This podcast episode features an engaging discussion about the artistic journeys of three local photographers: Jess, Kai, and Fred. They explore the significance of capturing moments within their communities, emphasizing how photography serves as a powerful medium for storytelling and self-expression. Each guest shares personal anecdotes about their experiences with film and digital photography, reflecting on how their backgrounds influence their artistic choices. The conversation also touches on the importance of representation in photography, showcasing the vibrant art scene in Rochester and the collective support among local creatives. Listeners are invited to appreciate the unique perspectives and works that will be showcased at the upcoming gallery event.

Jess Conelly-Cohen @jessemariephoto

Fred McCoy @fmccii

Kai Juan Matthews @iswearimnotkai

Mentioned in this episode:

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Hey, there.

Hello.

Oh, hello there.

Yeah, this is Kwajay doing my cosplay as Richard B.

Colon today.

Everyone knows how that goes.

How are you going to mispronounce cohort today?

I'm gonna do a lot of different things.

I don't think I was here for the last episod, so a lot of people don't know.

Me and Richard are having some legal problems, and we're not allowed to be in the same space at the same time.

Yeah, allegedly.

I'm just joking.

Yeah, Richard is.

Yeah, Richard is not with us today, but I am filling in as both Richard and Kwajay.

So this should be.

This should be fun.

Oh, it's pretty good.

You got your hat backwards, so that was a really good start.

My beard's not up to.

Not up to snuff, but at some point, hopefully.

Yeah, no, it's.

I think that's a great thing about having you're having partners in your passion projects, is doing stuff on your own can be very taxing.

And when you have.

You're the only failure point when something goes wrong, things fall off and you end up disappointing people.

And it's one of the great things, because we're all busy in our lives that we have the support to, hey, you know, Richard's not, you know, not feeling great today and that we get that we get a chance to do this and it'll be a different field today.

Right.

Than it is when it's just Richard or you and Richard and then me chiming in less.

So we always get a different experience.

But that's the great thing.

I don't think we've had a full episode in a little bit based on that.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's been a while.

I think it's one of the great.

One of the great things about behind the Glass, generally, is every time you come out to the gallery, you get a new experience.

Right.

And every time we do a show, it's a different feel, regardless of who's hosting.

But the guests are what drives that.

For sure.

For sure.

And excited to be back again.

This is group seven for the year.

I think I got that right, hopefully.

And so it's another exciting group, another group of folks that, you know, are bringing something unique and creative to this space.

Folks that are also not, you know, not familiar with the space.

And I talk about this all the time, but when I do the social media post, you know, I watch it for a bit just to kind of see what the reaction is.

And there's always.

It's always Fun to kind of see what that reaction is from, from folks, whether it's, you know, new folks to behind the Glass or some of our alum being excited for their friends to be in the space and kind of being a part of that, that group, which is always, always fun to see.

So really excited about the these three and what they're going to bring, and we're obviously going to hear more from them.

But I'm excited personally, as always with these groups.

Yeah.

And I think the important point this month.

So it is last Friday of every month that behind the Glass is hosted at the Mercantile on Main in downtown Rochester in the historic Sibley Building.

But this month, because of timing, it's actually a little earlier in the month.

It's Friday the 25th.

25th.

25Th.

24th.

The Friday coming.

This is me doing my Richard by not knowing what date it is.

So hold on for a second.

So it'll be the 25th.

25th, yes.

So it's Friday the 25th, so this will be out ahead of that.

So hopefully we'll see you all out there.

But, Q, why don't you take us to break and talk about the artist real quick?

All right.

This is me taking us to break.

Yeah, we'll be back in a second.

All right.

All right.

We are back with behind the Glass and our first guest.

Whoa, that was a flash.

That's good.

I was gonna say, I didn't know Narada was here.

That was a big flash.

The first episode we did here in the studio is it was Rudy Narada.

And I do forget who the other person was.

Why am I forgetting his name?

Oh, Josh.

Josh.

And Narada had a camera that was on auto and it was taking pictures the entire time, every five seconds in the corner.

And I could.

I could hear the snaps in my headphones.

I'm like, you know what?

I'm just going to have to live with this because I also wanted all those pictures and they turned out awesome.

The flash, the flash reminded me of living in Washington, D.C.

and running a red light.

That's a story for another time.

Would you guys don't mind if I take some pictures throughout the podcast?

Oh, yeah, for sure.

For sure.

Well, yeah, absolutely.

So, Jess, how are you?

I'm good.

How are you?

Good to see you.

Good to have you in the studio.

Good to have you finally in the gallery as more than just a guest.

Thank you.

How about you tell the listeners a little bit about yourself?

Yeah.

So my name is Jess.

I'm originally from Connecticut.

Shout out.

Connecticut.

Shout Out Connecticut.

Really good pizza.

Keep going.

Yes.

Don't get me started about pizza.

But anyways, moving on.

So, yes, I'm from Connecticut.

I started shooting exclusively film probably a year and a half ago, maybe.

I went on a trip and my partner was like, how about you take this film camera that somebody gave me?

I'm like, yeah, maybe, like, I.

Maybe I'll take it.

But kind of shot digital in high school before that and dropped it and then picked it up on this trip and shot through a 24 exposure roll in maybe a week.

And I had like a week left on the trip, and I was like, oh, man, should ask for more film.

So, yeah, I started doing that and I kind of haven't stopped since I moved to Rochester probably about a year ago for a graduate program at RIT Shout Out.

RIT and yeah, I've been shooting.

Been coming to the gallery and seeing everybody's work there.

Recently showed an Aldous Geller at the wine shop in South Wedge.

So kind of got a jump start there.

And now here in the gallery.

Yeah.

So what is it?

Why was that the thing that hooked you on film after you developed, had those developed?

