“Portraits” shows some of his best photographs over the years. For instance, one of an Eastern European woman was taken after hours spent trying to capture her in a studio. After failing to “get” her in the controlled environment, the image that ended up being the most representative of her instead was taken at night, outside, with a fluffy red hood covering one of her eyes.

Another image shows three little siblings sitting on their front stoop, playing with bubbles and lounging as they would on any summer’s day. It was taken after the kids had worn themselves out running around the yard and shows them at their most relaxed.

“Everyone is a photography critic and everyone is a valid photography critic,” Feder said, explaining the angles and dramatic lighting he tries to lend to each shot.

His interest in people — and conveying some of their self on to film — comes from his background as a sociology student at Princeton University. While there, he won an award for his thesis — a massive study on the phenomenon of stretch limousines in New York and Los Angeles during the 1980s. He said that the limousines were representative of a kind of “conspicuous consumption” during the Reagan era among all walks of life — politicians, businessmen and even drug dealers.

Feder takes this scientific background of sociology into his photography. Besides thematically capturing the joy of youth, the dignity of old married couples and the destitution of the homeless, he also is working on a collection of photographs of tattooed individuals. Although he gets pictures of the actual body art, he also makes it anything but “just a picture of the tattoo.” Instead, it is always about capturing the image of the person and how the body art reflects on their general appearance and their individuality. In that case, it’s another of his sociological observations and studies.

“I approach everything from a sociological perspective,” he stated.

The method in which he captures, extemporaneously, the images of people is through his bringing photographic equipment most everywhere he goes. The people he meets in his travels turn out to be the best kind of inspiration, as they travel and act out their everyday lives. In addition, he says that he’s “always willing” to send a copy to the people that he captures in “one-on-one” sessions.

He also “does his homework” with knowing the lighting and the other technical aspects that every photographer has to know. For this, he studied film and photography at Berkeley and at the International Center of Photography and has worked for 20 years as a portraitist, event and travel photographer. The training has gone towards documenting transitory times, or “memorializing moments,” as he refers to it.

“We’re changing all the time. The photo doesn’t,” he said.

After living in New York City for most of his life, Feder was proud to have moved to Glen Ridge two years ago. It’s a town that serves as a good respite from his everyday job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where, since 1990, he has worked in the Department of Concerts and Lectures. Glen Ridge is a place that gives him a good home where he can live with his wife, Christine, their dog, Roxy — and where he can work in his garden and make culinary experiments in the kitchen, while still being connected to the people and places of New York.

“It’s a small-town vibe, but it’s still so close to New York,” Feder said. “And I’m so appreciative to the town for giving me the opportunity to show my work, as well.”

“Portraits” runs through April 29.

Staff Writer Seth Augenstein can be reached at 973-743-4040, ext. 105, or news@thelocalsource.com.

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