Havana, 2000 - Copyright, Alex Webb
When I was in Miami, I took an introductory class to photojournalism. One of my assignments was to research and deliver a presentation on a renowned photojournalist. Alex Webb was chosen at random.

Webb is a street photographer. Currently living in New York, he's published nine books and won a handful of awards. His wife, Rebecca Norris Webb, is also a photographer... and a poet. The United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and Istanbul are the places covered in his essays. Webb's expertise is light, color... and chaos. His work has been described as the blurring of documentary, art and photojournalism, thus reflecting the everyday life with brilliance.

There's just something about his work that speaks to me. The picture above, one of my favorites of his, somehow makes me feel delighted. It's not easy to catch a good shot of rambunctious children at play. There's so much life and fun, yet there's also just enough order in it to witness the different layers of activity going on. Below is the closing statement from my presentation that best explains why I like his work (Yes, I still have the outline):

"It seems that it would be terribly dull to photograph the everyday. But it’s the everyday that intrigues me. There are so many moments in a day that is worth being captured on camera. But how do we translate a moment onto film? How do we preserve that second of life that it may live on eternally? I believe it can be done, but I never knew how. I still don’t. But Alex Webb knows. His pictures are beautiful. It’s not only for his know-how of composition or lighting. It’s because he’s used those tools that I kinda know in my head but still don’t get– he’s used them to catch the intensity of situations of the everyday. His pictures have been accused of causing migraines, of being too rich, of having too many things happening at the same time. But isn’t that life?"

Maybe I should pick photojournalism up again.

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