What was it about that whole experience that kept you going down the route of using film versus keeping on with digital?

Yeah, so I think there's just something really special about film.

I mean, I feel like everybody says, like, oh, something about not seeing the photos right away or just the nostalgia of the way that it looks compared to digital.

I guess for me, just taking the photos and living in the moment instead of standing there, for example, at, like, Letchworth, where I went recently, taking a photo and then seeing it right away and being like, oh, that's not the way I want it.

Let me change my settings.

And if there's something about, like, post that it's like, okay, it's developed, it's scanned and everything.

And it's.

It is what it is.

You know, you either hate it and throw it out, or you're like, oh, this is something I can work with and that I actually love.

And I put time into.

And rather than just having a digital file and being like, okay, this is good enough, like, send it, you know.

So, yeah, I.

I kind of like that.

I'm not sure I've heard it really described.

I think it's not been many times I heard it described that way, where it really is about stopping thinking.

Because most of the time when I hear people talk about it, it's about how much more you have to prep, how much more you have to think and less about that.

You're not overthinking the after part.

Yeah.

I mean, of course, any photographers say, like, they'll say, oh, I do overthink at times.

Like, it's like, okay, I'm looking at this scene of the lighting on this foliage tree, you know, and it's like, oh, what are my settings?

How do I need to meter?

What am I going to put in focus?

Oh, my shutter speed.

Do I want, like, blur?

Do I not want blur?

So there is more thinking on that.

And then I feel like with digital, where I can just point and shoot my digital camera, and then it's fine.

But then it's where I prefer film, where I can think about that and then maybe think about it less on the back end and, you know, do my thing.

Yeah.

I'm a.

I mean, I always like to date myself and not date myself, but I lived in the time of everything was film.

Right.

I remember my first digital camera being like, what is this?

Like, what am I supposed to do with this?

And I still remember I was telling someone this story recently.

I still would go down to Walgreens and print out all of the photos on a digital file because I didn't know anything else other than you go and you print out the photos and you're supposed to hold them in your hand.

But it is that the thing that I love about film, and I've always loved about film, is because you have to slow down.

Not necessarily have to.

You do have to slow down and make sure your settings are what it is.

But the thing that you really slow down with is, is this a moment that I want to capture?

Right.

Like, that's always what I'm thinking about.

Is this a moment that I want to capture?

And I think about that still digitally, because I hate editing.

Yeah.

I don't want to sit in front of a thousand files.

Um, because I should have only taken five photos.

Right.

And so that.

But it still kind of keeps showing that.

That space.

Um, yeah, for sure.

I mean, slowing down with that is a.

It's a thing.

But, yeah.

And it's expensive.

Right.

So, like, you're right here, you're taking a photo and you're like, is this a moment that I really want to capture?

A moment that I want to be, you know, remembered in this.

This way that I want to, you know, also maybe be judged by when someone's, like, processing my film.

Right.

And, like, stuff.

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

I can't imagine what the lab thinks of some of my photos.

Oh, man.

New anxiety level unlocked.

Thanks, Kwaj.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Love that.

For me.

No, but, I mean, it is a thing, right?

Like, the thing about, like, digital is you.

It's you and that.

It.

Right.

Like, it's you and your memory card, really, with film.

Like, every step of it, someone is touching that, right?

They're processing a film.

They're hanging a film.

They looking at the negatives.

They're scanning the negatives.

If you want them scanned, they're printing out the photos.

So, like, everything is.

Why did this person take a picture of a squirrel?

Right?

Like, what's happening?

Oh, my God.

You're welcome.

There's one right now on my light room, too.

It's pretty good, but maybe I won't post it.

Post it?

You'll see it in 24 hours.

No, just kidding.

But, yeah, I mean, in the thing with my viewfinder and my camera is that I, like, heard somebody say the other day, like, just because it's a good view doesn't make a good photo.

Yeah.

Like, I went on a walk, and there was this scenic, like, overlook or whatever, and it was trees and, like, a lake.

And I was like, okay, maybe this could be good.

And I put up my camera.

I was like, no.

Like, it's not good.

So then I don't take it.

And then I'm like, okay, this trip maybe was for nothing.

Or just enjoy the view and not have to.

Sometimes it is just enjoy the view.

I think that's.

I often talk about.

There's a.

A moment on a beach in Florida, and I had a digital camera with me at a time, and I'm, like, snapping all these pictures and this and that.

And I look up, and the sun is about to set.

And I was like, wow, the sun is about to set.

Look at these colors.

And I go to lift my camera, and the battery dies.

Oh.

And I was like, all right, I'm just gonna sit on a beach and enjoy this moment.

And I remember that sunset.

And that was, I don't know, close to 20 years ago at this point.

And I remember it like it was yesterday, because sometimes you just want to live in the moment.

Because, I mean, you took the time and you slowed down.

You're like, well, I guess I don't have a choice.

I was like, oh, this battery's dead.

Yeah, whatever.

This is back before.

That's when you have a spare camera.

Yeah, well, this is back before I was smart enough to have more than one battery.

Right, Whatever.

Tell us about that trip.

What was the.

What Was the trip?

Yeah.

So I went to Israel on a sponsored trip for Jewish young people, I guess.

So I am Jewish, and I've been wanting to go on this trip for a bit, and I'm like, when's the right time?

Like, you never know the right time.

So I was in between, like, grad schools, and I was just like, okay, let me look into this now.

And I ended up going.

And, yeah, I mean, I took the camera with me, and it's like, we're going to this place today.

Maybe I'll, like.

Maybe I'll find something that I like.

But the thing is, I'm.

If you look at my Instagram, I'm not a black and white photographer.

I'm mainly color and, you know, landscapes.

But the film that I was handed, when I was handed the camera was Kentmere 400.

And I was like, okay.

And I kind of forgot about that.

