Mynamesjeff.f Artist Spotlight
Photo taken by @Light.feet
What is your home city?
Who Are You?
New York City
I am a New York City Native, born & raised, and I’ve been wanting to see more of the world outside of New York.
What is a memory attached to one of the images shared?
It was early 2021. Me and Tom couldn’t stop thinking about the week prior on how we managed to be on the lower roof of the Chrysler Building. It is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and to be on the same spot as some historical people, such as Margaret Bourke-White, was a huge mind blowing achievement for us. We felt the need to go back a second time, and it was much more enjoyable, as we had more time to not only capture better photographs, but enjoy our moment on one of the most well-known skyscrapers in the world. Here was one of my favorite shots, showing Tom looking back at me, sitting on one of the infamous eagles.
What’s in your bag?
I primarily shoot Digital Photography, which I use:
•Canon EOS R Full Frame Mirrorless Camera
•Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 Lens
•Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 Lens
•Irix EF 11mm f/4 Lens
Tripods:
•MeFOTO Roadtrip
•MeFOTO Daytrip
Other Gears:
•GoPro Hero Session 5
•Insta 360 One X
Did photography lead you to exploring or vice versa?
Why do you explore?
For me, it was both. Growing up, I loved riding the subway with my grandfather and whenever I got the chance to, I would almost always have a disposable film camera and capture photos of the trains I came across and rode on. It was one of the best memorable activities I did during my childhood years. However, around 2010, I became less motivated to capture photos due to losing an interest in taking the same places over and over. That was until Fall of 2014 when I started urban exploring, that I came across many new people who had an interest in not only exploring but documenting the locations we’ve explored, which introduced me to digital photography.
I’ve been exploring since 2014. I went from exploring abandoned subway stations & tunnels and then to bridges & rooftops. I had a deep interest in seeing places that the general public has very limited access to and decided that I was never likely be able to visit many of them legally, so one I day I figured I needed to trespass and experienced it for myself. One of my biggest inspirations came from this one video on YouTube called "Undercity New York City urban exploration w STEVE DUNCAN" which was a short documentary that kick started the Urban Exploration Movement in NYC since 2011. To this day, I still explore for the fun in being able to be in a space that I can have all to myself, create fond memories to hold onto for the future, and just have a good time with the people I’ve became close with and meet new people from other cities & parts of the world.