I've known this young man for a few years, and have photographed him before. When I saw him the other day with the painful-looking but beautiful bruises on his face, I ran up to my apartment to get my camera. By the time I returned he was surrounded by friends, relaxing. His friends were protective, but he said he was happy to be photographed and chose to keep smoking for the picture. I hesitated to post this, because the beat-up face and blunt in his mouth are so symbolic of many misconceptions and real concerns about young men of color in poor urban neighborhoods. But doesn't he have a hopeful and dignified glint in his eye?

One more week to go.

This is Cynthia who lives less than a block from me, but whom I met for the first time last week. I love her tattoos, her sparkling eyes, and the exquisite wrinkles of her t-shirt.

(Click the photo to see more detail.)

Boys Before School

I met and photographed these boys a block from my apartment, early on a February morning. It was one of my first trips out in my neighborhood shooting this square format film, and this image helped convince me to stick with the project. The photo was included in the exhibition Click at the Brooklyn Museum and someone commented that the boys reminded him of a young Al Capone, who apparently also smoked stogies on the streets of Red Hook. A friend said the one on the left reminded her of Jay-Z. Another said it was the saddest picture in the exhibit. Another said he sees these boys everywhere, but I've been keeping an eye out for them when I'm walking in the neighborhood and I haven't seen them again.