An interview with Jeremy Perez-Cruz

American street photographer Jeremy Perez-Cruz won our recent STREET LIFE competition with a stunning image taken on the streets of New York. Judge Philip-Lorca diCorcia praised it for its sense of mystery and surprise, and we called it “a marvelous image tinted with ambiguity, that comments obliquely on the structure of our urban spaces. This man peers through a portal into a world brighter, and perhaps full of more possibility than the drab, empty and repressive one he inhabits. Hard hat lowered to his side, and met by his own reflection, it evokes feelings of longing, escape and might-have-beens quite brilliantly.”

We put some questions to Jeremy – about the image, his love of street photography, life in New York during the pandemic, and what he wishes he could tell his younger self. His answers were as engaging as his image-making…

Hi Jeremy. Firstly, congratulations on winning our recent Street Life theme. Can you tell us a little bit about your winning image, and what it means to you?

Thanks so much! Philip-Lorca diCorcia is one of my personal heroes so this one feels very special. It’s funny, I don’t think too deeply about the meaning of my own photographs. There is something special about allowing people to look at an image and have them build their own stories. I’m really only ever trying to find interesting “moments” and then put a frame around them. The goal is to capture a unique moment in an intriguing way, and hopefully that image provokes investigation by the audience.

So, instead, it might be more interesting to explain how I found the moment? I had a herniated disc in my back and was going to a Chiropractor on 46th street a couple of times a week, for about a month. Around that time, they had torn down a building on 44th and the light would pour in through this gap in the skyline and reflect off a bank building. It was a perfect New York corner – beautiful light, a steam pipe, mid-town commuters, a green construction wall, a bagel cart – and I shot it for about 2 hours before every doctor’s appointment. As construction began on the new building, I’d often find people looking through the portal on the barricade (which offered views of the Chrysler building) and this particular day an older man spent a little extra time at the window. His solitude, pensive look and reflection drew me in and I made the picture.

This image seems symbolic of much of your work – quiet observations in the urban realm, often with a sole protagonist, in which you elevate mundane moments into ones ripe with beauty or intrigue. Is that a fair reflection on your work and aims?

That’s a very fair assessment of much of my public-facing work. I have a few different compositional themes I find myself returning to, and many over the past 18 months have involved more packed-frames with multiple subjects. But, there has always been something interesting about isolated figures in a busy metropolis. Both in the challenge of shooting but also in the conceptual idea of how one can, often, feel alone in even the most populous of places. We are constantly surrounded by millions of people and somehow completely disconnected. That’s an insight into my desire to be observational and celebrate what most others ignore. When I’m asked “how did you find this stuff?” the answer is, literally, just look around. To quote Winogrand, “No one moment is most important. Any moment can be something.”

Where did your love for street photography come from? And what inspires you to keep working at it?

There is so much that, known or otherwise, has helped spark and foster this love of street photography. The first and primary reason is opportunity. You don’t need much else besides a way to take a photo and a decent pair of shoes. Walk outside, the entire world is your studio and every person is your subject. It’s a very democratic art form. Besides low-barrier to entry, there was an inflection point of moving to New York City the same moment Instagram was released. No longer burdened by a car-centric culture, I began walking everywhere. I always had a camera (my phone) to take photos with and a place (Instagram) to share those images. Finally, as a former jazz musician, I love improvisation. Taking the same walk every day and being able to observe completely new things is both energizing and fascinating.

I notice you work mostly in single images. Is this a deliberate choice? Or are you also working on themed or unified series of work?

It’s mostly deliberate. I enjoy the freedom of leaving my apartment with no preconception of what I might make pictures of. Patterns emerge upon reviewing, but I’m not usually consciously thinking of a theme or series. As a career graphic designer and marketer – I have existed in a world of briefs, approvals, KPIs – I enjoy my photography being the antithesis of that. The only rule I’m usually bound by is that I only take one, prime, lens with me – and that’s mostly to reduce my decision making by a step.

Do you have a favorite image or two you’ve taken that you can share with us? Why these ones?

The first is “The Bird Walkers” [image directly above]. I included this one because it was shot the same week and location as the winning photo. The quality of light is exceptional and all of the subjects moving in the same direction gives the image real momentum (it was originally title One Direction). The icing is, of course, the eye contact of the young man while the adult accompanying him ignores everything around them. It’s a small comment on the curiosity of the young that is lost as many grow older.

I’d also pick “We The People” [article banner image, which was also included in the winning shortlist for our Civilization competition in August 2020]. An example of a day where I was going out to protest, not take pictures, and I just so happened to catch this scene. In relationship to the previous image, I always have a habit of looking up and/or behind me when I shoot, and it paid off in this instance. Couldn’t help but wonder what the younger person in the window was thinking, and who the adult woman on the phone was talking to amidst the unrest.

You’re based in New York, which has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s it been like in the city? How has it impacted your work?

The city – specifically Manhattan – had been strangely quiet. Funny enough, the working class neighborhoods that were hit the hardest, seemed to stay buzzing throughout the entire ordeal. Things have perked up a bit in the past 3-4 weeks. When the protests for social justice burst onto the scene, it brought a lot of energy back to the city. And now, the outdoor dining booths have helped the city feel more normal – people are on the streets again.

As far as impact goes, it’s impacted my work in a number of ways. An unfortunate part of being a self-employed American is that I don’t have health insurance, so I basically didn’t leave my house for 3 months for anything but groceries (with one other exception, to go protest). As rare of a moment in time as the lock-down was, I had to weigh how much risk I was willing to take with my future and opted for the safe route – not just for me, but for my friends, neighbors, family.

My shooting during the pandemic has been 90% film, and 100% in Brooklyn. As someone who is normally a high-volume shooter, it’s been a nice change of pace slow down a bit and really focus on a few blocks of the city.

What’s the one piece of advice you wish you could go back in time and give to your younger self, or would pass on to other aspiring street photographers?

I wish I would have started shooting more frequently, earlier. There is really no substitute for walking as much as possible and taking as many pictures as possible. The more you practice your craft the better you become. The result is being more intuitive with your tools/camera, understanding nuances of light, becoming more observant, anticipating people’s movements, increased confidence.

And finally, what’s keeping you busy right now?

I’ve been really focused on my design and advertising work and enjoying exploring film photography. I’m working on a personal cookbook project with my partner as well as curating some photo sets for a zine series I’m hoping to launch in 2021.