Roy DeCarava’s photos stood out to me mostly because of the images portrayed in them. DeCarava focused mainly on individual people as the subjects of his photos, rather than architecture. Most of his pictures are intimate portraits, depicting both work and leisure.

Roy DeCarava was born on December 9, 1919. He is a New York native and was actually born and raised in Harlem. Many of his photographs portrayed African Americans and focused his subject matter mainly on daily life in Harlem, the civil rights movement, and jazz musicians. The major projects DeCarava worked on were The Sweet Flypaper of Life and The Sound I Saw.

I was immediately drawn to this photo because of its symmetry. Something about the way the way the two men were standing in the exact same positions on opposite sides of the subway platform really caught my attention. It looked as if the photo were staged since it was so symmetrical. Also, I noticed when compared to to other photographers, DeCarava’s photos were quite dark, especially the photo I chose since it was in a subway station. In my research of him, I realized this is because Roy DeCarava rarely uses flash photography, relying heavily on natural light and shadows in his photos. I believe that this gives these photos another level of depth and makes the photo more natural.

This photo is from one of DeCarava’s books, The Sound I Saw, published in 2001. Depicted in this photo are two men on opposite sides of a subway platform. This appears to paint a scene that is seen almost constantly in New York City. Millions of people ride the New York City subway every single day. However, the way this photo was framed is really what makes it unique. It leaves out the subway tracks themselves, showing only the stairs and part of the platform. This photo is truly representative of New York as the city is connected through the subway system and is an integral part of New Yorker’s lives. 

When you look deeper at this photo, you can see that the man on the left is white and the man on the right is black. This further adds to the depth of the photo. Because the men are different races, it represents race relations. Because there are so many similarities between the two men shown in this photo, it gives a sense of equality. Both men are wearing dark colored coats, leaning against the railing of the stairs, they are alone, and are both faced away from the stairs. No matter if you are black or white, or any race for that matter, you can take the subway, and that can be seen from this photo. New York City is a place full of diversity and that is one major aspect of the city that is symbolized in this photo by DeCarava. 

One thing that also stands out to me when I look at this photo is the white man’s hat. It greatly contrasts with the rest of the photo because it is bright while the rest of the photo is dark. The angle of this photo is quite interesting as well. DeCarava seems to be standing in the middle of the stairs taking this photo as if he were looking down on the scene. This stands out to me because most New Yorkers when coming down the stairs in a subway station are usually in a hurry and don’t really take notice to their surroundings, but DeCarava saw this moment as an opportunity for a photo.

In addition, these men are standing on opposite sides of the platform, meaning they will be taking two different trains. I believe that this can symbolize the way that different people have different paths in life. One may head uptown, while the other may head downtown. We cannot actually tell this from this photo, but my perception of this photo is that it can be very symbolic about New York City as well as life in general, and as DeCarava said it’s all about your perception of the subject, rather than the subject itself.

This photo is simple in appearance, but complex in depth, which is why I like this photo a lot. I wonder exactly which subway station this was taken in, especially since DeCarava’s work focuses primarily on Harlem. I can imagine going into the subway station at 125th street and seeing this exact scene, except in color.

Another photo by Roy DeCarava:

The photo shown above is another photo by Roy DeCarava from the same series: The Sound I Saw. It depicts a person singing into an older-style microphone. The first thing that stands out about this photo to me is how dark it is. This goes back to how DeCarava typically uses natural lighting when taking photos. You can see only half of the person’s face and they are wearing all black as well, giving a very dark theme to this photo. The darkness of the photo is contrasted with the very bright white of keyboard keys in the background. This along with the microphone help set the scene in that this a performance of some kind, because you cannot actually see much of the background of the photo, especially since it is so dark.

This photo is also very representative of New York in that it shows part of the arts in New York. Performances, like the one depicted here, even small ones, are such a large part of the culture of New York City and DeCarava captures that here with this photo. This photo shows one of the many diverse performances that can be seen in the city. The person singing appears to be very serious. I can imagine this being at some jazz bar of some sort, nothing too big, since DeCarava liked to showcase images of everyday situations, but as he says what really matters is the way you perceive the photo, not the photo itself. I see this photo as an occurrence that happens almost every day here in the city, but something that must be valued as part of the culture that makes up New York City.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2009/10/decarava.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-DeCarava

http://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/roy-decarava

http://www.azquotes.com/author/36163-Roy_DeCarava

My New York

I grew up in South Ozone Park, Queens and I did not come to the city too often as a child. However, when I did go, I was amazed. There were so many tall buildings and lights and people, and it’s so different from where I live. When I entered high school I started going to the city much more often with both my friends and family. In the picture above, I went to Central Park for the first time with my best friend in high school. I fell in love with the Park as it shows that amongst the concrete jungle that is Manhattan lies a huge park full of the wonders of nature as well. I’ve been rowing in Central Park, had picnics there, played in the park there, and simply just walked around and took in my surroundings. I love being in the city and eating different foods and spending time with the people I love.

Before this class, however, I really hadn’t experienced the arts of New York City. In the past, I only went to about three Broadway shows with my parents. However, I had never been to a ballet or an opera before. I thoroughly enjoyed every show that I have seen as a part of this class and has truly made me a “New Yorker.” “My New York” has expanded since being in this seminar by seeing how different art forms can express different ideas in this city.