The Ghost Town series ran in 2021, sparked by uninformed commentary about how Hartford was devoid of people.
I expected it to be more of a challenge than it was, because even though I knew I was seeing people out and about every day, photographing them was a different matter. Legally, I can take photographs of anyone appearing in a public place . . . but many people are not aware at how recorded their every move already is, and get upset when they see someone taking their photograph or when they learn about law enforcement cameras that reduce face-to-face interaction with the police while also reducing crashes with serious and fatal injuries. People are funny like that.
In my year of intentionally photographing people, what I experienced was a few seeing my camera and asking that I take their picture. Nobody fussed about it.
Sometimes I was annoyed about having to keep to a schedule or about having to spend time outside when it was bitterly cold or miserably hot, but I managed to keep up with it anyway.
For 2024, I am reviving this series.
The other day I was thinking about those who announced, months ago, that we are in “stick season“, even if spending time outdoors could easily prove otherwise.
It makes me think about the “loneliness epidemic.” It’s a concept that makes me cringe. This isn’t saying loneliness is imagined; we just don’t need to rely on elected officials to rescue us.
Humans are inherently social and cooperative. We need to remember to return to being ourselves.
Over the next year, I’ll be showing evidence of humans leaving their homes, connecting with others, connecting with nature, and doing more than gazing endlessly into their phones or the abyss.
Is Creeper Grinch people? Let’s allow this to remain a mystery.
