Final Series: People Are the Place

 

Research and Inspiration:

This series was inspired by and modeled after the work of filmmaker, producer, and photographer Steve Birnbaum. His Instagram account, @thebandwashere, boasts 159k followers, and racks up 1000’s of story reposts and shares a day. Birnbaum photographs previously captured/printed pictures in front of the exact location they were taken, fusing the past and present while commentating on the influence of pop culture figures. He recreates photographs of pop culture icons and notorious musicians all across the country. His followers return to his work for the strong sense of nostalgia and honor to the photographed figures.

I wanted to use this project to practice my utilization of space and composition with my camera. Aligning the photographs proved to be much more difficult than one may think. I also aimed to better my understanding for the ISO and exposure settings on my camera, since the simple backgrounds and natural lighting did not pose as a challenge.

https://www.instagram.com/thebandwashere/?hl=en

 

Personal Statement:

This series of photographs demonstrates that it is people, not places, that make us and make us at home. Although initially just digging through a few envelopes myself, the preparation for this project turned into a whole family activity. We sifted through buckets of old photo albums, recovering lost memories, not searching for any one in particular. I set aside a few meaningful pictures to my family who’s location we could pinpoint and still have access to. While creating this series, I have noticed that without the people with us in these photographs, the space in which they were taken is just that- a space.

 

Photo Series: