“Unknown Man” in Moore St. Market by Martin Diegelman

Has anyone ever asked if they could take your picture? Stopped you on the street and said they were trying to capture the lifeblood of a neighborhood based on photographs of the people who live there? Would you oblige? Would you scoff and hide your face? Would you disappear under a thin veil of crass self-consciousness? Would you threaten the photographer with physical violence? Or would you say ‘yes’ because photographs, like words, have an undeniable ability to tell a story?

Well, Brooklyn-based photographer Martin Diegelman is trying to find out. He launched famefamefame.blogspot.com last August and it might be the best blog on the web youā€™ve never read. Actually, thereā€™s not so much to read. Diegelman speaks through photographs. Beautiful, simple, digital photographs that all say something different about a group of people, who have, by chance, ended up living in the same place.

Famefamefame is an homage to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the people, street corners, shops, arcades, and culture that makes it the place it is. His attempt is both deeply ambitious and poignantly innovative. Heā€™s taking microcosms of a community and boldly showcasing how each of them figures into the diversity of one neighborhood in one borough of one city in America. Heā€™s simply providing a vehicle by which normal people can exchange glimpses of one another. Itā€™s not about fame and itā€™s not about recognition, itā€™s about capturing the human condition of a person during a single moment of her day. Itā€™s genius. Somewhere Norman Rockwell would be proud.

Three Kings Parade on Graham Ave.

Every weekday he uploads a new photo of someone he corrals on the street. While some people think heā€™s a salesman, Diegelman has figured out how to approach people, and how to make them say ā€˜yesā€™. He was gracious enough to sit down with us for an interview (well, not exactly sit down) and explained that Williamsburg isnā€™t a yuppie utopia, he only shoots digital, and Orthodox Jews donā€™t like having their picture taken.

Whoever said a photograph steals a part of your soul must have been the same person who threw Beatlesā€™ records into the fire.

-Quincy Moore

The Jailbreak How did you initially conceive famefamefame.blogpsot.com?

Martin Diegelman Iā€™ve lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for about six years and in that short period of time it has changed quite a bit. I wanted to document that change and any underlying cultural currents that might exist in the area by photographing the people who live here.

JB Can you explain the name and its significance?

MD Famefamefame, as a name, is a reflection on peopleā€™s continuing, if not increasing, interest in personal exposure, and the redundancy that is necessary to make fame happen. This is especially evident with social networking sites such as, twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. Famefamefame also has to do with my intentions as a blogger–something that is relatively new to me as a form of creative output–and its inherently selfish qualities. While I do think some of the people who allow me to photograph them are primarily interested in seeing a photograph of themselves–as opposed to seeing the project progress–I donā€™t believe that their intention when they left the house that day was to get famous or have their picture taken. This makes the name of the site more of a reflection of my personal intentions, as opposed to theirs. That said, I do think that fame is a powerful word. With all the different types of exposure that exist, people are very interested in viewing themselves in this world of exposure. Just as I am interested in viewing your article on the site when itā€™s posted to the internet, people are interested in seeing their own photo on the internet. Everyone loves a picture of themselves.

“Garfield” on South Eighth and Roebling

JB How do various cultures and ethnicities function in the framework of the blog?

MD There are a lot of different people from a lot of different places living in Williamsburg. Some of those people are recent transplants like, college graduates; art or music kids; people looking for cheaper rent than Manhattan; people looking for a young neighborhood–the reasons go on an on. Some are simply people who have lived here for years. Iā€™m looking to visually explore where these groups ā€œmergeā€ and where they pretty much remain separate from each other. Williamsburg exists as a neighborhood. It has a neighborhood feel. Generally speaking, people who are in Williamsburg are there for a reason, whereas in Manhattan, you get a lot of people passing through the different neighborhoods out of necessity. I think it would be harder to get a visual feel for many, but not all, of Manhattanā€™s neighborhoods through a project like this. The photographer would have to be more selective of who they photograph, which then creates a project based on the photographerā€™s vision of what he or she feels is the visual make up of the neighborhood.Ā  In Williamsburg, you can get a feeling of what part of the neighborhood youā€™re in by the people and the shops that surround you. Be it Polish, Italian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Orthodox, twentysomethings, artists, etc. They each have their own distinct areas, and this fascinates me.

“Juan”

JB Why is this project important to you?

MD For one, it keeps me shooting portraits, which I love. But most importantly, it connects me with a neighborhood where I have spent a good amount of my life. I am obviously part of the gentrification of Williamsburg, but it is important to me to be aware of the people whose neighborhood Iā€™m moving into. So I try my best to not be a part of the negative effects of gentrification.

