Today will not be many words by me, instead I bring you some images that I made Uptoon yesterday with my new camera. You like pictures of people right? I bought a DSLR with 2 lenses on Sunday and have fallen into my new camera feet first this week. It is an amazing piece of equipment that 4 years ago seemed completely out of reach to me.
Over the years as a messenger in Charlotte I have become friends with a few of the cab drivers that park at their stand on the square. We the couriers are one step above the cabbies in the Uptoon food chain. They are one step above bums and there is now way to go any further down than that. So it goes bums, cabbies then couriers. Most of them are immigrants from far away places that come to America seeking the Freedom that they have heard so much about. I know all of the gentlemen in the following photo document. They were willing and cooperative with my photographic and artistic ideas. I will leave their names out of my blog but will give you a brief description of my understanding of who they are.
As a bonus: When I finished the shoot a beautiful woman came running out of the coffee house saying that she took pictures of me taking pictures with her IPhone. I gave her my email address and the pics were in my in box this morning and are posted below. A big thanks Karan, you did great and I appreciate your spontaneous creativity. Your pictures of me are quite telling, I actually look like I was working which gives the behind or in this case the side of the lens perspective.
This hard working Sudanese immigrant left the Sudan on an overland march for Kenya as a very young child in the late 90's.
After waiting in Kenya for awhile he was able to get to America post 9/11. Now he is here and works harder than most of us.
Over the years as a messenger in Charlotte I have become friends with a few of the cab drivers that park at their stand on the square. We the couriers are one step above the cabbies in the Uptoon food chain. They are one step above bums and there is now way to go any further down than that. So it goes bums, cabbies then couriers. Most of them are immigrants from far away places that come to America seeking the Freedom that they have heard so much about. I know all of the gentlemen in the following photo document. They were willing and cooperative with my photographic and artistic ideas. I will leave their names out of my blog but will give you a brief description of my understanding of who they are.
As a bonus: When I finished the shoot a beautiful woman came running out of the coffee house saying that she took pictures of me taking pictures with her IPhone. I gave her my email address and the pics were in my in box this morning and are posted below. A big thanks Karan, you did great and I appreciate your spontaneous creativity. Your pictures of me are quite telling, I actually look like I was working which gives the behind or in this case the side of the lens perspective.
This hard working Sudanese immigrant left the Sudan on an overland march for Kenya as a very young child in the late 90's.
After waiting in Kenya for awhile he was able to get to America post 9/11. Now he is here and works harder than most of us. 
The fellow to his right is from Somalia.
15 years ago he left Somalia for Kenya as well then had a quick out to the Port of New York City.
Enter the proud Nigerian in white.
Here he comes around them.
I have known this fellow in white the longest, about 7 years or so.
He grew up in a town 12 hours north of Lagos Nigeria and was the son of a Chief.
Because of his father's wealth he came to America to study in college in the late 1970's. After he went back to Nigeria with his education he decided to immigrate here and become a citizen in the early 80's. He is an interesting person to talk with, complete life experience transfer.
Here are the images made by my stalker of me trying to communicate what I see to my subjects.
The Coffee House let me borrow a chair without their permission.
The Coffee House let me borrow a chair without their permission.
2 comments:
Your Pictures rock. I walk by the same scenes you do every morning. I love seeing them from someone else. I makes me reexamine what I see. I always carry a camera with me. Perhaps I will send you images I take of the same places. Reminds me of Picaso who painted several different angles in one painting.
Glenn
Thanks Glenn.
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