dog. I actually shot from my chest and would have been gutted had it been blurred or out of focus.
My camera is always set on aperture priority at a fast shutter speed and small aperture. Say a minimum of about 800 -1000 sec at around f8 or more. The lens is usually at the 24 -28 end and I use my feet as a zoom. I move around the subject as great potential pictures are usually ruined by messy backgrounds that ruin your composition with sticking out limbs and polybags.
I use manual ISO, upping it if needed as it’s better to have a bit of noise than a blurred image. It’s crucial to have a filter on to protect the lens and sometimes a lens hood, although being careful of vignetting when it slips. Always check for raindrops, as I find they will always end up in middle of the face! Focus points I often set at max for quick grab shots of general crowds and individual points for more precision.
Additionally, I shoot on rapid burst mode too with raw and jpegs. Shooting sometimes from crazy angles to give impact, I avoid harsh sunlight by walking on the shady side of the street. I’m constantly scanning the horizon and rechecking settings as somehow they move! I always carry spare charged batteries and memory cards, comfy shoes, rucksack with sarnies and water plus protective gear.
It’s no good being a fair-weather photographer as the best shots are to be had where others fear to tread. Again, my old career comes into play with dangers first and watching your back. Avoiding dodgy ill lit alleys and dead ends.
AP: Do you do any post-production to the pictures?
CP: I am a bit of a technophobe (my age) so have to keep it basic. There’s no substitute for getting it right first time in camera, rather than roll it in glitter later. I learned more from the Sunday Times picture editor Harold Evans seminal work ‘Pictures on a Page’ than any other photo book. Just simple cropping for instance can make such a difference to those grab shots. I see a potential picture and get a few in the can just in case and then wait for things to develop and maybe a better picture will emerge.
AP: Have you gotten any better at editing your own work?
CP: Fortunately I had a little bit of help from my friends with constructive critique from a great mentor and former photo editor. He would look at my images and say rubbish, boring, so what, leaves me cold, delete, delete, delete! As I could not find a publisher, I was very lucky to find a great graphic designer who makes my photographs sing in the books and also distributes them for me too.
I am slowly learning that less is more and that viewers get bored with too many similar pictures which will dilute your strong ones. Sometimes just one strong picture can tell the story.
Unlike my early books, I have tried to curate more tightly and resisted the temptation to justify and include weaker images. For example, I walked around St Louis for two days without a decent picture so the city does not feature. Likewise, despite all the expense and effort to capture the iconic Golden Gate, I left empty handed. As you do with digital I took thousands of images but deleted the vast majority as they were technically poor or just boring.
AP: What’s been the reaction to this book?
CP: Despite the compromises I am pleased with the outcome and the print quality is great. The man featured sitting on the White House Wall holding a placard with ‘Hate will not make America Great’ is a retired Washington professor in his eighties. Frustrated with Trump, he has protested there most days for five years and upset with the result he has now returned to his vigil in winter. I asked him what he thought after receiving my book. He loved it but did not feel it reflected the very divided and angry America that he sees and feels. He has a point, but I replied that I hope it also shows a more positive and happier side of his country and what can be.
The problem is the book at £15 is cheap enough, but it costs an extra £35 to send it to the States. So apart from to those who are actually in the book, I have sold very few there. Here in the UK, it is still quite niche although very topical. I hope this feature will appeal to AP readers who might then want to see more of my quirky take on America. It’s all for a good cause too, as part of the proceeds goes to Breast Cancer Research in memory of Lesley, the love of my life for fifty years.
AP: You’ve said that this is going to be your last book – why is that?
CP: Along with just published Barking 2! (inspired by Elliot Erwitt) I have self-published ten books now. I do not have time for another Reunions project as I would be over a century, although cameras can be mounted to Zimmer frames! There is no substitute for the smell and feel of a photography book compared to a screen but they are very expensive to produce and time consuming to make.
Never say never, but I feel it’s time for a different direction as I have honed my craft on the streets and now find street photography lacks purpose for me. I enjoy social documentary-type work, such as my NHS book homage ‘Just Be Kind’ which covers my forty seven year career. My then and now Reunions exhibition based on my two books proved very popular and was attended by over 11,000 in Peterborough. I have tried to garner London interest, but sadly to no avail. Hopefully one day, but not posthumously as you cannot read the reviews….
Commissions and projects perhaps such as the one at London Luton airport displaying my images over the past seven years, which enabled me to buy a decent camera. So any offers of expenses paid trips back to Europe or even America would be welcome while my legs and brain still work! Seize the moment!
Streets of America is available to buy now. You can buy a copy for just £20 including postage (to the UK) by visiting chrisporsz.com. Barking 2! Is also available, priced at £13 including postage.
Related reading:
- Tips for striking street photography
- Chris Porsz: the inside story of the amazing street photography project ‘Reunions’
- How to set up your camera for street photography
