Faces of Harlem
- Posted by: Nikhil Swaminathan
- on November 3, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Jon Oliver, a New York-based musician, DJ, and artist (and not The Daily Show’s resident Brit), wanted to sharpen his photography chops. Rather than getting a lucrative apprenticeship with, say, a wedding photographer, he decided to hit the streets and document the people around him. So, for the last couple of months, he’s been pounding the pavement, moving eastward along 110th St.–the historically black neighborhood’s southern border–and stopping his neighbors to ask for an impromptu sitting. Unfazed by more than his fair share of rejection, he’s managed to document the changing face (and faces) of a fast-mutating neighborhood. (You can see his work on his Flickr page.)
Given the hustle and bustle on the busy thoroughfare, he’s probably gotten quicker with his camera–paving the way for a career as a paparazzo, should the music thing not work out.
Hat tip to NYC The Blog.
DISCUSSION: 1 Comment
That’s a crazy coincidence Nikhil-the man in orange in the top photo is an old colleague of mine named Laraji. We went on tour once together as part of show called Dha Fuzion. He wears orange from head to toe every day for spiritual reasons. He plays dozens of instruments form all over the world. Laraji reminds me of the luck dragon from The Neverending Story.