So I have, like, landscapes in black and white, and it's like the latitude isn't very good and all this stuff.

But then I have other, like, portraits that are like, that are great.

So that experience was just like, okay, I'm exploring the ins and outs of this film stock and how I am as a photographer.

So, yeah, just playing around and seeing what I get is kind of the vibe.

Yeah.

And there was a.

There was a more recent trip that you went on.

Yeah.

And a lot of that work was in your Aldis Scholar show.

And I'm actually looking at your zine in front of me.

Tell us a little bit more about that trip.

Yeah.

So I recently went to Vietnam, and I've been a few times.

I'm from there, but.

Or I was born there, so I've been going back since I was eight, so.

And I went every two years up until Covid, and when Covid hit, that kind of shut the whole thing down.

But then I recently went back for my brother's wedding this past June, and I took my.

I took two film Cameras, a Rebel T2, and my AE1.

And actually on the first day of shooting, my rebel T2 died.

And I was like, oh, man.

So.

And I had packed spare batteries, but I packed them in a toiletries bag that my partner had put his aftershave in.

And you know what happens on a plane?

Stuff explodes.

And even if I didn't know the aftershave, I'm not sure if you should.

Say stuff explodes and planes in the same sentence.

Oh, well, it.

Whatever.

I hear what you're saying, but we gotta.

It careful.

Yes.

It opened.

It opened.

Speaking of fresh smelling batteries.

Yeah, aftershave smelling batteries.

Like, oh, man.

So I can't use this for the rest of the time.

So I ended up using my 81 that.

The batteries that didn't have aftershave on the batteries.

I love this.

So, yeah, that the trip was kind of an exploration.

It was an exploration, I guess, of me doing, like, dipping my toe into street photography a little more because I had done some on that initial trip to Israel.

But then I was kind of trying to explore, like, my personal identity a little bit as well.

Seeing, like, the locals on their motorbikes and things and maybe thinking of how, like, my life could have been if I were raised there.

So my zine kind of goes into, like, that kind of thing.

And my perspective during this trip, like, compared to other trips that I had taken in the past where I was young and I was just like, ooh, food.

Or like, mom, like, stay close to me because the traffic is going to run me over.

Like, you know, so it's interesting.

You know, the book is called Made in Vietnam.

Yeah.

And you're.

The trip that you went on that got you into photography was going to Israel, where that's part of who you are.

Right.

And then now you're in Vietnam with a camera in your hand.

Right.

Like, were you thinking about that at all when you went back?

And it's like, hey, I went on this exploration trip to Israel that was important to me and a camera was important in that, documentation that journey for the first time.

And now I'm going back to a place that, you know, I was your maiden.

Right.

Like, this is where you're from.

This is who you are.

And now you have this camera in your hand.

Yeah, I mean, I guess that's a great question.

I didn't.

I'm on my Terry Gross stuff right now.

Okay.

All right.

You're really.

You're putting me out.

I just want Richard to know if he leaves me by myself, I can do it.

This is like me stepping in for Evan Dawson on xxi.

Okay.

I just want you to know it can be done.

This is behind the Glass on npr.

Yeah.

I mean, I didn't think of that at the time, but now that you're saying it, I'm thinking of a new Z and, like, combining the, like, the old and the new, I guess.

Like.

But I think there is something to be said for, like, going back to somewhere where you're unfamiliar but should be familiar to you and going and seeing it through that lens, but also picking up your camera and Thinking from the other person's perspective, like, oh, this person is pointing a camera in my face, like, leave me alone.

Yeah.

But, yeah, you know, as a street photographer, any photographer, I feel like we all feel like, you know, that we're invading somebody's privacy at one point or another.

It's also going at a different time.

Right.

So, like, was this the first time you've been since you were an adult or had you gone.

Yeah, so it was my first time going back since I've been an adult because the last time was when I was 18.

Right.

And then I coming back now, I'm like, oh, okay.

Yeah, I can go out on my own and I can take, like, night street photography and do that kind of thing.

So, yeah, it was my first time.

Because then you're also seeing, you know, as you're.

It's something, you know.

You know, Q and Richard and I have talked a lot about is we see things differently now than we did when we were your age.

Right.

Because, you know, you've seen more things.

We've.

We've lived different experiences, but now everything, it changes so fast from 18 till now, it's such a meteoric change in who you are, what you're exploring, what your goals are.

And you can see it from a completely different perspective than you would have then.

Yeah.

Not just the ability to go to places, but you're different.

Right.

You know, covet, affected things and everything else.

You're a different person than you were then.

Yeah, I guess.

Like, if you're comparing it to my Israel trip, I'm taking more landscape photography in Israel.

I took maybe one portrait that came out good.

But then when I went to Vietnam, like, I was more confident in my street photography and not so worried about the other people or how they are going to see me.

So I'm just like, okay, I'm here, like, with a photography lens, but then also myself, like, putting myself in your shoes, too.

So, yeah, it's.

Yeah, it is a different perspective, for sure.

Different kind of confidence, too.

It's.

It's just.

It's starting to edge, to not be fake.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Imposter syndrome is definitely.

But it's.

It's the start and it's a long journey that we've all gone through.

Pasta syndrome never goes away.

No.

And it's.

It gets different ever.

Yeah, it gets.

It's a different version of it because your goals change and now that's.

That's the thing you're not comfortable with.

But it's really cool to hear that.

Hey, you got a chance to see it through your eyes now.

Yeah.

Versus the eyes of somebody who is learning how to be a person.

Yeah, exactly.

Really cool.

That's awesome.

Before we move on love, you know.

And this was a photo that you had in the eldest color show.

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.

I didn't even turn the page to you and you know, exactly.

I was talking the folks waiting for their.

Their tea.

It's just beautiful.

And I think it speaks to, you know, your.

