Explore the Bittersweet Beauty of New York Through Vincent Pflieger’s Eyes

Vincent is the street photographer who isn’t afraid to push boundaries while he captures stunning timeless moments through his 35mm lens

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A year ago I stumbled upon Vincent Pflieger’s Instagram profile (Streetadelic). I was immediately intrigued by his photography. It seemed to perfectly depict the humor and charming disorder of New York’s liveliness. The photos left me questioning about the stories of the people captured in them. A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet up with Vincent for a glass of wine and have a chat.

To give you a little background, Vincent is a self-taught Parisian street photographer based in NYC. He strictly does film photography and portrays the vivid colors of this beautiful chaotic city. If you love New York and its many layers, you won’t want to miss out on this guy.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am a 27 year old film photographer born and raised in Paris. I moved to New York two and a half years ago to finish my studies in journalism and now I work as a food photographer. During my leisure time I do documentary street photography. Since I’ve been shooting in NYC, I have had the chance to show my work in publications like Vice, Fubiz and iGnant.

How did you decide to move to New York?

I was always attracted to New York since my younger age, because of the cultural power that the US has over Europe and the rest of the world. It’s something I always kind of knew, without having ever been here, through movies and comics. In a way I was raised like a little American, you know. I read Spiderman and watched Malcolm in the Middle like a little American. I was inspired by American literature and culture.

It’s an attraction. You either hate it or you love it. I come from a background where people are not attracted to the US, but I always wanted to go. Especially New York, when I tasted it, I really liked it and I was addicted. I have found everything I want here. I came from the dead suburbs in Paris and New York is alive.

Tell us a little bit about your job

I never wanted to be a professional photographer. It was first my passion and hobby. When I finished my studies, I had the choice to stay one more year to work or come back to Paris. I decided to stay and work as an in house photographer at my friend’s company, who founded a food design agency between Paris and NYC. We work for big clients like Bordeaux Wine. I manage the whole European market. I like it here, but it is not what I want to do forever. I am more of a perfectionist in my work now and have more recognition so I’ll continue for now, but will open new opportunities on the side. You need patience at first.

What is the key element in your photography?

I photograph the streets of my urban environment, what I know. I don’t like to be locked in the house. I’m not afraid to speak to strangers. I don’t think I would like travel photography for example, because I would feel like a tourist. It would be less personal. I work in my universe.

How would you describe your artistic aesthetic? Do you follow a particular style?

I don’t have a specific aesthetic, except that I’m addicted to the grain of films rather than pixels. I am attracted to analog colors. There is more charm using these old devices and gears are cheap. You can change your camera every two weeks if you want. I love to match colors and people with their environment. I try to have a different eye compared to the other street photographers. For example, for the purists street photography was only in black & white.

When did you initially become interested in photography and how did you learn?

It was really by chance. I was a kid of the democratization of photography thanks to smartphones and social media. When I was younger I found a camera at home. I wanted to try to use it but I didn’t have rolls or anything. My friend gave me 10 of her father’s rolls. I started to use the camera and shoot everything. It was really expensive to process it. Thankfully I had a friend who worked in a photography school. He processed all my photos for free. I was really lucky, I can’t say I did it by myself. People helped me a lot. I don’t know if I would have persisted if I hadn’t had this initial support.

If you shoot with an analog camera it’s fully manual, so it’s a good way to learn. I learned by myself, trying different things, researching online and making mistakes.

Is there any specific message you want to convey through your photography?

There is no specific message. It’s just my vision of what I see in the streets and I capture it forever. I did a series about the protests against Donald Trump when he was elected. There was a political message behind this to show the feelings that people carried out on the streets. Usually I just shoot what I like, what I think is appealing. I shoot it for myself first and then, if people like it, that’s great. It’s my subjective portrayal of the beauty of life and humor of reality. I like to capture the moments that other people don’t notice.

Is there something that has particularly changed in your photography in New York vs. Paris?

In Paris it was about the beauty of the city, the architecture. It’s more of a romantic city. Here it’s urban, dirty and messy, but organized at the same time. There is a beauty in the griminess and darkness. Characters are more interesting in NY. The way people act and dress…They don’t care. There is no discretion here. In Paris people are much more eccentric. People come from everywhere and nowhere here, not like in Paris, where it’s mostly Parisians and tourists. Everybody knows New York is a special place. It’s nobody’s home. People come here to experience something.

Do you plan to stay in New York?

I want to stay here for sure. It has just started for me. I feel home now. Like everyone, I want to make something happen and make it here before I go anywhere. Before coming here, I had no goals or ambition and now I am working towards something. NYC is a black hole, and it is hard to leave once you are here. Possibilities are infinite if you really want to open the field of opportunity that NYC can offer. It sounds a bit cliché, but it’s actually true.

What is your most memorable project?

The first one which is the most important, because it’s how I learned and how I discovered photography. I was shooting during my daily routine, on the subway particularly. It’s a good exercise to shoot on the subway because of the proximity. Strangers are so close here. You learn how to be unnoticed or be noticed and not care. Staring at them and wondering who the people are and what they do. This is how I learned how to shoot on streets. Not being afraid to shoot strangers right in their face, some people will notice and won’t appreciate it, but you still do it.

Are you interested in entering other artistic fields?

I would like to try painting during my free time. I wasn’t interested when I was a kid. I was dragged into museums and I was so bored. I wasn’t looking at the painting, but rather the people looking at the painting. I was always interested in the human being in society and how how they act. But, now that I do photography, I really see the potential of painting and how it is just a picture but painted by the mind.

As a professional, I would also like to work more in video production and direction. I haven’t made the decision yet. If I really want it, I will make it happen.

Have you focused strictly on food photography professionally?

I arrived in the professional field assisting on many big fashion shoots to see the environment of a professional studio within a team. I had come from the streets doing things by myself. It is very different because there is a hierarchy, rules, a big team. It’s something you have to learn and in a way, this is how I became a professional photographer. But I realized I didn’t want to work in fashion. It wasn’t exciting for me.

I also shoot on music video sets, for events, movie festivals, concerts, CD covers, artists in magazines, clothing brands. I directed skits for short videos. So yeah, I’ve experienced a lot of different kinds of photography.

Are you working on any current projects?

I recently made a series about Times Square for Lomography’s publication. I have always been fascinated by this place. I understand the mixed feelings towards it. If you are a New Yorker it’s definitely not the area you’ll choose to hang out with friends, or go for a drink on a date. Also, going through this mess when you are commuting between two neighborhoods is an absolute nightmare. But for a photographer, Time Square is very rich, full of moments and faces that feed the inspiration. I love to see tourists’ reaction the first time they go there and the performers when they take their masks off.

See more from Vincent at https://www.streetadelic.com/ and make sure to follow him on Instagram, Facebook