the narrative.

these images are from Bruce Davidson's series from NYC entitled Brooklyn Gang, 1959. the series as a whole depicts the same group of teenagers in a 50's gang as they go through their everyday lives. the thing that struck me about this particular set of photos was that after viewing them you begin to become familiar with each "character". i started to feel as though i knew the role each person played in the group and could get a sense of their personalities. even after looking at only a small collection of the series, a story was developing in my head about who these kids are and what they do.

the pictures are really casual rather than stiff and posed, and you cal tell that this is how these guys act when they are just letting loose around their best friends. it's as if the photographer has become a member of the gang for a day because they completely trust him and are comfortable around the camera. definitely something i can admire.

the whole concept of the narrative thing itself is something that seems to work really well. it's one thing to have your images paired or displayed in a group, but to have the ability to tell a story is a whole other thing in itself, like allowing the world to get a look at someone else's life. life's really just a bunch of stores anyway.
the fact that Davidson has the ability to make his images speak like that is pretty remarkable in my opinion. itmade me think of my different groups of friends and how we interact everyday with each other. possibly an idea for my next project...

we shall see...

"Teenage graffiti, slam the door when you're defeated, we're all a victim if you give us time.

We're all of victim of the times.

So put your money where your mouth is honey my generation's got it bad.

When everybody's talking circles
better get up, get out, put out, we've got a world to burn"