Subway by Paul Kessel

11 Apr

“I am more interested in how the photograph will look than I am in the people being photographed. For me, people I see on the street are primarily visual elements for a photograph. I observe their appearance, gestures and how they interact with the background and the quality of light. Some photographers snap away constantly and take over a thousand shots in a day. Others wait for special moments and press the shutter relatively infrequently. I fall into the latter category. I do not search for ‘emotional moments’. I believe that photographers are not capable of seeing ‘emotions’. The best we can do is catch expressions and gestures which may or may not reflect an emotional state or elicit emotion in the viewer. Admittedly, sometimes the composition is largely contingent on luck more than my perceptual ability.”

The cover image has sparked controversy on social media. Kessel always strives to create a layered street scene with multiple elements and activities. What is striking about his images is their complexity. The composition perfectly harmonizes the chaos. In an interview some time ago he recalled something that could explain his style: "As I reflect on my preferences, I realize that there might be some history to this. Although I have had no art education and have almost never been exposed to art due to my family dynamics, I remember having two posters of paintings hanging in my room as a child. One by Bosch and the other by Dali. Both were complex and full of stuff throughout the frame. I have a hunch that this might have influenced my photographic preferences."

Paul Kessel is from New York, and worked as a clinical psychologist and a university teacher. He started his photography journey in 2008 with classes at The International Center of Photography and has also studied privately with several photographers and at The Maine Media Workshops. His passion is street photography, which he, as he says, approaches as a sport, treating it similarly to his previous experience as a competitive amateur golfer. He strives to capture candid street scenes that showcase interaction, movement, and layers, often involving people. Even though his objective may be difficult to attain, it serves as a source of inspiration to him.

Paul Kessel

winner 2022 ProgresFestival