Richard Renaldi: Strangers in New York: Photographing People

Richard Renaldi led an energetic workshop at Aperture on October 5 and 6 called Strangers in New York: Photographing People. He shared methods for photographing strangers—a focus in his own practice, such as in his series Touching Strangers. In the classroom, Renaldi provided students with subtle strategies for engaging with members of the public. Students then traveled to Herald Square, where they had the opportunity to work closely alongside Renaldi as they made portraits of people in the street. The course continued with the review of each student’s work and a discussion of techniques for improvement. The workshop was a valuable lesson in a fundamental photographic paradigm, the street portrait.

From the students:

“Loved this workshop. Richard was a great instructor and provided a lot of useful advice for making better portraits.”

“The one-on-one time that Richard spent with each of us on location was incredibly valuable.”

Join Richard Renaldi for a two-day intensive workshop for students wishing to sharpen their skills making portraits of strangers. The curriculum will cover the construction of engaging portraits, the figure/ground relationship, the use of creative perspectives, and the decisive acuity required for spontaneous portraiture. The class will begin with the friendly discussion of students’ portfolios, during which each student will receive personalized feedback and tasks for improvement. Students will then study and discuss the precedent of successful portrait photographers, deconstructing varied examples to further their own work. Renaldi will also lead an afternoon excursion on location during which students will be encouraged to approach and photograph people spontaneously. The class will end with the discussion and critique of the assigned shoot. Students are encouraged to photograph digitally to allow ample time for review. The workshop’s main objective is to provide students with a technical and conceptual fluency that they may apply within their own practice.

Born in Chicago in 1968, Richard Renaldi received his BFA in photography from New York University in 1990. Exhibitions of his photographs have been mounted in galleries and museums throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In 2006 Renaldi’s first monograph, Figure and Ground, was published by Aperture. His second monograph, Fall River Boys, was released in 2009. Renaldi is the founder and publisher of Charles Lane Press, an independent publisher that showcases important new projects by contemporary photographers.