Taylor Sperring
A street photographer working in New York City. Press camera, instant and sheet films, flashbulbs — portraits made on the spot, on the sidewalk, for the people in them.
In 2011, photographer Ian Adam Bull put a medium format camera in my hand. The nuances of film fascinated me. My darkroom training came later, under Sean Black at the University of Miami.
Over the years I standardized around the Graflex Crown Graphic, the iconic American press camera. A natural extension of my body — the muscle memory, the field of view that matches my eye, the ergonomics that suit me.
In 2014 I met two elder photographers who expressed interest in my talent: Louis Mendes and Bob Taylor. We worked in public together, sold portraits, shot nightlife. From Louis, again and again: “Don’t be afraid to ask for the money.” “Take the cameras with you everywhere.”
Photography to me is not just about making money taking a quick snapshot — it’s about communicating with the people around you, and making them feel happy and connected to the world around them.
From my narration in a 16mm film by Olaf Taittinger, 2016
From Paris to Nicaragua, the camera has traveled. Subjects have included Henry Diltz, Mick Rock, Allan Tannenbaum, and Al Freni.
Recent work has been at Mac’s Club Deuce in Miami Beach — Miami’s oldest bar — multi-exposures of the vintage neon, mementos for the patrons and staff.
Capturing the heat of a flashbulb; creating the print in someone’s hand — an intersection of people and light, without pre-arrangement. The photographs stay with those who paid for them.
This is not a portfolio, a resume, or an advertisement. An authentic experience is what matters to me.
What still makes my hands shake, after more than a decade, is the moment of revealing a great photo to a subject for the first time.
In 2017, I met the software developer Tom Lackner at The Corner in Miami, while I was photographing. He gave me his own stash of film and a 4x5 Graphic camera that night. The fleet I built now hosts his project Graydient, this site, and Scanex — my own software for film-to-digital workflows.
“Let it be known that life as we see it today will not be the same in the future, and what we capture and what we share must be documented accurately, and without discrepancies.” From the same narration · 2016