Some Updates
I have been super busy and haven’t been able to post anything here in the past 10 days or so. I am working on a new project on the MBTA. I’m photographing/interviewing subway musicians. The whole idea of the project as of now is to take portraits of them while they do their thing.
I’m trying to do it in such a way that it’s not too posed or fake. I don’t want the musician to change the way they are acting just because I am shooting their photo. So far I’ve done two separate musicians. This is an ongoing project so I don’t anticipate me finishing it anytime soon.
Right now I’ve named the project “Underground Musicians.” I’m trying to decide how to approach the project in its entirety. I have taken the photographs so far without any of the crowd in the shots. I can’t decide if I like it that way or not. It makes the musicians seem like they’re in their own personal space, but at the same time, the photographs are being shot in the most public of any areas.
Maybe it would be better for me to show the musician’s interaction with the crowd/public? I’m really struggling with that decision. This project is also making me think in ways I don’t usually think. I’m so used to photographing famous musicians in a concert or studio setting. These “underground musicians” are generally unknown. Also, one doesn’t have a choice whether or not one wants to listen to the music or not. This is different for me as well because the musicians I generally photograph are being paid to perform and the people watching are there to see them. Anyways, here is a photograph of one of the musicians I have photographed so far. He was surprisingly talented, and this was shot at South Station in Boston.
