Up close and personal in Steven Hirsch’s New York
- Text by Miss Rosen
- Photography by Steven Hirsch
Brooklyn’s own Steven Hirsch hit the streets of his native town back in the 1970s during the golden age of street photography. Inspired by Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, and Lee Friedlander, Hirsch loaded his Leica with Tri-X film before heading out on what he describes as the “daily adventure” that is life in New York.
But by the ’90s, Hirsch switched it up. He began shooting in colour, and the results were glorious. “In the beginning, I didn’t shoot with a flash,” he recalls. “Then I used a flash exclusively and the colour would vibrate off surfaces. It became a whole new world.”
The result is Creatures, a series of street photographs of some of New York’s most curious characters going about their business. “My work is going for the real characters. It’s all biographical. My pictures are all about things in my head, and then I see them and photograph them.”
For Hirsch, photography is personal. It’s a portal across time, from one moment to the next, lived out on the streets he has walked for decades on end. “I only care about New York, the grittiness, and the real characters,” he says. “There’s an empathy I have for certain people that goes back to the roots of who I am. If you are really true to your work and your art, it’s all personal.”
“As you get older, you start to analyse who you are, where you come from and what you are doing. You have so much history to go back to figure out how you got to this point… None of the people in my photographs are talking to me, but I still see the characters in everyone.”
Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Queer resistance & sun-soaked solidarity at the world’s largest trans pride march
Our Future, Our Fight — Over the weekend, over 150,000 people marched at the London Trans+ Pride, with the parade ending at Trafalgar Square for the first time in history.
Written by: Ella Glossop
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Youthful joy & end-of-era poignancy at a London school prom
Leavers — For several years, Lewis Khan documented young people as they celebrated the last of their school days and the completion of their exams. The series is now collated in a new self-published photobook and short film.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
Harry Gruyaert’s vintage, kaleidoscopic scenes of New York
A Sense of Place — For 50 years, the Belgian photographer and Magnum Photos member has been capturing NYC’s colourful chaos. A new photobook and exhibition showcase his unique, technicolour view of the city.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In the pit at one of the UK’s last stock car & banger speedways
Stock Car Racing Isn’t Dead — Photographer Liam McCarthy spent time in and around the Arlington Raceway’s circuit, capturing the diehard community that keeps the sport alive.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Inside Lower Duck Pond, the nicest town on the internet
/r/HaveWeMet — With a population of 2,500 and no fixed location, the subreddit is a space for roleplaying citizens to solve mysteries, host fictional events and ultimately connect. In an internet that’s often divided and toxic, Vicky Jessop hangs out in one of its most wholesome corners.
Written by: Vicky Jessop