Your personal growth and the journey you're talking about.

And while there are people in here, it is that it does bring in that landscape feel that you love so much.

And instead of, you know, foliage, it's people and the community.

So.

Yeah, yeah.

Something really beautiful about that.

And I don't think anyone at the printing place may have judged you for that frame.

Good.

Awesome.

All right, we'll be coming back around to you in just a sec to hear a little bit more about what you're bringing to the gallery and where folks can find you.

But we're going to move over to Kai.

Hello.

Hello.

I'm Kai Matthews.

I'm a local inner city photographer.

Yes, sir.

I shoot mostly film or that's all I really shoot for.

Yeah, I've been shooting for about two years.

Kind of took a little break on and off just with life in a way.

But my camera journey has been, like, amazing nonetheless.

Slight.

It gave my life a little bit more challenge.

It kind of helped me feel like, you know, saying I'm young.

I can't say I found my purpose, but I definitely found my calling, if I can say that.

Yes.

Yeah, for sure.

And so you're born and raised in Rochester?

Yeah, born and raised in Rochester.

Where'd you go to school?

I went to East High for a little bit, but I graduated from Virtus.

That's actually where I met Richard.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

I remember when I was.

When we were talking about your photo work, Richard was like, oh, no, I.

Like, I know him.

And I was like, oh, that's cool.

He was like, yeah, like out at the school.

Yeah.

And I was like, that's kind of cool.

Yeah, that's.

That's really awesome.

It was really interesting.

It came up the other day while we were recording other episodes and you could see the look on his face that, hey, you know, I got to.

I got to be involved before and to hear him talk about it and you could.

You could hear the emotion in his voice, like talking to somebody that he was around while you were growing and at that school, you know, meant a lot to him.

And that's really cool that you've known him since you were that age too.

For sure.

Definitely.

Big shout out to him.

Yeah.

What.

And so, I mean, you think about Richard, do you think about, you know, some other folks?

I've seen your, you kind of growing into your, your own space with photographers.

What's the, what's your journey been like?

Interacting with other photographers in Rochester?

Yeah.

So at first when I was shooting, I really, I did not know any other photographers or really anybody with a camera at that point.

I end up running into Richard at Scott's.

I was going to get my camera fixed.

I was so bummed.

I thought my camera was broken, but it just needed to be serviced.

I'm Robin over at Scott's.

Got to write for me.

Shout out Scott.

Yeah, for sure.

Big shout out to Scott's.

But I saw Richard mess around with the computers over there and I'm like, is that Mr.

Colon?

So I ran over there and re topped it up for about 10, 15 minutes in that same boat.

He invited me to the first behind the glass galley, or it wasn't the first, but the first one.

Not the first time I even heard about it or like my first introduction to it.

I was a little nervous at first.

I felt like I was still definitely in my show really, really bad before I picked up my camera.

But he invited me down to the gallery and that's when I first started to really interact.

The first person I talked to was Brendan.

I just, he just had his gallery up there.

I spy on Instagram.

His work is amazing.

Me and him Talked for about 10, 15 minutes at that galley and we were both in our.

Just coming out of our shell as photographers and like really having that introduction.

So it was good to pick somebody else's brain who was in that same headspace and on the same level of photography I was at.

But it was good.

I ran into so many dope people there.

Just introducing myself, shaking a hand, grabbing someone's Instagram like that.

Like networking really goes a long way.

But in that same sentence, like you meet is so many talented and amazing people in Rochester who definitely are big on support and like that photo community that we have here.

Yeah, you talked a little bit there about, you know, kind of coming out of that, that shell.

How has the camera helped you with that?

At first I was just sticking to street photography because I didn't know how to talk to people.

It was like insanely nerve Wracking and overwhelming for me to be like, yeah, I like how this person looks over here sitting in the street corner.

How do I ask for a pic?

So I started to YouTube stuff.

I'm walkie talkies.

Watched a lot of those just to see how, like, people interact.

And these are street photographers for real.

So you see how they engage with other people just randomly on the street.

And I'm like, why?

It seems so easy.

But once you start, stop overthinking the process, it becomes really good.

I used to just try to challenge myself.

I'm like, I got this role.

I'm doing some street photography today, but I gotta try to take at least four portraits.

So every time I would have a roll of film, I would just.

Just challenge myself, work myself up, talk myself up.

Yeah, yeah, let's go talk to somebody and let's go introduce myself, have a conversation, ask their picture.

And I used to get nose and I used to be like, oh, man.

But it's okay if somebody don't want you to invade their space.

That's okay.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, we all human at the end of the day.

But I was heavy on just wanting to document and that people are a big part of documentation and caption life.

So I got an invitation to shoot for a friend of mine.

His name is Shua, he does music.

And his friend Kionics, they had a performance.

I was like, I've never.

I never thought I would see myself shooting, like a music show.

I want to say no.

And I'm like, you know what?

I don't want to cower.

And I said, I kind of felt like, like, let me step out of my comfort zone.

Uncomfortable situations help you grow, for real.

But that was like one of my best experiences with my camera.

Going to shoot a music show like that.

I love music.

We have this whole music community in Rochester for real.

And I love giving them the spotlight.

Especially, like, when you notice the sense of community and everything that's going on there.

But it helped because now I know a whole bunch of people.

I can't go out without, excuse me, without seeing someone I know.

So it definitely helped a lot.

Do you think that's helped with pointing that camera in people's faces now?

Yeah, I just had, like, a beautiful experience.

I was walking home, just running some errands, and I saw a group of kids up the street playing football.

I was kind of like, no, let me just let them do their thing.

But I was like, you know, let's go ask.

So I worked with courage and I Walked up and I asked this group of kids, they were playing football.

I'm like, yo, can I take your picture?

And I swear they lit up.

