Shutterbugs Snap Queens For Photo History

By Aaron Rutkoff

The lens of Manhattan-based photographer Martha Cooper was one of several focused on Queens recently as part of an ambitious project that dispatched thousands of professional and amateur shutterbugs to capture everyday life on film — one with little chance that any of the resulting images would be the same.

Cooper, who works for a non-profit called City Lore, was one of thousands of professionals contacted by the creators of “America 24/7,” described as the largest collaborative photo project in history, which called on photographers nationwide to document a week in the life of the United States from May 12 through May 18 to be published in book form.

The Tribune caught up with some of the photographers who focused on Queens in the hope of chronicling the distinct character of life here and spoke to project officials about their vision for this vast national panorama.

“Naturally, as a photographer, I wanted to get a picture into the book, so I wanted to do something out of the ordinary that no one else would have,” Cooper said explaining why she chose the city’s most diverse borough as her photographic setting.

An Indian woman shops in Jackson Heights near 73rd Street. Photo By Frank Furnier

Cooper proposed to shoot photos of members of the Federation of Black Cowboys at their South Ozone Park stables and on parade in a pre-Memorial Day march in Manhattan.

“They were incredibly photogenic and it is such an odd thing to see horses galloping in such an urban setting,” Cooper said. 

She also knew of a particularly picturesque spot on the route of the 7 train near 33rd Avenue, which she submitted for consideration. 

“The train comes around the bend and there is a wonderful view of midtown with the Citicorp building,” Cooper explained.

Another Manhattan photog also thought of Queens and the 7 train as the perfect railway merging point of urban hodge-podge in which to capture the essence of American diversity.

Frank Fournier first proposed to shoot Elmhurst because of the extreme ethnic and cultural diversity contained within the neighborhood, but reconsidered when he recalled the inflammatory remarks of Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker about the 7 train. 

Whereas Rocker found the ethnic make-up of the train repulsive, Fournier said, “I think the exact opposite, I think these people are very attractive because of their diversity.  And they are hard workers, very serious.” 

Fournier added, “And the food, there is so much food that this train passes through. It is amazing.” The appeal of the food and the people lured Fournier off the train where he took photos around Flushing, including a new electronics store built in a former bank building near Roosevelt Avenue and 74th Street, which Fournier said embodied the odd balance of old and new in the neighborhood.

While the professionals working in Queens for “America 24/7” went to public areas to find compelling personal images, amateur participants shooting in the borough felt compelled to turn the scenes of their everyday life into public art.

Buddhist volunteers of the Tzu-Chi Foundation help out on Main Street in Flushing. Photo By Frank Furnier

Astoria resident Grace Papaseraphim, a stay-at-home mother of two and a volunteer at P.S. 70, sought to turn the images of her everyday life into representations of contemporary life.

“I was trying to stay with the theme of ‘your home town,’” she explained.  “Basically, it was what my neighborhood looks like.”

The subjects that caught her eye included her 10-year-old daughter in a hammock with a doll, houses on her block with weathered American flags flying out front and laundry lines full of clean clothes drying the breeze.

Papaseraphim decided to participate because she enjoyed reading past publications from the project directors, but was concerned that her submissions might not stand a chance against the professional submissions. 

She said, “If it is just an exercise to sell books, then I don’t know.  But if they give everyone an equal shot, then I think that’s great.”

Like Papaseraphim, Fournier emphasized the value of amateur photos, since they are by nature closer to their subjects than professionals.  “I think it is very important to document the way life is now,” he said.  “This will give a lot of information on how we live, what we do, what it important to us now.”

With the deadline for submissions past, photo editors are now combing through frozen moments to select approximately 10,000 photos to be published in a series of 53 books — one national book slated for release in November, as well as a book devoted to every state plus books for New York City and Washington D.C. planned for publication next year.

“We are looking for extraordinary photographs of ordinary life,” explained spokesperson David Carriere.

From among these pictures, the editors will hand pick the images destined to represent a week in American life. 

Carriere said that the national book will include approximately 350 photos, while the 50 state and two city volumes will be shorter, entailing around 200 photos each. 

Project Directors Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen are no strangers to the concept of documenting a brief span in the life of nations and peoples. 

As a team they have met past success with their “Day In The Life” series, including a top spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list for their “Day In The Life of America.”

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