John Michael Swartz

I'm stealing and modifying a phrase from one of several friends (and lovers) who have lived near to me in Kensington, Brooklyn before (inevitably, it seems) moving away: Kensing-core. From a walk to and from a liaison with one such local lover on 3/19/2025.

Especially after a hard winter, this neighborhood's surfaces take on a beleaguered character more interesting than (and at odds with) its typically bland blankness. The same is true during Jewish holidays, like Purim, or the occasional Hindu wedding.

Nothing much to say on process or technique here, except that I'm now shooting mainly with the electronic shutter, which takes some getting used to. The lack of aural and tactile feedback gives the impression that you haven't actually taken the picture.

Also, surprise! I do sometimes take pictures of strangers on the street, even if at coy distances.

Speaking of things I have been conscientiously leaving out of the frame: I really, truly, vividly dislike cars in principle. And most of the current models are visually boring and ugly. If they're not being used to crash into trees and people, they're heaped up everywhere in the way of an otherwise interesting composition.