You would have thought I was going to tell them, I'll give them $100 to take their picture.

The way, like, they were just so happy.

So just.

Just being able to capture those moments for real.

For real.

You have to break those borders just to capture certain things.

And I feel like that's important to push yourself out your comfort zone.

Yeah, I think.

I mean, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone is huge.

And I.

The reason I asked you about, you know, how does.

How's the camera impacted your.

Your confidence, you know, And I think, you know, for myself, right, you know, I may seem like, you know, I've got a lot of energy and extrovert, but total without that camera, sometimes it's hard to introduce myself and have the conversation.

And, you know, Rudy is.

I always use Rudy as an example.

He's a photographer whose work is amazing, Right.

His beautiful work.

And he always seems like he makes everyone feel so comfortable.

But Rudy often talks about how in the beginning he was like, I didn't know how to ask somebody to take their picture.

And now people ask Rudy to take their picture.

It's kind of the difference.

But I think using that example of the football game and this might come back to you as, you know, growing up in Rochester, you know, for those kids, it might have been like, no one sees us, right?

Like, I'm not sure.

Maybe that's the.

Maybe that's the reason why they lit up.

And I think, you know, when I look at, you know, some of your photos and your documentation of Rochester, because you're from Rochester, because the age that you're at and because you've seen how the city can be perceived by folks, you now have a camera to bring some of your voice to that and bring some of your message.

I was just telling a person recently how a camera brings so much privilege right, to folks, but everyone can't afford a camera.

Everyone can't afford to tell a story.

And now you have a camera in your hand.

You're able to tell the story of folks that look like you, right?

And it's you and they.

And you see them and they.

They're like, wow, this is a person with a camera that isn't, you know, someone that, you know is not from the neighborhood, not from the community.

Yeah.

And I say that kind of like sent chills down.

You said that because I'm so heavy on that, like, representation Goes a long way.

We always see so much bad things just going on in the community around us, and they really get highlighted.

Like, the good things really get highlighted.

Stuff like the Black Culture Fest.

I had the opportunity to actually host a little art expo there.

So I had a few live painters come through and do some work.

But just to be able to shoot those spaces where, you know, you know, people are represented better than what they're always portrayed as.

Yeah, it's a lot.

A lot that goes on in the community, and people don't even know about it.

The Clarice History Fest, the Black Culture Fest, there's always stuff going on in the community, but they don't really have no highlights or representation.

So I'm heavy on pushing that image out there and showing the world and showing the community of Rochester what's going on.

So following up from that, I'm kind of interested.

So you're talking about how you're trying to get people to see themselves differently.

How do you see yourself differently now that you've been, you know, shooting your community, giving them that opportunity?

Do you see yourself differently having gone through that?

Yeah, definitely do, honestly.

Because I used to always want to, like, help.

I saw.

It was like, yo, when I get older, I just want to help people.

That's all I really want to do.

But that's.

That's vague, you know, it's a big statement.

Now that I have this, I feel like I'm definitely able to.

I feel like I can, and I am.

I'm pushing the image out there.

I'm giving a community something better to look forward to.

For real.

So, yeah, I think that's.

I think the first step in that direction opens up that door of the opportunities.

Yeah.

That are in front of you.

Because the first.

I remember the first time I did something that was not just for me, because, you know, you're.

You're worried about all you.

All the time.

And the first time you do something, it doesn't have to be the most, but something that's helping somebody else.

It feels good.

Yeah.

And it opens up that door where now you.

Maybe you see the next opportunity next time, because now that's your focus.

So I hope.

Hope it's feeling positive for you.

Sure, for sure.

I mean, I think about.

I don't know if you remember the first time I met you.

Do you?

Yeah.

Rock paint.

Yeah.

And so I took a photo of you, you know, just painting.

So I forgot about that actually, recently I.

I remembered that, and then I forgot.

And then earlier this year, I had to pull together all of these photos from rock paint, murals that were done outside of rock paint.

So, like people that were part of rock paint at one point and then did another mural.

And you showed up in the mural with Eli and I was like, oh, that's right.

That's Kai right there.

But that was something to me when I think about, like, you know, taking photos of our community, taking photos of things that, you know, folks may not always see that that mural doesn't just pop up.

You know, that was something that was.

Was cool for.

For you.

How's your family feel about, like, you and that camera?

So I, I only asked that because the first picture on your insta is your mom.

Yeah.

So that my mom don't really like her pictures taking.

She liked me for real.

She's an introvert.

That right there was.

That's one of my favorite pictures.

That's definitely going to be in the gallery.

Yeah, but she.

I cut her off, guy.

I always had this brighto flash and that's like.

That's like my thing.

I'm familiar with it.

They started to show with it.

Yeah.

But that's like one of my favorite pictures.

But she's.

My mom is definitely like a big supporter.

She.

She kind of feel indifferent about it sometimes, especially, like, if I'm not at a point of my life where I don't need to.

Don't need to prioritize my camera.

And I've been in that situation a lot of times.

So it's like, yeah, I'm hungry this week, but I want to see these pictures.

So I'm going to develop this film and, you know, saying, I'll figure it out.

So it's like a lot of times where she, like, just want me to think it out better and to plan better.

But definitely that's my mom.

Yeah, 100%.

But I definitely have, like a big support.

My family always showed their support for, and I'm grateful for that.

It's not the same, but I've had been in situations where my mom's like, seriously, you know, we're in a grocery store and she's like, I'm like, I'm gonna get this pack of chicken that I have to cook, or I'm gonna get some sliced turkey.

And I'm like, I'm gonna get the sliced turkey.

She's like, you eat the chicken, the chicken's gonna be a couple days worth.

And I was like, Matthew, I was at a different point in my life at that point now, you know, maybe it's a different decision.

But moms will.

Moms will push you.

