B Jane Levine

Nod of Recognition

In the flash of a few seconds, a woman with red hair walks past me on the street. She stops at the corner before crossing 5th Avenue and I notice how the shape of her hairdo mimics the pattern on her jacket. Against the backdrop of the colors of the buildings of New York City and the shadows they create, her hair radiates in the afternoon sun. She has the perfect upswept hairdo; similar to the way my Grandmother wore her hair, held in place with hairspray and bobby pins. Her hair and my memory are as fixed as the architecture in the background. Nod of Recognition is a series of portraits of strangers captured on the streets of New York. I walk, observe, and photograph people, following the path of light as it moves around the city. I highlight a moment in time juxtaposed against today’s incessant world. I use the light and composition to frame the subject in this found setting. I attempt to capture authentic moments when my subject is unaware of my presence. The people in my photographs all project a characteristic, gesture, or physical trait that I recognize in myself. This series is a composite of pieces of myself – a self-portrait.