Back to the roots
One of the many benefits of being friends with actors is their immediate understanding of what to do in front of a camera. This week, I took some time to revisit the Strip District of Pittsburgh, a bohemia of converted warehouses, food stands, cultural shops, old-style groceries, and the occasional ‘yinzer shop’ for all of your black and gold Pittsburgh sports needs.
Something I love about Pittsburgh in general, but especially in the Strip is the industrial aesthetic of everything. Much of the Strip District, old or new, maintains the rustic and mechanical themes that grew the city into what it is today.
I called this week’s collection ‘Back to the roots’ for just this reason. The Strip represents much of what allowed Pittsburgh to become the Steel City and growing up and spending time in and around the graveyards of manufacturing facilities and empty warehouses has influenced my work and the types of locations that catch my interest.
As far as my roots are concerned, I decided to simplify things and run a portrait shoot with two of my best friends. Like I said earlier, actors have a level of understanding with a camera that makes my job that much easier. Walking through the streets that used to make up my daily communte made that sense of approachability that much more tangible.
I hope you all enjoy these pictures- I had a great time taking them. I really wanted to put a lot of focus on the texture and colors in all of the locations; peeling paint, flakes of rust, old building facades that have faded over time- so much character in such little details. This was all shot on the Fuji XT-3 with an adapted canon FD 50mm lens (even more crunch to that visual texture, baby!)
Cheers.
