Sunday Photo Narrative

Today.
Brent Stirton
Mikhael Subotzky

Yesterday.
Magnum in Motion: Pop Sixties

Abbie Hoffman: "The '60s are gone, dope will never be as cheap, sex never as free, and the rock and roll never as great."

Wingsuits

Something I really really want to do one day...

Pre-departure Chicago Post

This is a post I wrote for the Spectator blog right before heading for Chicago. Somehow, I also ended up being a "special correspondent" for one of the biggest Romanian dailies reporting on the Election. In a small way, pre-departure resolutions (below) came through.

"With the 2008 election race coming to a close, the recent issue of the Columbia Political Review featured a one page take on the role international students could or should play in American politics. In her article, Sarah Khan, CC’11, puts together ideas and testimonies from some of the non-resident aliens involved in the campaign frenzy, and reaches two conclusions: international students and immigrants in general cannot possibly remain untouched by a presidential race that has so far mobilized record numbers of voters and volunteers -- yet in the same time, the very nature of the political process and the candidates’ rhetoric surrounding American exceptionalism tend to be off-putting, overshadowing “a more global sensibility.”

I found the article to be particularly relevant, since I am a Romanian international student getting ready to head for Chicago as a college journalist to cover what has so far unfolded into (American) history in the making. As someone who has lived for much of her life in a country where political involvement of the youth is close to non-existent, where corruption still reigns and where the media is to a great extent powerless, I find myself in a strange role. I am more interested in politics than I have ever been. I follow the election, I engage in debates, and I surely recognize the consequences November 4^th might have on the world at large. Still, at the end of the day, I realize that given my immigration status I should have little to no say in the matter. I will not get to cast a vote. Yet however daunting this thought may be, I find the politics here to be much less off-putting than what I experience at home.

So I took on the only active role my forced political status-quo allows me: that of the journalist. In the next few days, I expect to be in the field and point my camera at those people who define a political system different from what I am used to -- one that I feel it is my duty to understand not only as a global citizen, but as an immigrant and most importantly, as someone seeking to contribute to change in her own country. When in Chicago, I will find myself in the middle of election night mania, meeting Americans from all walks of life, filtering my understanding of democracy with the help of a camera. My lens and my position as a non-involved alien will, I hope, allow me to form a clearer image as to why this election matters to the rest of the world in more than just the obvious ways.

That being said, off I am to Chicago."

November: the Aftermath of Grant Park

The incognito escape from the city and into the woods of Westchester...




The young Romanian musicians..




The Columbia University swimmers and their strange haircuts...



And with that I conclude the least homogeneous photo post of the year.

November 4th in Grant Park

My "Press Credential"

Obama 2008 Illinois State Headquarters

South Side, Chicago

Ishmael Alamin, owner of the Hyde Park Hair Salon, where Barack Obama has been cutting his hair for 14 years.



Breakfast at Valois Cafe, in Kenwood, the "last true cafeteria in town."

Students at the University of Chicago sharing their view on the election.

Made it to Chicago

After very nearly missing my flight, I hopped on the Green CTA subway line to the South Side of Chicago, where I ran into this passenger:

Here is the post I decided to kick-start the coverage with.

Election 2008

Starting tomorrow, I will be in Chicago on Sen. Barack Obama's campaign trail. Coverage for the Columbia Daily Spectator will include campaign analysis from the University of Chicago, the South Side of the city, downtown Chicago, all leading up to Sen. Obama's speech on Nov. 4th in Grant Park.

Follow the blog here.

I will be updating the Igloo as well, adding what I think are the most compelling photos. But the rest of the content, including a Photographer's Notebook series of posts, will follow on the Spectator blog.

Check back with both for updates.

-- a.

PS: Beyond psyched.