Alt Perspective: Philip Case Cohen

One of the greatest joys of being a photographer, for me, is discovering the talents of other new photographers.  Sometimes, an image or two from a new person falls within your purview.  It registers but is as easily forgotten.  Other times, you get blasted with series of 1-2 punches that just fall dead center on your radar and you keep going back to see the images again.  At least, that is what happened to me when I first became aware of Philip Case Cohen.  After spending a few minutes perusing Phil’s images on the always-affable ‘The Daily Portsmouth‘ and seeing the love and reverence for his town bleed through his words, you can see why I am proud to showcase him as my first guest blogger on this ‘Alt Perspective’ series.  Many people take photos of where they live.  Phil goes beyond that to truly immerse you in it.  When viewing his images, you can feel the coastal wind blowing and smell the salty ocean spray.  I am really glad to have met Phil and look forward to all of the fantastic images that he has to share.

You can follow Phil on Twitter and on Facebook

Photography on New Hampshire’s Seacoast – Philip Case Cohen

First and foremost – a huge thank you is due to Brian Matiash.  This gentleman was kind enough to make a very long drive on a cold winter night to head north to Portsmouth for my very first gallery opening, before ever meeting in person.  I first came across Brian’s work on HDR-Spotting and in some Boston Flickr groups – and I was immediately blown away.  The fact that such a great HDR photog/pioneer was willing to make the drive really meant a lot.  (It was a great night, well attended despite the winter – and people were amazed at the HDRimages that they were seeing for the first time).  On top of that, I was honored that Brian reached out to give me an opportunity to share some of my work, and my passion for photography and for the New Hampshire Seacoast and Portsmouth in particular…..and now on to my rambling:

The world is a beautiful place.  Photographers tend to have a need to consume the beauty of the world around them, documenting and often sharing their experience in the process.  For some, the experience is a selfish endeavor – and others prefer to share that experience with a broader audience.  Since purchasing my first digital camera just over a year ago, I think I’ve meandered back and forth between the two.  I’ve since come to appreciate the pleasure and the great benefit of interacting in the photographic community as well as the local community.

I happen to live in what I believe to be one of the most photogenic and certainly one of the most historic coastal New England towns, Portsmouth, NH.  When I first started shooting, I was mostly selfish and sought to shoot in solace and enjoy the quiet of the process, walking through downtown, the historic South End, and near the waterfront – and in the process I began to personify the place I live and love.  It soon became clear that there were locals who felt the same way about this place that we live and work in, and more and more people began to tune in to a blog I had created at www.thedailyportsmouth.com.  It made me appreciate feedback and interacting with a broad swath of people – and crave more interaction and more feedback.

One of the most rewarding parts of the process has been the community support I’ve received from people who love our area so much, and have become regulars at The Daily Portsmouth because they enjoy seeing where we live and work romanticized through daily posts – and because the interweb makes it so easy to consume the media.  (It just so happens Portsmouth was also recently deemed one of the most romantic places in the world by MSNBC).  Making photography part of my daily routine has provided me with a fantastic creative outlet to complement my day-to-day routine as a commercial real estate lender….and even more surprising, I’ve been fascinated to see non-photographers embrace the HDR photography in such a huge way – as they’ve really never seen the place they love captured in the way they actually remember it.  (I’ll talk about why I love processing in another post some day…)

I’m eager to continue to develop my abilities and refine my shooting style.  While, admittedly, I’m a long way from some of the most highly talented photographers out there today, I continue to be inspired by the work of others and I’m thankful that they help to give me something to strive towards.  If you haven’t been yet, I would encourage you to come visit Portsmouth, NH and be sure to bring your camera to Prescott Park, stroll through Market Square, have an adult beverage on The Decks – or feel free to reach out for some other unique spots to shoot.