Member Spotlight: Sander Randall
Can you share a bit about your background and what sparked your passion for photography?
In the summer of 2021 I took a road trip and thought it could be fun to buy some disposable cameras for the trip. After doing some online sleuthing and some 4th grade math, I realized it was cheaper to just get one reusable disposable-style camera and shoot film. I had a blast.
Though limiting, using this little camera meant not being caught up in exposure triangles and all that jazz (I had yet to furiously google said jazz), but still engaging with the idea that *I am taking a photo now* rather than casual iPhone snapping. Overall it was just so fun, but every frame was costing me money, so it was also getting used to making what I pointed the camera at count.
I am a musician and connected with the bluegrass/folk scenes Brooklyn, so after upgrading my camera, I spent 2022 mostly capturing the musicians I’d been playing with for years. It was really just a beautiful time of discovery—capturing the people I love, doing the thing we love, and hoping to find an image that resonated. Success was mostly a clean photo with proper exposure, though occasionally something came along that felt a little more than that.
While I really only started taking photographs with intention in 2021, the more I look back in my photos folder, the more I recognize that I had been enjoying capturing scenes, characters, and memories for ten years already. I just hadn’t been listening enough to engage seriously with that joy. That road trip, my music community, and now the CMC community created welcoming spaces where I can connect with this medium and share it with intention.
How did you first come across CMC, and what drew you to become a part of this collective?
Meeting Erica is one of my favorite stories to tell. Once upon a time (April 2023) I was the officiant for my friend Jess’ wedding. Jess is a wonderful photographer and working artist, so of course she said to me “I need you to make sure everyone knows two things before the ceremony starts: keep your phone in your pocket…and the names of the photographers.” So when the time came I did just that, I reminded everyone to be present in this moment because Senshi and Erica have got it locked down.
During dinner I went up to Senshi and Erica to chat, but mostly wanted to ask them both for a photo. I knew the bride and groom would have plenty of photos of the evening, but might enjoy one photo of the two magicians behind the images that they will no doubt revisit over the years.
When my friend began sharing images from her wedding I started following Erica on Instagram, and saw she was the founder of CMC. After a few months building up the nerve I reached out to see how to get involved and attend that month’s photowalk in Coney Island. I met a ton of great people that day and quickly realized this was exactly the thing I needed–a group of positive, welcoming, and (most importantly) active people who share a passion for photography.
My first few meetings were some of the first times I got to exchange ideas on photography, see how others responded to work, and engage directly with compelling images. The group does such a great job welcoming new members and giving feedback that encourages growth and exploration. I truly feel like my photography skill has grown exponentially since attending meetings, showing work, and creating meaningful friendships with members.
Is there a particular theme or subject that captivates you the most in your photography? If so, what is it, and what draws you to it? If not, what do you typically focus on in your work, and why?
These exact questions have been bouncing around my head a lot lately. The simple answer seems to be: what I love. From sunlight through a window, a sheep grazing in the winter, a friend sitting on their bed, a pianist at a jazz lounge, a spider at the end of a silken thread…I find myself absolutely dumbstruck by these scenes of immense rarity and preciousness.
It sounds like such a cop out, right? “I take photos of beautiful things” yeah okay buddy we all do. But to dig deeper, I think about things on a universal scale a lot, probably beyond what is healthy. It escapes my ability to understand how rare our experience on Earth is. Most of the universe is nothingness or explosions, and yet there lies a bird feather resting on the surface of a pond. It’s mind blowing when you really think about it.
Photography gifts me a way to share these moments in a way that preserves their emotional mystique, and hopefully allows a viewer space to feel whatever it is they need to feel.
Could you share 3-5 images from your most recent project or photo series? We'd love to hear the story behind these works and what inspired the project.
Here are some photos from within the past year that I think capture the themes and subjects mentioned above. To be honest, these images inspire themselves. They aren’t necessarily the result of any thought or planning, they are merely the moments that I am lucky enough to witness. To me they represent the world in which I want to live, and the best part is, I already do.
