The camera as an icebreaker

When reviewing the material I produced over the last decade, both as a visual artist and as a photographer, i am critically aware of the of the context, reflecting on how I managed to meet and spend time with the people in my photographs.

Especially when it comes to the projects which are more journalistic in nature and serve a documentary purpose , I sometimes forget about the image itself, but reminisce about the situation and individual or group I was able to portray as a result of the machine I hold in my hands.

Many times the camera is far away when meeting my protagonists for the first time, which paradoxically brought us closer together and enabled me to work the specific projects with a greater respect and understanding.

For me, this attitude is crucial, especially in this day in age, where we are surrounded and equipped with image recording equipment on a unparalleled scale. To honour and respect the space between us the the lense, before embarking on the journey together.

Writers on the storm...

" ...Riders on the storm
... 
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm ...

The Doors' song 'Riders on the Storm', which I have quoted from above, has accompanied me throughout my childhood, teens and adulthood as a visual artist. It has become the basis and inspiration for an ongoing project that I feel very passionate about, and which aims to portray the graffiti artists and streets of Florida at a particularly difficult moment in time. 

The original song evolved out of a jam session when the Doors were inspired by 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', a cowboy song by Stan Jones sung by many musicians, chief among them Johnny Cash. The Doors' song is infinitely more philosophical than its inspiration, and I have played it in times of crisis and times of joy, for it speaks of the human condition in a seemingly chaotic universe. It's a song about all of our lives, and its impact upon me has been profound.

The 'writers' referred to in the title are the graffiti writers of Florida, whom I have been meeting and observing since 2014. My aim has been to describe the individual personalities and the work of the artists on the streets of the district of Wynwood Miami, but my title for this series suddenly took on an even more profound meaning as, during the early days of September 2017, Hurricane Irma descended upon the continental United States in particular on the greater region of South Florida. It seemed appropriate to change the original Doors 'Riders' to 'Writers' to reflect the specific situation in which those artists found themselves.

My visit to Miami and the resulting documentary work—seeing old friends, my extended family, interviewing the people that are the foundation of my work---became the story of the people that rode out this catastrophic storm in their own homes, sometimes against the advice of the authorities. 

For me, the graffiti writers are the riders of this particular storm, but I didn't intend this to be a documentary about the destruction and mayhem that was brought about by the natural disaster. Rather, I have tried to show the positive in this situation: the artists and their creativity have survived. They survived the hurricane, and they continue to survive the storms of life with which we all contend on a daily basis. We all find strength in unity, in our work, in our arts, and the love we feel privileged to share when we look in the right places.

Real Riders on the Storm...

““Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”—Viktor E. Frankl”

This opening quote from Johannes Koch's Book "Break into Journalism" - Contact building tools and tactics represents for me personally one of the key elements to be a successful photojournalist and beyond. The author of the book has coached me before on my visit to Miami in order to reflect on a few journalistic methods that would assist me on the road ahead.

( Follow this link to get a free copy of Break into Journalism )

One's Attitude, the way I feel or think about something, the way I present my self and approach the situation and character in front of my lens is integral to the image I am about to capture.

Under the working title " Riders on the Storm", I planned to meet several locals who have sat out hurricane Irma. I wanted to hear their stories and what they have experienced not just in living through this particular storm, but the also the storms we are faced with in our daily lives.

Many encounters we had, numerous pictures were taken, and as I work my way through the archives, I remember fondly the meetings and people I was privileged to meet and portray on the streets of Miami.

I met Ray briefly in 2015 and he made quite an impression on me. A man who not just coined the street, but was coined by the environment we found ourselves in. And as I prepared my visit for the mission ahead,  and planning the Interviews for my visit in 2017, Ray instantly agreed kindly to be portrayed while having a chat about the questions I had.

The photo I took of him in December of 2017 on the streets of Wynwood is one of the most profound portraits in my portfolio so far. It's been part of exhibitions and is an integral image in my project folder that means a lot to me.

In a time of political limbo, where sentences such as  "Make America great again..." and similar phrases suddenly become chewing gum, It is a great honour for me to meet people that are real, that keep it real, ...fulltime.

It's these people that make not just America great again, but should also inspire others wherever we live and to keep on living, ...keep on loving, ...keep ...on riding, in a respectful manner.