Nancy Kaye – It’s about the story

After I finish an interview I write down two or three things I learned from our guest. That’s why the title of this episode is “It’s about the story.” Nancy Kaye is a photojournalist and educator from Los Angeles. During her career she has been based in New York City and London, shooting for The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Associated Press.

During our conversation Nancy said something that really resonated with me. She said that a single image can be strong on its own, but when sequenced in a group with a common theme the synergy it creates is much more powerful. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Nancy’s photos have been widely exhibited in juried shows and included in numerous books and documentaries. Her portrait of author Ralph Ellison is in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In 1988 Nancy photographed a group of young girls in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood for The NY Times; a generation later she collaborated on a project, “Jump Rope Girls,” documenting the girls’ lives as adults with children of their own, and presented it at Duke University’s Documentary Study Center.

As an educator she’s taught at LA Valley College and Santa Monica College Continuing Education, and American Jewish University’s Whizin Center where she worked with Rotem Rosental. She has mentored youth at Venice Arts and developed an after school photo program for teens in Culver City. She leads independent street photo workshops, guiding photographers to define their personal projects.

Recently, she has served as a photo judge and curator for Photoville LA, ASMP-LA calls for entry, and the Orange County Fair. She’s currently President of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP.)

Editor’s note: Nancy Kaye was the featured photographer of the month in the July 2023 issue of Street Photography Magazine. For an in-depth look at her work, read the article “Thinking in Stories.”

A selection of Nancy’s street photos

Links from the show

• Nancy’s website
• Book Recommendation: André Kerté
• André Kertész On Reading
• Mark Greenberg
• J Ross Baughman
• Maggie Steber