Moms will definitely push you.

But when I asked.

That's why I asked that question.

Cause I opened it up and that was the first picture pinned is your mom.

And it's a.

It's a beautiful image of her.

And I think that's the folks that we take the photos of the.

That have the most feeling to it are the people that we obviously have that connection to.

Yeah.

Before we jump off you, I just want to talk about one other thing.

And we talked about this.

I can't remember which gallery open it was.

But when you're photographing parties, there's a vibe.

And I think there was one.

And I can't remember the series, but it was one.

And I could have sworn it was in California somewhere.

And it wasn't in Californ, California.

It was like Webster or something to the pool party series that was hosted by my homeboy zq.

Shout out to him.

Yeah, yeah.

But they host like they host a lot of events in the city.

For real.

That was like my.

That was my first poop party.

I'm not gonna lie.

I was a little nervous.

That was my first time being in that space.

But I've shot at bars a lot.

I normally shoot at turntable.

It's like my second home.

I'm in there all the time.

But just being in there has kind of like adapted my shooting style a lot.

A lot of my shooting style when I'm at these events is really just me sitting in the cut and just like waiting for the right moment.

And I'm so good at that.

Now is like sometimes I'll just be sitting there for like maybe like 10, 20 minutes.

There's a lot going on always.

So I'm constantly just staying in one corner.

I'll dart over here, I'll sit in this crowd, move it here.

But in those moments still, I'm hitting that button.

A lot of times I have my fisheye lens.

I'll put my arm up and I just take a pic.

Yeah, it's those fisheye ones that always get me.

Yeah.

But I love doing that.

But it's nice though.

I like those events.

It's sometimes it's nerve wracking, especially for somebody like social anxiety.

I don't like it sometimes, but the pictures that come out is always beautiful.

Excuse me.

That's awesome.

Well, thanks for sharing your.

Thanks for sharing your story for sure.

Appreciate it.

We'll be back around to you in just a moment.

And our last feature guest for Cohort 7 is Fred.

Fred, how are you today?

I'm doing well.

How are you doing?

Thank you.

I'm doing.

I'm doing well as well.

Tell us, tell us, tell us.

Tell the listeners who you are.

Yeah, so I'm Fred McCoy.

I'm a photographer.

Among lots of different things, depending on how you know me, that's probably what you think I do.

But there's a lot of other things that I'm juggling with right now, for sure.

But I've been shooting photography probably since I was a kid.

So I grew up in film photography, my high school.

And for those who don't know, I didn't grow up in Rochester.

I'm not from here.

I'm from New Jersey.

What part of New Jersey?

North Jersey, if that means I was born and raised in Patterson.

Okay, I know where patterns.

I grew up in Summit.

I had a couple of friends in Patterson.

So my grandmother.

My grandmother's the only member of our family still, and she's in Saddlebrook, and so she's.

Yeah, she won't leave New Jersey.

I.

You know what?

My family's still there, and I kind of get it.

But my.

The high school that I had, we had a really good film photography program that lasted all four years in high school.

So, like, a lot of kids took it.

Kids from different walks of life, different interests.

You had, like, kids who were really good at school, kids who weren't great at school, kids who were like jocks.

But, like, everybody loved Mr.

Rogers, like, photo class.

Ken.

Ken was an amazing photographer, and he taught, I think everybody, even though she did not go on to do any sort of artwork in their day, in their daily lives, he taught them a lot.

And that's actually kind of what inspired me to join, to go to Parsons, where I studied design technology for four years.

So art design, all of it's kind of been at the core since I was a kid, really, since growing up.

My entire educational experience, really.

Yeah.

And then I stuck with photography on and off.

My day job took me far, far away from anything related to art, but I still kept doing photography on the side.

And then what was kind of nice was when I came to Rochester, I found that it just had a really vibrant art community, like, even outside of photography.

Something that I love about being here is that every art, like, every person that you meet probably does some creative thing on the side, which is really cool.

Drawing, sculpting, taking pictures, this and that.

It's.

It's just a really inspirational place to be.

And the Just quality of life is just better in a way that I can take more time to devote it to my photography and my craft.

And you'll often see me.

Well, you'll see me out and about lots of places I could be working.

I do a lot of events in the city, so I'll shoot things for like field trip, for good luck restaurants.

In fact, after this, I've got to go to Food Fight at the Jackrabbit Club to take pictures of that event.

You can find me at like the Bug Jar, just like taking pictures of bands in the corner with a couple of other photographers that I think have crossed paths with behind the Glass already.

Sure, yeah.

And then I think I've actually seen you at Bad Ending doing the shoot for Kai and Shua.

Yeah, I remember you're very good at being kind to other people, taking pictures because I remember you got out of my way.

So shout out to you, man.

You know, it's funny, that whole road, that whole road didn't even come out.

Oh my God.

It happens though.

It happens.

But you met each other, so that.

There it is, look.

Right.

But I shoot on a mix.

I shoot primarily digital.

I do.

I used to do a lot more film.

But I think the thing that I personally like most about film was developing my own work.

And I don't have a dark room, I don't have the equipment.

And at this point I'm probably not going to invest in the space, but I do miss it a lot.

Yeah, that's the, the thing that I loved about film was the same.

That's what brought me to wanting to take photos was I was in a dark room.

I.

You know that first print that went into that bath and you saw it come to life.

Like, I'll never forget that.

And that's a feeling that is just so magical.

Magical, right?

It's so cool.

It is cool to download your photos and see them pop into your, your, your, your computer.

But there's nothing about that film in the bathroom or that, you know that, that sheet in the bath and it come, you know, that fade and all of a sudden, boom, there it is.

And you're like, I took that.

Yeah, yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.

Such a tactile thing.

And it really just like, just thinking about like the exposure for a picture, just like the stakes are so much higher when you're developing it yourself.

