Photography Studio Creates a Street Photography Website For Use by Its Employees and Interns

A "Street Photography" website was created earlier this year by H&H Photographers in Irvington for posting of photos taken by the company's office personnel and interns. This is strictly a recreational program unrelated to company business. It might be considered an employee benefit just like a game room with chess and checkers boards but is not nearly as expensive to implement. 

"Street Photography is not a new concept," studio co-owner Dan Fried explained. "Anyone can do it. All you need to do is carry a camera. if you look for them, the opportunities will be there."

An example of street photography is the much-reproduced picture of a sailor kissing a bentover-backwards young lady in a white dress taken in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945.

H&H staff members submit their photos each week to company sales manager Kat Bride and a limited number are selected for the website. "Once the photos are posted, they become a favorite topic of discussion around the office," Bride said.

"The photos need not necessarily be street scenes," Fried said. "They can just be pictures taken while commuting to work or walking around town." The website currently includes pictures of fishermen on a jetty, subway train passengers, examples of gothic architecture, night city lights, a girl walking in the rain and even graffiti.

"The criteria for choosing a photo for the website is simple," Bride said. "Pictures have to be unstaged and reflect the character, grit, beauty and surprises of the city. This is reflected in the team's photos of monuments, people, the skyline, landscapes, rivers and gardens."  

H&H Photographers is a 68-year-old, full-service photography and video studio in Irvington, owned by Fried and Larry Gillet; the company was founded by their fathers.

Fried, a Cornell University graduate, worked for 13 years as a producer in Hollywood. Films he helped bring to the screen include “O,” a modern version of Shakespeare’s Othello (2001); “The Illusion” starring Kirk Douglas as an aged film director reunited with an estranged son (2004); “So I Married an Axe Murderer” (1993); Rudy (1993); and “The Stupids”, directed by John Landis (1996).

"The internet has made street photography more popular than ever," Fried pointed out.  "Some of the work you find online is brilliant and can really transport you."

Bride earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Fordham. Before joining H&H Photographers earlier this year, she worked as a concierge in the hotel industry.

To see the Street Photography website, go to www.hhphotogsummerstreets2013.tumblr.com.

H&H Photographers, 50 S Buckhout St, Irvington, NY, 914-591-4200. www.handhphotographers.com