Crazy Picture

Crown Heights November 2, 2008

The portraits from the final Face of Brooklyn shoot at Crown Heights on November 2 are now posted to Flickr, as well as in this slideshow below.

The Final Shoot

We set up shop on the side of Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, coincidentally right in front of the home and synagogue of “his majesty, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the real King” Rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson. After shooting at eight different locations around Brooklyn, this was Nora’s final shoot and last opportunity to really capture the diverse culture that defines this densely populated borough. The Jewish community in Brooklyn is a hard one to engage with as an outsider but when one thinks of the true “face of Brooklyn,” there’s no denying the Jewish presence, specifically that of the Jewish man. The day started out slow, with much curiosity but little participation from passerby’s. Eventually we drew the attention of a group of young boys, most of whom were living in the area, studying the Talmud and worshiping at Rebbe M. M. Schneerson’s synagogue. After much persuasion and convincing, some agreed to have their portrait snapped and little by little others followed suit. Unfortunately we could not enlist many women to participate, though in a way, many religious Jewish women in the area are rarely seen in the public sphere anyway, a face of Brooklyn hardly seen. By the end of a long and cold November day, we walked away with about twelve strong portraits, a great success in our minds as we started the day with expectations on the low side.

Here is Nora, snapping away at our biggest fan and most enthusiastic model, Shuki.



After shooting this group of teenage boys, they insisted that we be in a photograph with them so that they could later brag to their friends back home in Israel about the fantastic American women they met.



(left) As we were closing up shop, this group of youngsters came cruising by on their bicycles and enticed by the chance to have their picture taken (and obtain some left over Halloween candy) they turned their bikes around, jumped in front of the camera and struck a wonderfully silly pose for Nora (our favorite facial expression is the girl's in the pink). (right) Here I am, hard at work, making sure to get all of their information down before they devoured the candy and sped away.

Last Shoot

The beautiful Indian summer weather has prompted an encore shoot for the Face of Brooklyn Project. Tomorrow Nancy and I will be in Crown Heights on Eastern Parkway between Kingston and Rochester Avenue between 12 and 3.



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