"A City That's Grown Sick of Itself"

[TL Photo]

I'm currently working on a photo series that will eventually evolve into a photo essay of sorts. It documents urban poverty and the fall of the industrial sector in North Adams, Massachusetts.

For those unfamiliar with this location, North Adams is a city of approximately 14,000 in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. Once an industrial hub, major employers such as O. Arnold and Company and Sprague Electric supplied the area with a prosperous industrial sector. After these industries went under or moved out of North Adams, the city fell into serious economic and social decline.

Although there has been an art revival taking place in the city, with establishments such as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the effects of this socioeconomic disaster can still be easily seen. All across town, homes are condemned and unfit for human habitation. The poverty level rests just above the state average for Massachusetts, and just under that of Brooklyn, New York. Crime and drug problems plague the streets, and large parts of the town are a depressing reminder of problems that the city faces

These images, shot on black and white film, document areas of the city not often seen by art tourists and other visitors. Presently, I have two parts to the series. But I plan on adding a third to it, hopefully with more focus on the people of North Adams.

Here are some images from the series

Part I - Kodak TMAX 400

Part II - Kodak 400TX

All images from Part I
All images from Part II

All comments/critiques are appreciated.

 

[cnutco]

I really like #3 and #5. I am just not to keen on the others.

 

[pbelarge]

TL
I took a look at some of the photos you have on the link.

I do not get that 'devastating' feeling of real poverty. There are so many areas not far from me that look a lot worse than those shots...I do not believe the shots will strike home for too many people.
You need to get down and dirty with some of the real torn apart areas there to present what you are discussing.

Also, your b&w photos can be less technically shot to also help with the 'feeling' you are trying to present. Maybe shoot from some angles different than plumb & level. Shoot some on a rainy day, and some directly into the sun.


And welcome to the forum!

 

[--ares--]

Great composition on most if not all of your images, but what it is lacking is content. You are trying to compile a photoessay of poverty, but you are lacking a whole lot of poverty.

Like pbelarge said you need to get down and dirty if you are trying to communicate poverty.

 

[Storky1980]

Agree with the others as i see places in Scotland that look way more run down than that, BUT the pic of the broken head stones is a great dramatic photograph!!