JB How do you choose your subjects?

MD I prefer my subjects to be alone. People tend to be less self-conscious when they arenā€™t with their friends. Besides that, I look for people who have an interesting look, but really Iā€™ll shoot anyone who will let me. Sometimes people approach me after they see me take someone else’s photo, but most of the time I approach them.

JB How do you approach them?

MD Normally I just walk up to someone and tell them about the project. When I started, people were very hesitant to allow me to take their picture. I quickly realized that I needed something to show them to gain their trust; to let them know that I wasnā€™t doing something strange with the photos. So I started to carry around a book with 5 x 7 prints of some of my street portraits. This has helped immensely, but it definitely doesnā€™t work all the time.

JB Out of 10, how many of them decline your offer to be photographed? If they refuse whatā€™s the general reason?

MD It depends on the neighborhood. The Orthodox Southside? 10 out of 10. Iā€™ve asked and spoken with many Orthodox Jews and they never let me photograph them. One Orthodox man explained it to me as a certain distrust in someone elseā€™s intentions with their image. He made sure to say that they didnā€™t fell that their ā€œsoulā€ was in the image, but it was something very similar. I thought this was especially interesting and I see it as one of the reasons that I was drawn to photography. I wonder if someone has coined a term for the photographic soul? In Dominican or Puerto Rican neighborhoods, I would say four out of ten, but primarily due to the language gap. This is true of Polish and Italian areas as well. In younger areas, it increases to eight out of ten who accept. They tend to better understand the technology and be more sympathetic to my intentions.

“Iā€™ve had one person ask to have their picture taken down because they skipped parole; two people refused because they were wanted by the law; one person asked me to cover his face because he was a graffiti writer; and one person threatened to ā€œkick my fucking assā€ if I didnā€™t get away from his building. Mostly though, if someone refuses, itā€™s because theyā€™re in a hurry and they think Iā€™m trying to sell them something.”

“Tess” on South Fourth and Berry

JB When did you start taking photographs and do you use a darkroom?

MD Iā€™m a late bloomer when it comes to photography.Ā  Growing up I always wanted to work on the production and post-production side of movies, so I moved to L.A. after school. I worked on a couple of movies, some commercials and music videos, and realized it wasnā€™t for me. So I turned my attention to photography. I like the intimacy of photography. This was about six or seven years ago–about the time I moved to NYC. I donā€™t use a darkroom, but will someday. Everything I shoot for the site is digital, but I do take a lot of Polaroids and shoot with a Diana for fun. I plan on buying a Leica at some point soon. My big Canon SLR can be cumbersome sometimes, and I miss a lot of shots because of it.

JB If there were one photograph from history that you wish you wouldā€™ve taken what would that photograph be?

MD Thatā€™s a tough question because it implies more focus on historical significance since itā€™s only one photo. Iā€™d love to have the career of the now deceased Arnold Newman. In his long career, he photographed everybody who was anybody. Iā€™d love to have the eye of William Eggleston, who forever changed the face of color photography, and recently had a breathtaking retrospective at the Whitney.Ā  But for one photo, maybe Kevin Carterā€™s picture of a starving child in Sudan; or Stuart Franklin ā€œUnknown Rebel.ā€ They both happened in my lifetime so I can effectively understand their significant historical impact. They really illustrated the power of the image. Kevin Carter killed himself shortly after receiving a Pulitzer for his image.

Photo by Kevin Carter

JB What are the five musical artists/songs currently in rotation in your ipod?

MD

1. Bill Callahanā€™s Sometimes I Wish we Were an Eagle

2. Mojo Menā€™s Why ainā€™t it Supposed to Be?

3. Handsome Fursā€™ Face Control

4. Megapussā€™ Surfing

5. I just got a 10 Disc Charlie Parker Collection, so Iā€™ve been listening to that a good deal.

JB Anything else you’d like to add?

MD I really hope this site helps to break down the notion that Williamsburg is full of trust fund kids. I see this said, primarily through comments, on more and more blogs, and itā€™s just plain ignorant. I donā€™t know anyone with a trust fund and I donā€™t have one myself. While I donā€™t know if the people I photograph on the site have one or not, the point is there are many, many different people who donā€™t fit this stereotype. I wish people would stop saying it. Also, thanks to everyone who has supported me as this project progresses. Friends, my girlfriend Karen, and most importantly, everyone who has let me photograph them.

“Joanie” on Ainslie and Lorimer