And like, don't be wrong.

Lightroom is great for a workflow.

It's great for being a working artist sometimes.

But just like that the feeling of risk that comes with developing your own photography, I think is just something that everyone should developing.

And then being in the dark room and then trying to figure out, okay, how many seconds, what am I doing?

You know, you're fooling around a lot.

And there's.

Yeah, there's this one print that it's of my son, my 16 year old.

And I took it as a 8 by 10 and then I wanted to blow it up to, I think it was like a 12 by something and 8 by 10.

I had it dialed in perfect.

And then when I pulled that, you know, enlarger up and I did it and I was like, oh, I'll do the same, whatever, four seconds.

And then it was wrong.

And I was like, what the heck?

I.

Then I did it again.

Then I did it again and it was like 45 minutes in a dark room of me fooling around.

And then once it came out I was like, this is.

And it's framed in my home and one of my favorite images.

I love that.

If you're interested, Kai, and learning more about developing and processing.

Flower City is a great resource.

They offer a ton of classes and then you can become a member and then have access to the dark room.

Just as a, as a, as a cool aside, but as a great resource in Rochester.

What brought you to Rochester, Frey?

Nothing really.

My partner and I were looking for just different places.

We were living in New York City at the time.

We were just looking for other cities kind of across the country, just smaller city is ideally those with like great food scenes, great cocktail scenes, but we just check, check, check.

I love being outdoors, I love hiking.

Check.

And this just kind of like checks all the right boxes for us.

For sure.

I hear that.

And I, and I love the idea of, you know, just coming and you're, you're, you're right.

I'm not originally from Red Chest either.

In that whole like everyone has a side hustle and there's some level of creativity and you're talking to someone, you're like, oh, I just assume you always did photos and you're like, no, I work a 9 to 5 at the bank or I'm doing this.

But everyone is so good about being able to manage that and show love and support.

Yeah, yeah.

I think the first time I, if I remember correctly, this first time I saw your work, I don't know if.

Was it last year when you shot for City last year of Jazz Fest week?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

And I remember every day I would wake up and they would have their, their photos and it was like, this is.

These are just stunning images.

And so I.

That was my first introduction to the work and then I started following it and then I started seeing more and more and more images and I was like, wow, this, these are like, incredible, incredible, incredible work.

Thank you.

And you have this series from Danielle Ponder show.

And I'm pulling it up here to remind myself.

So that was also last year.

And there's me with a bunch of flame emojis under it, you know, but there is like this red, the red light of the show.

And then there is this one image.

Like, Danielle's photos are amazing.

And then the last image of that series is profile of a person, a guy looking, and he has that red hue.

It's just to match that first frame with Danielle.

And for him, like, it's.

It's just a beautiful story, a beautiful series.

No, I love, I love shooting live music.

It's probably my second favorite thing to shoot if I were to, you know, pick what I was going to do for an activity on an evening.

And that Danielle Ponder was so cool.

I have like a pile of photos from that show that, like, will probably never make it to the gram, but, like, are just so stunning because, like, the music was good and I felt like, really confident, like, capturing the expressions of the performers and like, and I think you said it earlier, just like capturing the vibe of that particular event and that feeling.

I think that series, what I love about that is, you know, I think I did a really good job just kind of bringing that out in the pictures.

And what's interesting about, you know, live music photography is it's often low light.

So, you know, you've got two choices.

You can, you know, just pump up that ISO and just pray that you're getting the shot.

You can use a flash.

When I'm doing especially larger music events like that, I try to avoid using flash, if only because, like, I don't know what the engagement rules are.

Like, I don't want to fuck with, you know, the performers flow.

But.

But it's always just technically challenging shooting in those conditions.

Yeah, you could tell it.

Yeah.

You know, when those live shows you.

You're going.

But the grain, honestly, grain is good.

Yeah, the grain film, it's great in digital.

Yeah, it's.

It's.

Though that series is.

I mean, I.

There's A ton of series that you have in your.

Your gram.

But that series is from start to finish, is one of my favorites because it kind of tells.

And I think for people who know Danielle Ponder's music, like, you can feel the music in the photos, which says something about what, you know, what you've done in that series.

Like, I can.

I can hear.

I can hear and feel Danielle like, you know, shot a realist.

Like, I can feel that moment.

And then here's this person at the end that could be me, that could be you, it could be anybody.

That is like living in the moment with Danielle.

And I think you do that so perfectly in that series and with your photos in general.

That's why I loved your.

Your series from the Jazz Fest as well.

Yeah, well, and I think that's the other thing is, like, if the artist was super glossy, Right.

You know, it was just this big pop presentation and this or that.

But those vocals have grain.

Right?

There's.

There's richness, there's life.

There's a life lived behind those vocals.

Absolutely.

And if it was perfect, it wouldn't necessarily feel the right way for that person.

And that time, which does pivot me to talk about, like, the way I met you was recording an episode of Refined Taste, pivoting over to think Global Act Local by Dario Joseph.

So I met you recording that.

Talking about your place, you mentioned earlier, bar Bed Ending, which also has a bit of grain.

It has a bit of a life lived.

Tell everybody about that place because you also do a lot of music and other stuff there as well.

Yeah, yeah.

So I think, you know, at 875 monroe, like, whether you know it as Monty or the Rosen Crown or Bad Ending, you know, there's always been live music there probably as far as anyone can remember, like punk shows, metal shows, like, all sorts of, like, grit and grime.

And it's always had just like a really interesting and kind of eclectic cloud, that crowd that come through.

I.

I used to do some shooting on the side there, like Atheros and Crown for like, some of those, like, more like hardcore shows that would come through.

And I got a lot of, like, really good, like, fun work out of it.

Don't shoot so much there anymore just because now it's my problem since I own it.

