NOTES
Social Commentary Street Photography from New York City
Social commentary through street photography. This week's subject is New York City.
There's a reason why we usually think of New York City when someone mentions "street photography." The architecture make great backdrops to the frenetic energy that affects everything from people to dogs to the pigeons and rats that live together. With up to 12 million people interacting with their environment and eachother every day, there's rarely a moment when anyone notices you. It's the benefit of often being invisible to the crowds of people who are too busy and in too much of a hurry to pay any attention to the photographer walking around taking pictures.
When I go to New York for work, I make sure to take 2-3 days to roam the streets, easily clocking between 10-16 miles of walking through every corner. The Financial District is my current favorite neighborhood to photograph. When I previously mentioned that you are invisible in New York, you are TOTALLY invisible when you're in Lower Manhattan. This part of the City is dually a tourist destination and, obviously, the financial capital of the world.
The photos below are my observation of the disconnect I see between humans living in such dense and energetic urban environments and the tranquility and spiritually invigorating elements of nature. This may evolve into a bigger project but for now, it's what I've been doing during my visits.
Email: info@carlosdetres.com
Should we not wake the eff up...
Louisiana is losing more natural territory than any region in the world and I am fascinated by that. New Orleans could be the next line of defense against major storms. Fun times.
The cemetery project is being sequenced. After reviewing all of the photos, it was very clear that two projects were in there. One about the dead not being safe from the living and the other a work dedicated to the admiration of the beauty and decay. The former is a photo essay and the latter a book.
Anyway...
Now that photography is done with those projects I'm on to the next thing(s) which is a work about the economic impact of wetland loss in Louisiana. Our region is losing natural territory faster than any in the world but unfortunately the news doesn't get a whole lot of national press. It happens a lot in this state.
Oil companies such as BP are certainly not the only ones to blame, however the industry is the biggest factor for preventing extended losses, of which is currently about a football field a day.
The goal of this project is to provide the visual ammo for non-profit organizations to use as a way to inspire others into action or at the very least, awareness like that small rock in your shoe -- you'll feel something wrong. It will take me through bayous, small towns, abandoned oil wells and polluted coasts. I'm not sure how long this project will take but I imagine quite some time. At least a few years.
I don't expect drastic changes but any little bit of awareness can go a long way, especially in this beautiful state.
It really is pretty.
Below is an image posted by NOLA.com that depicts a more accurate outline of how Louisiana currently looks.
And this incredible article by Brett Anderson from where I got this image.
