allison herbert photography

may day

allisondh — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:10:29 +0000

The Following is an excerpt from my photo feature in Havana Times. To see the full article, click here.

May 1, 2012 – It’s officially spring in New York City. The sun is out, trees are in bloom, and the streets are filled with the echoes of angry chants and rhythmic drumming. That’s right, Occupy is back in full force and this time, they’ve got sound permits.

Despite a slow start on a rainy Tuesday morning in Bryant Park, Occupy’s May Day event reached record breaking proportions numbering in the thousands by the time it reached Union Square and continued to grow as throngs of marchers started down Broadway tightly pressed between rows of NYPD. Notwithstanding high tensions and some thirty arrests, the protests remained relatively peaceful.

Tagged: May Day, New York City, NYC, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, photography, photojournalism, protests

social discourse

allisondh — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:07:08 +0000

Along the River Thames, under an overpass lay a thousand conversations. A hundred layers in a million colors, in different languages, some twenty feet tall, they stand abandoned; alone in quiet decay. These are seven.

Tagged: Graffiti, London, photography, photojournalism, social discourse, street photography

this place exists.

allisondh — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:32:15 +0000

I won’t even attempt to describe Yellowstone National Park in words. I shouldn’t have attempted in photos. Just…yeah.

Tagged: Buffalo, Hot Springs, landscape photography, North American Wildlife, Old Faithful, photography, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

united.

allisondh — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:51:13 +0000

The following is an excerpt from my photo feature in the Havana Times:

Oct. 17 — “There are ten thousand people here! And ten thousand people…can’t-be-wrong!” shouted a faceless protester at the corner of New York City’s Broadway and 46th Street Saturday evening.

His call came from the center of a throng of Occupy Wall Street supporters echoing through the cheering crowd in waves to those several blocks away. This was only one of a dozen slogans, chants and songs emanating from Occupy Wall Street’s “United for Global Change” rally in Time Square last weekend.

Saturday was called the Day of Action, from thousand-strong marches to Open Forum discussions to mass bank withdrawals and account closings, culminating with the Occupation Party in Time Square that night. Despite an alarming presence of NYPD donned in riot gear manning the barricades that lined the avenue, the prevailing atmosphere of the scene was both overwhelming and good-natured.

What made Saturday such an enormous success however, was the manifestation of the movement’s global reach. Early last week, OWS called out to its fellow US Occupations and those in cities around the world to join them in a united rally amassing in an almost exclusively peaceful demonstration for political and economic reform in 951 cities in more than 80 countries across six continents…

Click here to see the full article.

Tagged: New York City, NYC, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, photography, photojournalism, protests, Time Square

Strength in Numbers

allisondh — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:52:57 +0000

Days pass, criticism continues, and support for #occupywallstreet only grows with endorsements from labor unions, student communities, activist groups, celebrities, and more. OWS held it’s largest General Assembly to date at Washington Square Park on Saturday afternoon in an effort to spread knowledge about the cause and gain further outreach. Thousands were in attendance for the acutely peaceful, organized, and productive gathering.

Tagged: New York City, NYC, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, photography, photojournalism, protests, Washington Square Park

occupying wall street

allisondh — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:06:14 +0000

The portrayal of OWS in the news has largely been that of a disorganized cluster of disgruntled leftists without any specific purpose or goal making a spectacle of themselves. Walking through Zuccotti Park Wednesday afternoon was therefore, an eye-opening experience for me. Recruiters are posted at marked tables at either end of the park alongside dozens of protesters holding signs, playing music, chanting, and dancing to call attention from passersby. Beyond the borders, however, is a different scene entirely. Hundreds of sleeping bags, air mattresses, and beach chairs in a sea of blue tarpaulin form long rows of adjoining bunks running the length of the pink granite pavilion. At its center sits a cafeteria – al fresco style – where food is stored, meals are served, and dishes are washed in an unexpectedly efficient manner. The South wall is lined with tents sheltering a meager supply of donations – everything from bakery bread to political nonfiction – while a huddle of sign makers sit in a pile of cardboard, wood, and markers on the North end. With no designated leader or the allowance of bull horns the group has cleverly adopted a system of repeat-after-me “Mic Check’s” in order to communicate messages in large groups – like organizing the crowd into a march on City Hall in a matter of minutes – during which time the loudest ‘mic checkers’ wear a perpetual look of strained patience and masked frustration on their faces. Spend an hour with Zuccotti Park’s residents and you see that they are in fact a group of angry people with no specific demands or solutions to the country’s economic problems, but they are also an assembly of citizens making their voices heard by their elected leaders. OWS at its core is an expression of pure democracy. And that’s the point the news is missing.

Click here to see more of my photo coverage on the Occupy movement.

Tagged: New York City, NYC, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, photography, photojournalism, protests

escape.

allisondh — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:56:20 +0000

Tagged: New York City, photography, photojournalism

parades parades parades

allisondh — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:15:11 +0000

I swear, after this one I’m done.

Tagged: gay pride parade, New York City, NYC Pride, photography, photojournalism

mermaid parade

allisondh — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:16:04 +0000

Nothing says Summer in NYC more than fins, feathers, and the occasionally exposed breasts – otherwise known as Mermaid Parade. Last weekend’s annual celebration in Coney Island attracted swarms of New York’s good, bad, and ugly to kick off the season in a style resembling The Little Mermaid on an acid trip. Good clean family fun.

Tagged: Brooklyn, Coney Island, mermaid parade, New York City, photography, photojournalism, Summer

Spring expired

allisondh — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:19:39 +0000

Clinton Hill as seen through expired polaroid film.

Tagged: Brooklyn, New York City, photography, photojournalism, polaroid, Spring