Harold’s students: JoAnn Cancro
We were delighted to connect recently with one of Harold’s former students, JoAnn Cancro. JoAnn is an accomplished fine art, cultural and event photographer who attended one of Harold’s private workshops in New York during the 1990s.
She was kind enough to guest author this blog entry and share her memories of that time, as well as some of her own photographs that were inspired by Harold’s teachings. We present them here for your pleasure and invite our readers to learn more about JoAnn and her work:
Website: https://www.joanncancro.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoannCancroPhotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanncancrophotography/
Event Photography: https://joanncancro.smugmug.com/
“I met Harold by chance (there really are no coincidences are there?) in 1993 in a community darkroom on West 17th street — Photographics Unlimited — where I went to print images from my courses at ICP and subsequent client portraits. Each photographer rented an individual darkroom, and the washing of prints was done in a larger open room all together. Harold saw a print I was washing and commented on it, gave me his phone number, and said he taught. I didn’t call for 6 months… but I kept finding this tiny scrap of paper with his number on it.
Finally, I called and began what would become for me a lifelong love story with the mystery of the darkroom and the intensely beautiful world of photography. Harold shaped my early vision and encouraged me to “always remember to remember” why I took a certain image, what drew me to it initially.
Everything was black and white film and contact sheets in those days on West 4th Street. Harolds’ darkroom was a treasure to be in! He would say, “Don’t move anything I know exactly where everything is!” I was in the presence of a master, in awe, and I knew it.
Twenty-five years later and I’m continually influenced by Harold’s loving vision. I refer back to what Harold taught me and made me aware of as my own work continues to evolve. My work centers around the remarkable, the beautiful, the grace-filled world we have been given to care for. The sensational and the tawdry I will leave to others to document. For me, my photography is about seeing what others walk by without stopping. And, truly, all my best work has been taken on my way to somewhere else.”
Thank you, JoAnn, for sharing memories of your time and experience working with Harold! We invite all our readers to share this and contact studio@haroldfeinstein.com if you or someone you know studied with Harold and would like to share that experience.
