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#flashHeader{visibility:visible !important;}Edwin J. Torres, a 23-year-old photographer and filmmaker, is based in Manhattan but was born and raised in the Bronx. “I might move back,†he said. “I love it there.†He received a degree in American Studies from Colby College in Waterville, Me., but studied film and photography as well. He volunteers frequently at the Bronx Documentary Center and has been seleced to particpate in the Missouri Photo Workshop next month.
His work, which consists largely of street photography and portraiture, explores representation and life in urban spaces, but he says an intimate moment close to home led him to change his approach. His current projects are focused on families, whether he is following a former member of the Latin Kings gang in the Bronx as he struggles to support a family with a felony on his record, or documenting quieter moments with his grandmother and others. His conversation with Lens has been edited.
Tell us about this image.
This is a photograph of my grandmother, Ines Mercado, whom I call Abuela, taken in the elevator of my mom’s building in the Bronx. We had just had a small family barbecue (my mother, her boyfriend, Abuela, my sister and my girlfriend) and were on our way out. My sister had forgotten to remove Abuela’s bib and saw I was taking a picture of her, so she began to remove it. I wanted the picture to have the bib because it naturally resembled Abuela and the state of condition she was in. At age 76, Abuela suffers from Alzheimer’s, diabetes and high blood pressure, which led to a few strokes. This image shows how, due to her illness, she is somewhat helpless and truly reliant on the love and care of those around her. It is an interesting metaphor for the reliance that a baby would have on his or her mother.
How was it a turning point for you?
This image is from a body of work that encapsulates a drastic turning point. In the past, I had always looked for subjects outside of my life. I always wanted to tell stories about where I was from: the South Bronx, Puerto Rican culture and urban struggle. It wasn’t until a workshop with Maggie Steber and Erica McDonald that I realized that I would dig deep within and focus on my family to tell that story. This photograph of my grandmother was the first step in the right direction. It shows the vulnerability and fragile nature of my grandmother, but also in telling a story that is very close to you.
Maggie SteberInspiration: Maggie Steber
Image: Madje sits for a portrait, from “Rite of Passage.â€
How did this image help change the way you photograph?
Maggie Steber’s portrait of her mother helped to guide me in the right direction. When I saw her work “Rite of Passage,†and this formal yet informal portrait of her mother, I felt a strong connection. Maggie’s work showed me that photographing something very close to you was a very emotional and difficult process. It can be a much higher endeavor than you ever imagined before. It pushes you to have strong experiences with those who love you the most and to dig deep within yourself and find what makes that person so meaningful to you and how you wish to depict that for yourself and the world.
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