Redux Pictures Captures American Youth in New Book
Photographer Nathaniel Welch posed a single question to several New York youth: If you could ask God one question, what would it be? The young minds started churning, and out came a flow of queries:
“Will I fail?”
“What would life be like if I was accepted?”
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
One young man asked, “God, can I bring my boyfriend to heaven?”
With camera in hand, Welch delicately captured images of these young women and men holding up signs on which their questions were written. Looks of confidence and doubt hung upon their faces, complimenting the signs on which some of their deepest thoughts were exposed. “I think the younger generation asks more profound questions than the older generation,” Welch observed upon discussing his work in Brooklyn at the launch of American Youth, a new photography book by Contrasto, and featuring the work of photographers from Redux Pictures, a New York-based photo agency representing photographers from around the globe.
The book launch was part of the New York Photo Festival last month and featured a panel discussion with photographers and photo editors. Janene Outlaw, photo editor for The New York Times, moderated. Among those in attendance was Allyson Torrisi, photography director of Popular Mechanics. Regarding Welch’s introspective glance into the minds of his subjects, Torrisi acknowledged, “This generation has an enormous challenge ahead of them … It was interesting to hear some of their questions.” Perhaps this general insight is what prompted Redux to focus on youth for its new book. Young people aren’t often credited for having the capacity for deep and inquisitive thought, but Redux knew there were stories to be told and cultures to be understood. With that, 25 photographers sought out to capture the lives, the loves, the work, and the joys of 18 – 24-year-old women and men across the country.
Each of the book’s 240 pages is filled with insights and stories told through the expressions and behaviors of Muslim teens, debutantes, American Idol hopefuls, Native American gang members, macho lesbians, and so many others. Their differences set them apart from each other, but their similarities unite them in the faces of fear, love, loss, and duty.
These photographers skillfully and artfully achieved a heightened level of awareness upon capturing the lives of their subjects, often during challenging moments. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have affected so many, as young people travel abroad and lay their lives for their country on foreign soil. These stories are often heard, but photographer Gina LeVay chose to capture the internal battles of these soldiers’ loved ones back home. Having met with 23-year-old war widows, LeVay spent time listening to these women’s stories and discussing their lives now, as well as their next steps after having experienced so much pain while having so much life left to live. LeVay commented, “We were girls talking about our relationships, and that’s how we bonded.” Their stories are punctuated by images of an empty pair of boots, a late husband’s dog tags tattooed on his wife’s foot, and a distraught woman wearing her husband’s shirt for the first time since his death.
The photographers of Redux Pictures prove their ability to expose the sort of compelling stories that are often shared by several generations, helping young and old to appreciate each other in a new, familiar light.
American Youth is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Visit ReduxPictures.com for more information, including portfolios, of all Redux photographers.
