READERSVOICE.COM: How do you get to locations and can you give an example of a photographic trip you might have taken, like the day you took the photos of the kids going to a wedding or ceremony in South Williamsburg?

JESSIE DINAN: I usually just catch the subway to where I want to go or just walk everywhere. That particular day was the Jewish Holiday Purim, from what I understand it’s the Jewish equivalent to Halloween.
There is a large Jewish community in South Williamsburg which is where I was shooting that day, it’s not far from me so I shot around the neighbourhood for about four hours. It’s such a fascinating area to shoot and very diverse.

RV: You’ve caught some strange sights like the shop selling bad art. Where were you walking on that day?

JD: That image was taken on 5th Ave in Manhattan. I usually catch the subway into Manhattan and get off at union Square and walk up 5th Ave or Broadway up to Central Park.

RV: You’ve taken some interesting pictures of common things, too, like the clothes hanging in the Lower East Side. Can you talk about that trip you took that day?

JD: I shot that image in Orchard Ave. It was the street I lived in when I first moved to New York, so was taken pretty much right out the front of our apartment. It was winter so there were a lot of these shops selling coats and furs, but they have pretty much all disappeared now most likely due to such high rents I would imagine.

RV: You probably saw this question coming, but what was it about analog photography that grabbed you? Some of your photos remind me of 1970s photos of New York people. Are you trying to get that kind of retro look in photos with analog, if that’s film, or what is it about analog you like?

JD: I don’t set out to make my photos look retro/vintage, I just focus on using traditional methods. I shoot film, develop my negatives by hand and make darkroom prints, this is why I guess my images have a vintage quality to them as I use old techniques. I love shooting film, and I love being in the Darkroom so for me it’s just as much about the process as it is about the image.

– see jessiedinan.com
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– copyright Simon Sandal.