Avenue I F – Borough Park, Brooklyn

I was talking to a friend about this project, and she said, “Man, I can’t wait until you do the Avenue I stop on the F train in Brooklyn where I grew up. I really don’t know what you’re going to find to photograph. There is absolutely NOTHING interesting to see there–just boring, nondescript nothing!” Well, that, of course, sounded like a fun challenge, so I immediately put that stop at the top of my list.

I will admit that I was a bit concerned when I first stepped off the subway that she may be right, as it is a largely residential neighborhood. Residential neighborhoods can be more of a challenge to photograph than neighborhoods with a large variety of businesses, but I quickly realized that, happily, that was definitely not the case here. In fact, as you’ll see, a lot of what I ended up photographing was gorgeous and/or really unique and interesting homes.

My friend’s reaction when I showed her the photos was exactly what I had hoped for. She said that I had really gotten to the heart of the neighborhood. There were even a few things (the mosque being one) that she hadn’t even known were there. I was quite gratified when she said, “You’ve inspired me! Next time I’m there visiting my mother, I’m going to drive around the neighborhood and look at things again.”

It was a lot of fun to compare notes with my friend and to show her the things that stood out to me in her neighborhood. I would really enjoy taking more requests. If there’s a neighborhood or stop that you would like to see sooner rather than later–whether it’s one that’s familiar to you or just one you’re wondering about–drop me a line in the comments here or on Facebook and I’ll be happy to do it right away.