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?

For our new picture of the day, we go inside the walls of South Brooklyn Community High School. This is James Perez, who is a minor celebrity in the world of New York inline skating. He's a really good guy. I've been his advocate counselor for more than two years. He only has a few more classes to pass to graduate and he and I both know he's going to do that this year. Click here to seem him skating.

PRINT GIVEAWAY

The Prints Have Been Requested- thank you everyone.

Today I am giving away two pairs of prints of Here in Red Hook photographs. They are signed archival inkjet prints on heavyweight matte photo paper; each is approximately 8"x 8". If you'd like to own one of these pairs of prints, please send me an email with your name, mailing address, and which pair is your first choice. We'll call the top the "red pair" and the bottom the "blue pair." The first two people to email me will get the photographs. Send email to avernonjones@gmail.com.

This is Ari with his dog Taco. Ari's headphones match Taco's leash. I met them walking by the water after school on Wednesday.

This is Julio and Kerry- they're the same two boys who are filling the bucket from the fire hydrant in the last post- but this picture was actually taken first. I met them on a sweaty evening when the light in Red Hook was just glowing. They wanted me to take action shots, which (understandably) always seems to be the case with skateboarders I meet, but they settled for a portrait.

When I was out shooting a few weeks ago, these guys were playing ball- pitching from one side of Verona Street across to the other. The buildings on two sides of an industrial Brooklyn block present the perfect backstop and outfield wall (actually more like an infield wall) for a two man ball game. The ball they were playing with was a heavy rubber. Not a hardball- but I still wouldn't have wanted to pitch to this kid at close distance without wearing a glove to protect me from a line drive smacked right back at me. To be photographed these guys fell naturally into poses reminiscent of those on baseball cards or major league ballpark programs. They seem somewhere between men- with the actual swagger of a pro ball player, and boys- with innocent dreams of one day playing in the big leagues.

This is Matthew who I met this afternoon, finishing up a roll of film on my way to the lab. He said he comes to Red Hook to serve on the Youth Court but lives in Staten Island. I liked that he was wearing a red t-shirt and carrying another one, and I think he has a wonderful face. (Click on the image to see him a little closer up.)

Back in August I was watching some softball at the fields on Lorraine Street and these two boys were playing at the playground across the road. Of course the difference in size between the two of them caught my eye. It was a beautiful day, but nobody else was around in the whole section of courtyard outside these buildings. These guys were very intent on their games, but seemed happy to stop and pose for a picture.

A couple of months ago I was out shooting on Visitation Street, and the girl in the middle here called me over to take a photo. The guys were a little reluctant at first, but when we all got a closer look at each other it seemed like a group photo would be a good idea and so we made this one. They were hanging out right next to the Community Justice Center so it's a little ironic that they're throwing up signs.

I was watching some boys play baseball on Verona Street and someone hit it over the church yard fence. While the pitcher went after it, this guy showed off how he could climb those wires on the right (which was impressive but the landing on the jump down interested me more photographically).

(Please click on these pictures so you can see them a little bigger!) For the first time in several years NYC had a snow day where schools were closed, so I got to shoot for a couple hours in the middle of the day. The woman with the box (actually a drawer from an old dresser) was using it to shake salt out onto the sidewalk. She and I talked about how she had extra work to do on a day when lots of us got to stay home. That run down house, which I've been into for a while, is now pretty overshadowed by that great street art. And the father and son were sledding in Coffey Park, which has no hills. (Is it still called sledding if your dad just pulls you around on the sled?)

Michael (another guy)

(Click on the picture above for a bigger version so you can really see this guy.) I met Michael one morning when we were both on our way to school- him to MS 378 where he's a student and me to South Brooklyn Community High School where I'm an advocate counselor. Later that week I saw him again when he came to use the gym at my school with an after-school program he attends.

The past seven portraits I've posted have been of guys. Overall I've photographed many more men than women for this project. I have a few thoughts about why. First, the neighborhood is filled with garages, workshops and factories so the economy (and sexism) bring more men into the neighborhood to work, and often to work in outdoor or open spaces. Women in our society, statistically, do more hours of work than men but in the city a lot of that work is inside childcare, and household work. So my guess is women in Red Hook are busy that way while men are outside (where I meet them) working, or relaxing and socializing. Likewise boys usually get more encouragement to play outside than girls.

Another factor is that even when I do see and take interest in a woman as the subject for a photograph, she often declines my request to be in a picture. This may be because our culture particularly targets women around physical appearance and gives constant messages about how women should and shouldn't look. Given these factors, it's not surprising that a woman might say no to a stranger asking to take her picture. And when that stranger is me, personally, I'm sure that there are ways that (as a man) I still have a lot to learn about how to approach and engage women as respectfully and skillfully as I could.

Given these obstacles, I particularly value those times when I do find a comfortable engagement with women in the neighborhood, and I value the portraits that result. I'll plan to show a woman in my next post.

Football on Richards Street

Shivering a little in the deep mid-winter, I went back into my archives from the early fall for this picture of boys who were pausing from playing football in the street. I love how differences make themselves evident in a group portrait (each subject standing in the same light in front of the same photographer but presenting themselves differently) and in this one they're pretty striking.

Reunited With Raheem

Early in this project I met two boys smoking cigars on a cold morning before school. The portrait I took of them ended up hanging in the Brooklyn Museum and was important to my decision to stick with this Red Hook work. I showed that picture in this August 19 entry. Since last winter I've keep my eyes out for those boys. It turns out my friend Brian ran into them first, but two days later I ran into one of them, Raheem. He had heard from from Brian that his picture was in the Museum and told his friend about it excitedly as I stood there with my camera. It turns out the boys were brothers, Raheem and Raequan, which they hadn't mentioned when we first met last year. Raheem and the friend he was with wanted to be in another picture, and so here they are, with cups this time, instead of cigars. I got Raheem's number and hope to get together with the brothers to give them some prints and hopefully make another portrait soon.

The Bus Stop

I've always had a fascination with skateboards, and have ridden them since I convinced my parents to get me one at K-Mart when I was about nine. I was first attracted to this young man because he was standing on a skateboard as he waited for the bus, and he seemed proud of it. We talked a little about skateboarding and I took one or two shots from further back, of him and the board, but some intuition told me to get closer for a more intimate picture. As I did, I think my proximity and close focus were a little much for him and he turned away slightly, still standing on the board. In that moment he showed some combination of bravery and vulnerability. I think it's this mix that often gives portraiture its power.

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.