A picture is worth…well, one word; at least with regard to New York photographer Ricardo Lozano’s latest collaboration with amadeus. We challenged Ricardo to snap a collection of photos based on a single word that we gave him for inspiration to point and shoot. With analog camera in hand, here’s what he came up with given the word, ‘sleazy.’ Don’t miss next week’s ‘One Word Inspiration,’ where we share Lozano’s 35mm color photo gallery for the same word.
“I left my house with a couple best-case scenarios. I wanted to capture the essence of ‘sleazy’ in New York City. I traveled lightly. I took my time. I started with a number of tourist traps. The New York Stock Exchange located in Lower Manhattan and walked towards the waterfront. I walked by hundreds of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of something trashy or irrational. I fucked around with some fake Statue of Liberty stuff before I dipped. I saw a lot of shit in transit. Fathers, brothers, and mothers at the World Trade Center were all very boring so I headed to Washington Square Park, and then finally, Coney Island. I rode the F Train until I was all the way gone. Walked car to car and it was mostly quiet with light passing through in streaks. I can’t remember much about the train ride, but once I arrived, I walked below the Subway and followed that to the boardwalk. I stumbled down the main road to the shore both dizzy and excited.
My first encounter with people was when I noticed a man shooting photos of a lady in a wheelchair. After shooting her portrait, he helped wheel her across the street, and kept walking. To my left was a lady strung out on who-knows-what, having an episode in all black. I kept walking towards the water. I got a dog on the boardwalk and passed some local snake charmers. I found myself walking along the sand all the way to Brighton Beach. I had been planning to commit to this portion. Strapped with my camera, I walked and walked, and captured everything I discovered.”
– Ricardo Lozano, Photographer
