Day 401 (February 5, 2015) – New York, NY
I watched him struggle to light a match. His hands were shivering. Maybe it was the cold. Or maybe it was the drink. His face was worn and leathery. The wrinkles and fold told a story of street life or maybe just the harshness of his reality. He exhaled into the winter air and rejoiced in a simple moment of solitude.
Day 400 (February 4, 2015) – New York, NY
It seems like everyone has a cold right about now. I’ve been sniffling and coughing..but I’m fighting it! I’m not letting a cold get the best of me!!!
Day 380 (January 15, 2015) – New York, NY
I realized that I’ve become quite the coffee snob lately. The coffee at the office just doesn’t do it for me anymore. It was only a few years ago that office coffee meant going to the gas station next door for a cup of mud. And now I’m in a fancy office with fancy coffee and still it’s not enough! What’s wrong with me?!?! Today’s stop.. JOE in Grand Central Station. I gotta get my fix and apparently I’m not the only one.
Day 377 (January 12, 2015) – Brooklyn, NY
Damn it’s cold outside! Why do I live on the East Coast again? My brother just sent me a picture of him sitting pretty on Venice Beach in SoCal. I think he even had a drink with an umbrella in it…just rubbing it in! Here…it’s cold. I can barely walk around taking photos. Most mornings I just rush to the subway to get underground and away from the elements. Today…I made a brief .5 second stop to look up at the trees.
Day 354 (December 20, 2014) – New York, NY
I was going to write about perception and fear. I was going to write about danger and threats. It was going to be a story that I made up. But now I can’t. About 45 minutes after I took this photo something terrible happened in my new neighborhood at the very train station that I take every day. Two cops were killed. A random act of violence. They sat unassuming in their car and a man determined to kill took their lives. Shots to the head. I was just there less than an hour before. What the hell is wrong with people. Why take someones life! What about their families?!?! What did they do to you! Just when we are all complaining about how police treat people…we are reminded just how dangerous the job is.
Day 351 (December 17, 2014) – Spanish Harlem, NY
I have to admit, I’m a bit of a scrooge during this time of year. I can’t stand the countless shoppers and tourist running around the city carrying bag upon bag of randomness that some stupid add told them to buy. They laugh and smile and walk around looking at the tall buildings and store windows filled to the brim with the latest greatest things. Life always seems so perfect during the holidays….but I know this world can be cruel and someone of us are never smiling….not today…despite the holidays.
Day 350 (December 16, 2014) – New York, NY
So…I’m trying to grow a beard….(emphasis on trying). It’s been over a month since I’ve shaved and for whatever reason my beard is kinda growing out instead of down. I live in Brooklyn and all hipsters seem to have beards. I’m talking about full thick beards that would make ZZ Top and Abraham Lincoln jealous. And…I envy them! Hell.. I envy just about everyone who can grow a beard! We’ll see how long I keep this beard project going. Wish me luck!
Day 347 (December 13, 2014) – New York, NY
He listed a single first in the air reminiscent of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 68′. But this time it wasn’t a silent protest. He yelled at the top of his lungs…loud enough that the whole world could hear his pain…an echoing sound that brought true meaning to the words struggle, injustice, hope and anger. His strained vocal cords let out a resounding – BLACK ….. LIVES…. MATTER!!!!!!!!! And he meant it. He knew it. He wanted to believe it. But he is also a kid from East New York. And it’s not pretty there. People…the police…teachers.. everybody treats you different when I don’t have a nickle to your name. He has regular interaction with those paid to serve and protect but has never felt like they were protecting him or providing any type of service to his hood. The interactions…well…let’s just call them “…….while black” incidents. Like, walking home from school “while black” and being stopped and frisked…apparently he fit the description of someone they were looking for. Or the time when he was walking out of the corner store with groceries…again…stopped and frisked. Or when he was waiting for a cab or going to do laundry. You get the picture….. But today.. he is angry. He’s always been angry….and for good reasons…but today…he is letting it out. They are all letting it out. His voice will be heard. Their voices will be heard. Our voices will be heard. And maybe it will actually lead to action… maybe…..
Day 311 (November 8, 2014) – New York, NY
The leaves have all turned and now fall slowly like snow flakes of yellow, orange and deep purple….soon this fall spectacle will be over. The color erased from the gritty city leaving only shades of grey in its wake. The parks will be empty as the city dwellers hurry by to get to their destinations. No stopping in the cold. No relaxing on park benches in an oasis that shields you from the hustle and bustle of city streets. Soon this park will serve only as reminder of a time passed and season that will return after the cold.
Day 310 (November 7, 2014) – Brooklyn, NY
Colder days are coming again. Pretty soon the city will be in a deep freeze. New Yorkers will be grumpier than usual and the daily commute a little more cozy because of the heavy jackets. And the pace of the streets will slow down just a tad as people navigate endless puddles of slush and hidden patches of ice. These are the days I’m not looking forward to. But…they’ll be here soon.
Shawn Escoffery Photography - 365 Project 