Louis Mendes walks the streets of New York with his vintage 1940’s Speed Graphic camera capturing portraits of the people he comes across with style. In a sea full of cellphones and digital cameras, Mendes sticks out with his vintage style and classic instant film media.
Born and raised in NYC, Mendes has been photographing the streets of New York for more than 40 years. Starting early in the mornings, usually up in Harlem or around Midtown, he uses his imagery to reflect how his subjects are feeling by connecting and talking with them.
In terms of the gear, we already mentioned the 1940’s Speed Graphic, which he pairs with FC-100 instant film to give these images to his subjects in real time. Mendes is dreading the day when he can no longer get his hands on the film, likening it to, “going to bed and not waking up.”
Mendes was recently featured in a video on the New York Post which you can find below.