An Exclusive Interview with Keith Goldstein

I feel extremely honored and flattered that my image was chosen for 2nd place in photo of the month.

"Fish Mongers" was taken while I was a student at the School of Visual Arts. I was in their first overseas program studying abroad in Tangiers, Morocco. Everyday I loved to just get up and walk the city with my camera and pocketful of film. It was my first time traveling overseas and everything was so much of interest. I felt lucky to be able to have this opportunity to travel. Morocco was like a waking dream. I loved the culture, the people, the history, the city, the light was extraordinary. I found myself walking through a small local street market and saw this little crowd of people standing about. I walked over and saw them looking down at this small pile of fish placed on a burlap bag and arranged neatly for sale. I only had time to make one image as I was starting to be pestered by some small boys.

I have been on this journey for a long time. Being older and still doing photography is quite different from when one is young. I feel more mature in my vision, more confident. It is nice to look back and see where I have come from. Concerns and themes are pretty much the same, but my approach is more calm and directed. Still there are those days and moments when I want to throw everything away! It only shows me that I am human!

Where I spent my time as a small boy, I look back and think was boring. Not extremely culturally diverse. I had to deal with the apathetic nature of the suburbs of New York City and prejudice. It wasn't until my teens when I went off to college and then moved to New York City did I experience the immense cultural diversity that makes up our planet. It made me hungry for exploration.

I believe as I age I have become more interested in "street" and documentary genres. They satisfy my need to keep moving and explore new neighborhoods, countries, cities, and cultures. It helps me to explain my experience of living and my sense of place in the world.

I believe one's style should just form and develop as one practices the medium through time and experience. Style are the products of who we are, our personal make-up, our personal diverse interests, the equipment we use, the books we read, the movies we watch, etc.. These all indirectly/directly inform our style, our selves. Through time and experience, one begins to notice certain aspects within our images. These attributes begin to become more informed within us and show within our images as we gain more experience.

I have been exhibiting my work for many years. In the beginning of my exhibiting career, I would do all of the usual portfolio drop-off reviews that were sponsored by local galleries. Finding the right gallery to exhibit in is as important as as having the gallery choose your work. It is important that one's work fits into the gallery. This means following a gallery's exhibitions for many months to see if it is the right fit.

Other then work, freelancing, exhibiting, and a supportive group of photographer friends and family, I am not that involved with photography organizations.

Just do what is close to your heart. One can't expect to be a good or a great photographer overnight. Like life, photography should a part of that journey. The more you live, the more experiences you gather, the more it will show in your images. Don't be afraid of failures or depression. Work through them. Learn from them. They are the digestions of your highs!.