In 2002, I began photographing families using color digital photography. Surrounding each picture is a handwritten family story. The portraits that show families sitting on stools in front of a dark brown backdrop were taken at The Brooklyn New School, where I am an art teacher. In my studio, I photographed families sitting in front of a green patterned cloth background. During the summer of 2004, I photographed families at several street fairs - Fabulous Fifth Avenue and Brooklyn Pride. This project was sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council Inc. (BAC). The families were photographed in a “Photo Booth” set up on the street using a backdrop of black or white cloth. Lastly, I photographed families at a workshop conducted at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza. The backdrop for these portraits is a white curtain tied in the middle of subtly patterned black cloth.

These images, as a body of work, reflect the empowering community and diversity of these Brooklyn neighborhoods. (press here for the Color Digital Portraits)