But I do love when, like, I get to see, like, other photographers like you, Kai, just like coming through and like, taking pictures, like, just doing exactly what I would love to be doing.

Like, it's really nice to see.

Yeah.

And I think that's that's the tough part when you.

When you become that part of the adult world is that sometimes, you know you've accomplished something that you wanted to get to, but sometimes you miss those things that you would have been doing otherwise.

While you have to be managing, you have to be, oh, the sound has to be good.

Oh, something went wrong.

And you don't.

You don't get the opportunity to do some of the things you used to love to do.

So that's why I love seeing you out doing the photography.

I was judging at the Tiki the swizzle competition for Rochester's first tiki week this year, and I saw you out shooting.

Like, man, I forgot that you did the photography thing, too.

And I got to see that side of you there.

Yeah, that was a lot of fun.

I got some really cool pictures of all the contestants, and I think, like, it's probably one of the more recent pictures on my gram right now, but I've got a picture of the champion.

Just, like, the face is, like, a little obscured by a pineapple, but, like, the colors are, like, so, like, rich and vibrant from that evening.

Like, and again, like, that was really in a moment of capturing, like, everything's, like, kind of a blur, but everything.

Everyone's having a ton of fun.

Like, there's drinking, there's lights, there's colors.

And just like, that one picture, it's just like, I was just like, yes.

Nailed it.

And this was also out at Marge's, like, at sunset.

So it's like, you couldn't have asked for a better environment for that picture.

Like, you're almost falling off the photography log.

Yeah.

Having all that lined up for you.

It was a good day.

Yeah.

I mean, speaking of colorful, there's.

There's.

There.

Are you Chris, Right?

That's you.

That's probably one.

One of the most colorful shirts I've ever seen in my entire life.

Hey, if you're going out for Tiki, you bring the color.

And I think, what.

And this is the same with the example I use in Danielle.

This is the same with the example I use with city is.

It's the vibe.

It's not just, hey, I'm at this, you know, food event, so I'm going to take pictures.

All the food, that's great, but it's also not.

What.

What's.

That's not the only thing happening there, right?

So it's like, here's the chef.

Here's, you know, the dj.

Here's the food coming out.

Here's someone smiling like, these are the emotions, the feeling for someone that maybe couldn't be there or wanted to be there.

And this is how they're able to, like, live in that moment, which I think is really cool.

Yeah, absolutely.

That's.

Yeah, it's great to see different sides of everybody because we all have.

Like was mentioned earlier, I think we all have those.

The people that end up coming here have those things that they care hard about.

And that's why these, you know, these shows end up being so much fun, is because these.

Everybody who comes in cares hard, and that makes for better conversation, makes for better pictures, makes for a better experience at the gallery.

So I think what we're going to do, we're going to take our.

Take a very quick break and come back to learn what everybody's bringing to the gallery and get their plugs out.

All right, this is me sending us to a break.

We'll be back in a second.

Second.

All right, we're back from our commercial break and we're going to kick it over to Jess.

Jess, what are you.

What do you bring into the gallery?

The feel that you're going to bring to the gallery?

And where can folks find you?

On social?

Yeah.

So in the gallery, I'm bringing just a series of six photos that kind of just tell people about me.

So I have a mix of travel photos and stuff around Rochester.

Maybe some portraits of people important in my life.

And then on social, I am Jessie Marie photo, but Jesse is spelled the boy's way.

So J, E, S, S E.

No I in there.

Oh, I got it.

That's important.

The boys way.

Awesome.

Looking forward to it.

Kai, what about you?

I kind of want to bring six pieces that kind tell the story of Rochester.

Yeah.

Or at least what I've experienced in the community.

Okay.

And where can folks.

Where can folks find you?

I'm on Instagram.

I go by.

I swear I'm not Kai, but you are.

All right, that's him.

I used to go by allegedly Q, but I got you.

I got you.

I swear.

I'm not Kai.

It's me for sure.

Awesome.

Fred, what about you?

I'm bringing a series about just life's banal and boring moments.

Just seeing from an outsider's perspective.

So excited to bring that to you guys.

That's awesome.

And where can folks find you on the.

Yeah, Socials.

You can find me on Instagram @FMCCII.

All right.

And in person at bar.

At bar.

Just stop on by.

Right.

Awesome.

Yeah.

So, I mean, that's a.

Another really excited, you know, hearing your stories, but also really, really excited to see your work in the gallery on Friday the 25th.

Friday the 25th, 6 to 8pm and.

We always tell folks, come out to our opening, but if you can't make it to the opening, you know, be sure to check out the work all month long at the Mercantile.

Actually will be up almost an extra week just based on the holiday in November, but we definitely want you to check it out.

Anytime the Mercantile in Maine is open, the gallery is open.

If it's not, just send Richard a text.

Yeah, thanks everybody for coming over.

This was a great conversation.

If you're interested in listening to other great conversations going on about all the interesting things in Rochester, go to lunchadore.org to take a look at all the different shows on the Lunchadore Podcast Network.

One I want to recommend you listen to is the Anomaly Presents Podcast.

They go through tons of different weird ass movies that you may have never heard of and definitely come out for the Anomaly Film Festival in early November in Rochester at Little One.

It is one of the best film festivals in Rochester and one of the best genre film festivals in the entire country.

Go out and at least catch a film and catch the vibes.

This is one of the weirdest things you can go do with people that care, just like you do.

So thank you so much for joining us for another episode of behind the Glass.

This has been a presentation of the Lunch Adore Podcast Network.

I got my lens out, set an F.

Stop.

It wasn't easy but nothing is no woohoo.

When I see golden hour Woohoo.

And I'm here and I'm shooting woohoo.

Well I shoot and I process all of the time but I'm never sure how it turns out.

I keep shooting.