Arts

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Regarding the man in my photo (The Pigeon Piper of New York), he has always lived in New York City. He has dealt with the murder of his wife and kids, and because of this, a violent past. The birds have helped him heal and find a life off of the streets. It took him a while for them (the birds) to all become attached to him, and now he's the only one they'll listen to. Despite this, he wants to share the pigeons with others because it brings so much joy, to him and everyone. I vividly remember walking into Washington Square Park (where he's located) and found myself feeling an overwhelming joy by the number of bustling creatives and jazz players filling the park. The “Birdman” was in the center of the chaos, children holding out their arms and giggling as he would direct the pigeons to their outstretched hands. I saw how much the pigeons listened to him, and how much they meant to him. There was an apparent deeper relationship; I could tell he didn't just train them for fun. Although I took countless photos, I decided on this picture because it was shortly after most of the people had dispersed from around him, and he sat down, quietly listening to the jazz players. It's like time had stopped for a moment; this man, clutching these birds to his chest like they're the only family he has left. 

I've never been a particularly outgoing person, and it's taken me a lot of courage and work to become more confident in myself. Talking to strangers and getting in contact with people I want to photograph hasn't been easy, but I've been photographing strangers for about 2 years now. I started by reporting on the people who come and talk to my 4-H club about their professions and submitting it (the report) to local newspapers. My mom has a background in journalism, and I've become really politically active the past couple of years, that's why my AP portfolio concentration focuses on photojournalism and documentary photography. Local politics and documenting stories of everyday people has been my main drive for photography this year, and I wanted to focus on a more local level. I'm currently focusing on the rise of housing developments in Frederick County and how they affect our roads and how people (specifically those who've been here since it was a predominantly agricultural county) feel about it. As I'm nearing the end of the semester, I've been wrapping up the project, but I still want to continue and take it further.

Photography has actually been something I've gravitated to and became serious about fairly recently. Before photography, I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, and it still shows in most of my photography (ex. I'll use collage, cut up images and reimagine them, use paint and 3D mediums). I started photography 4 years ago on a smartphone and bought my first DSLR by saving up from art commissions 2 years ago. Now I'm currently enrolled in the Academy for the Fine Arts and haven't looked back since.