Carry-On Photography

08/31/2020

“When the truck showed up, at first I was like - I thought they were supply trucks at first. And then when I saw the bunk beds, I was like ‘f**k, okay, these I’ve heard about on the news, I get what it is.’ There was a moment though that it really hit me. It was maybe a week after the truck showed up. They were paying guys off the street buku bucks to do this horrible job right? Loading bodies and building these bunk beds. Not at all trained or prepared to do this job.
There’s a bodega on the corner, and the truck’s kind of like catty corner. I know it was him loading them, because he’s in a full hazmat suit, but a homemade one that’s duct taped. Whole fu***ng thing. He’s got gloves on and he is eating a sandwich with his gloves on. But he also just has this 10,000 yard stare. Just eating that fu***ng sandwich. And I was just like ‘welcome to dystopia, holy sh*tballs’ what did I just see?
I know that stare. That’s the stare of serious trauma.”

Michele, a LCSW, sits in her backyard discussing life during the pandemic at her hospital in the Bronx and the long term mental health impacts on herself and others.

08/18/2020

“So that's when I started seeing a therapist, because I was crying every night. I was eating myself to death. I was drinking myself to death and I can't do this with two teenagers in the house.You can't
behave like that in front of kids because they're not stupid. They can feel what's going on.”

Toni, sitting in a park in Port Chester NY, discusses her struggle with mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic.

08/01/2020

“It’s an understanding that healthcare workers have this higher level of understanding of how cross-contamination happens. Which we do, we’re not discounting that. None of us were. But when you’ve been in a COVID unit for eight hours without being able to go to the bathroom, without being able to drink, without having any of those normal luxuries. Not being able to touch your face, not being able to live really - when you come out, there’s a need to do it as quickly as you can and get the hell out.”

Alice, an OR nurse reflects on her time working in a COVID unit during the height of the pandemic and it’s ongoing impact on her mental health.

How has Covid impacted your own mental health? I’m still looking for participants for this ongoing documentary project. Feel free to reach out.

07/15/2020

Finally got around to doing a deep dive review of the Nomad 25L camera backpack from check out the full video on using the link in the bio.

07/14/2020

A much overdue deep dive review of the Nomad 25L camera bag from Wotancraft.

A deep dive review of the Nomad 25L camera backpack from Wotancraft. Finally a camera backpack I can get behind in terms of usability and comfort! The pros d...

07/06/2020

Open call to participate in an ongoing documentary portrait project. The impact of the pandemic is going to have resounding effects in mental health for years to come - it’s unavoidable. Our way of life has changed forever. How has it impacted your own mental health? Are you a healthcare worker? A delivery person? Grocery store clerk? Did you lose a friend or loved one? Are you or have you been sick? I want to hear your story. I encourage anyone interested to reach out to me here or via email. Interviews will be conducted safely observing all social distancing requirements - for those who don’t live in NY I can do Zoom interviews. My full blog post on the topic is linked in my bio.

07/05/2020

Flashback to shooting some great shows at anyone else miss live music? @ Bardavon Presents

06/02/2020

05/31/2020

A little what’s in my bag from today’s family picnic.

05/30/2020

In 2017 I began working on a documentary photo project centered around the themes of trauma and mental health. I sought to interview and photograph people who were willing to share their personal stories. Over the past three years I’ve spoken with military veterans, survivors of sexual assault, victims of abusive relationships, individuals struggling with depression, addiction, and anxiety just to name a few. [ 347 more words ]

In 2017 I began working on a documentary photo project centered around the themes of trauma and mental health. I sought to interview and photograph people who were willing to share their personal s…

05/12/2020

Fun story: I bought this Olympus OM-1 back in college at a thrift store for about $30 I think - it was beat up and ugly, I had just gotten into film photography and thought it would be fun to play with. It proceeded to sit on a shelf gathering more dust for about 12 years. Fast forward to the Covid-era and I’m stuck at home looking for projects I decide to see if it actually works, having never put a roll of film through it. It’s ugly but it works well, the meter was dead but the exposures were spot on (using the tried and true Sunny 16s). My usual camera repair shop in NYC is closed so I took it upon myself to refurbish it - one fresh battery, lots of scrubbing with cotton swabs, new light seal foam and some compressed air and it’s looking pretty dapper if I do say so myself. Quarantine victory.