ZORIAH - A PHOTOJOURNALIST AND WAR PHOTOGRAPHER'S BLOG

Coney Island New York - Bumper Cars

Visitors watch bumper cars through a window on the streets of Coney Island.

Coney Island New York - Headless Woman!

Outside of one of Coney Island's freak shows, a ticket collector waits for customers as a curious woman reads about the attraction.

Coney Island New York - Giant Rat!

A ticket collector stands in front of an attraction near the Coney Island boardwalk in New York.  

Coney Island was designed as a resort and amusement park in the 1880s and reached its height of popularity in the early 20th century, declining after World War II. Years of neglect left the area in a state of disrepair, which is still quite evident to this day.

Coney Island is one of my favorite places in the United States because of the truly unique, bizarre feeling it gives you when walking its streets. It feels like a cross between an urban slum and a 1920s circus and never fails to provide eye candy and millions of opportunities for wonderful pictures.

Personal Note: Sorry to all of you who I promised to visit and make time for in NYC, I ended up having no time to visit anyone. I had to focus on work this time but hope to have time to visit on my next trip through.

Homeless Afghan War Refugees - Afghanistan to the Streets Part 2

This is the second installment of this story on the daily lives of homeless Afghan refugees living on the streets of Paris, France. The text and first set of images can be found here.  

Refugees wait in line for a small breakfast consisting of a piece of bread and coffee at a Salvation Army soup kitchen.

An Afghan refugee sleeps outdoors under the cover of an apartment complex.

Washing up before bed in a public park.

Cleaning a used razor in order to shave in a patch of bushes in Villemin Square Park.

Groups of refugees from Afghanistan pass time talking before sleeping in a public park.

During the day refugees hide their cardboard and blankets in park bushes while it is filled with Parisians.

A refugee poses to show a black eye. Fights have become common in the parks, as hundreds of stranded refugees try to live together in difficult conditions and with limited resources. One Afghan refugee was recently murdered in the park.

A refugee smokes next to several empty beer bottles in the park. Despite their Muslim faith, a small number of the Afghans have turned to alcohol to help pass the days.

A refugee is reflected in a bus window while waiting to be transported to a homeless shelter on the outskirts of Paris.

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Visual Storytelling - A Lesson From Ira Glass of This American Life - Part 4 of 4

It is harder to take lessons from this fourth and final segment and apply them to photojournalism, but there is one key point I would like to highlight. When Ira Glass talks about broadcast students mimicking famous television personalities, it makes me think of how many photojournalism students want to be the next James Nachtwey or other famous war photographer. While I think it is very important to study the work of others, and especially the greats, it is more important to find your own voice. As individuals we are all equipped with different sets of tools that we gather through our life experiences, and it is our job to figure out how to best use those tools in what we do. Instead of focusing on how you can be the next James Nachtwey, focus on how you can be the best version of yourself. 

A special thanks to Ira Glass for his wonderful work.  I will be posting more new photos this week, stay tuned.