Directional Difference / For this project I want to use photography (and possibly film) to document the relationship I have with Times Square and to question the attachment I feel with it. I have visited Times Square in the past but have been turned off by the crowds and congested stuffiness I’ve felt from it. A few weeks ago, though, I walked down 42nd street from the West side towards the subway and was shocked by what I saw and how I felt. The streets didn’t feel stuffy, they felt charged with something I couldn’t quite identify. As a result, since then I have felt a place attachment with this block of 42nd street that I am interested in exploring. I like to think of a photo as a question, and so I hope to use nighttime street photography as means of lengthening the question of portraiture. I also want to shoot this project entirely on film, adding to the dimension of unknown.

There are a few photographers who’s work I have been looking to for inspiration. I really like William Klein and Helen Levitt’s work because I think both of them used street photography as means of portraiture. William Klein’s work tends to have more movement, in my opinion, but Helen Levitt’s photos encompass the entirety of a scene. What I want to take away from these styles is a technique where I will try to capture the environment of 42nd street while also ensuring a connection with people.

I have also thought about incorporating film into this project. If I were to choose to do this I plan on using a simple handheld camcorder to film scenes in the streets. These shots would be short, incorporating many cuts and contrasting camera movements. I would want this portion of the project to attempt to answer the photos that I take but also leave space for questions to exist. The final video would be purposefully ambiguous and mimic walking down the street.

The name “Directional Difference” comes from the fact that I changed the literal direction of my approach to Times Square and it entirely changed my perspective of the space. It’s cliche to look at some-thing from a different perspective, until you do it yourself.

The technical steps that I need to take for this project are as follows:

Purchase the two possible 35mm film I will use Shoot a test roll of each film at 42nd street in order to decide which film I will use

Take pictures and film scenes from the block

What will the final product look like?

- a final video - prints that would be exhibitied in a gallery style- a zine- ?