You don’t ask, you don’t get – Interview with Randall Roberts

I’m finally settling in from our epic move to beautiful Central Virginia. A few times I was beginning to feel like Moses, but things are beginning to get back to normal. Except for the hurricane of course. That’s something I never had to think about in the great white north.

September Issue of SPM scheduled to publish on Saturday, September 15

Last month we switched up our publishing schedule to the 15th of each month. It seems to have been well received by everyone. This month our very own Ashley Hunsberger wrote a vey cool article about her experience shooting with an old film camera (purchased at a garage sale) on the streets of New York. She is a gifted story teller, so don’t miss it.

However, with Hurricane Florence heading our way, we may publish a little early or late. How’s that for being specific? But if it turns south it could smash right int Ashley’s place in Florida…which would the publication schedule back…not to mention Ashley. And if it makes landfall up here and stalls (which they are predicting) we could be in for trouble. And I thought I was moving to milder weather.

Miami Street Photography Festival contest entry deadline October 1

Just a quick reminder that the deadline to enter the annual Miami Street Photography Festival contest is Saturday, October 1. It’s one of the major competitions of the year so, if you’re on the fence it’s time to go for it. There are three separate contests: Singles Contest, International Series Contest and Miami Photo Series .

I will be there this year and plan to give a presentation / Q&A about publishing your work. If you will be in Miami that week be sure to look me up. I’d love to meet as many members of the SPM community as possible.

The festival itself will be held December 6-9, 2018 at HistoryMiami Museum in Miami, Florida. I can’t think of a better time to be in Miami.

Randall Roberts

I first met our guest, Randall Roberts, in July of 2016 when SPM sponsored a photo walk at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Randall drove up from Western Pennsylvania join a motley group of locals to help document convention activities around the edges. It was a crazy day of non-stop street opportunities that I hope we can repeat again soon. In fact I have an idea cooking as I write this.

Randall is an avid street photographer from a very small town in western Pennsylvania. But he doesn’t let the fact that his talent has very little street life keep him from being active in street photography. He makes the time to go where the action is and he is created a compelling ongoing project that forces him to push the envelope of his street portrait skills.

His of “you don’t ask, you don’t get” attitude enabled him to pick up the phone and obtain press credentials for a large outdoor music festival in Ohio. As a result he was able to photograph backstage and in the “pit” in front of the stage and have one of his Instagram photos hared by country singer Cowboy Troy to millions of his followers.

Randall says it’s not hard, just go out and do it. To learn more listen to the podcast with my conversation with Randall Roberts.

A selection of Randall’s street photos

Girl by the Fountain

Cowboy Troy In Concert

Randall’s Links

1. Facebook
2. 5000 Portrait Project
3. Photojournalist Blog
4. Instagram
   @5000portraits
5. Looking at Appalachia Roger May’s Site (who was kind enough to include one of Randall’s photos in this project)

About Randall

I am a simple man who loves taking photographs and spending time with my wife, sons, daughter in law, granddaughter and our cats (especially Oscar). I am fortunate to be able to spend a good amount of time on my personal project “The 5000 Portrait Project”, traveling around SW Pennsylvania and occasionally far-off strange and wonderful places (like Ohio and West Virginia) doing street photography.

I live in a small town a bit south of Pittsburgh named Charleroi in what we call the Mon Valley, My current interests include Portrait Photography, Street Photography, Concert photography and any opportunity I can find to get my cats to pose and let me take a photo of them.

My Interest in photography began when I was 11 my mother gave me a old hand me down 126 film camera to play with and my love for photography was born. Whenever I could, I would buy a roll of film take photos of my family and friends and then rush it to the local Pharmacy to have it developed. Always anxious to see my pictures and share them with my family and friends.

Over the years I would have many cameras but i will always be grateful to my mother not just for that first camera she gave me but more importantly for the years of encouragement she gave me and for giving me a love of photography.