Derian Herrera
My journey with photography started off blurry, not knowing which direction it might take. I always admired photographs of skylines because of New York’s structure and urban life. I don’t go out as much, but when I do I never get tired of seeing New York with the sun shining or the streetlights bright over the five boroughs. When I took a photo, it was always of something that would stand out, like a certain angle or the positioning of an object. When we started seeing photographs made by Jamel Shabazz, Dawoud Bey, and James Van Der Zee, I could recognize that they all captured the emotion of the people and the city. While my photos in the beginning were emotionless, I’m inspired now to capture the vibe of New York, to capture the people in communication with the structures of the city. Doing this requires social skills like Jamel Shabazz’s, to perfect how to make people comfortable and express genuine emotion in photos. So, I ask myself: How can I get closer to people without giving them an awkward vibe?Vibrant, 2021Reminiscing, 2021