A Conversation with Anthony LaSala & Seth Kushner
The Brooklynites | A Photo Essay Book

What is it about Brooklyn that makes you want to be a part of it? It's got that extra something that we all yearn for - the sites, the food, the ultra hip quality that people are now paying big dollars for in real estate. Whatever it is, there are two people that have an accurate pulse on what the true essences of Brooklyn is. They are Brooklynites Anthony LaSala (the writer) and Seth Kushner the (photographer). The two friends from Abraham Lincoln high school seem to have known from a young age that the borough they call home is a special place. Luckily for the rest of us they were able to put together a project that is called The Brooklynites, which is a photo essay book. You can take a sneak peek at the work on SethKushner.com until the book is released. In the mean time find out what the duo had to say about their labor of love.

What gave you guys the idea for your project?

Anthony: I wanted to work on a long-term project about something I love for a while. Growing up in Brooklyn and living here my whole life (with the exception of four years spent away at college), I have always wanted to explore the borough through writing and photography. I've known Seth since high school (we both went to Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway) and when I approached him with the idea, I knew we could really create something special. The design was to capture the words and faces of the people of Brooklyn within the varying neighborhoods of the borough.

Seth: Yeah, it really started with Anthony. I had been looking for a long-term project to work on for a while, but couldn’t find anything to hold my attention for long enough. So, when Anthony mentioned Brooklyn, I thought, “That’s it.” Of course, I didn’t think it was going to go on for this long. It’s been a year and a half, and we estimate we have a few more months to go.

How did you go about starting this idea?

Anthony: The first night we went out was a disaster. We attempted to photograph people at the very popular 18th Avenue Feast in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Without any examples of the project to show people, many turned us down.

Seth: It was like being at the school dance and every girl we asked to dance completely ignored us. We got a few shots, but our confidence level was down and we went home.

Anthony: Eventually things got better. We went around to some of our favorite spots in Brooklyn and began meeting people on the street. I would interview them about their experiences living and working in Brooklyn and Seth would photograph them on the spot.

Seth: We devised a system that would allow us to work fast. Anthony had a series of questions that he would ask each time, tailoring them a bit for each individual of course, which would lead them to give him a good quote about their experiences of living in Brooklyn. I would then do the shoot with only a Hasselblad, usually no tripod, and a hand-held flash on a long cord, so it would mimic a more complicated lighting set-up. Anthony always holds the flash and I tell him where to point it. Aside from being the writer on the project, he’s also the human light stand. Anyway, all this serves to help us to work quickly, with a minimum of equipment.

Anthony: Eventually we started making appointments with various people. We were trying to meet with every type of person in every neighborhood of the borough. This led to us meeting some famous people from here – Spike Lee, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, Paul Auster, Jonathan Lethem, Fischerspooner, etc…. We also covered every major institution in Brooklyn – The Aquarium, B.A.M., Brooklyn College, The Prospect Park Zoo, The Botanic Gardens, Peter Luger’s, Greenwood Cemetery, The Brooklyn Museum, etc…

Do you hate working with talent now or what - too many damn phone calls right?

Anthony: Seth has handled a lot of the calling and e-mailing and it has been very tough with the big names. But once we've gotten to work with them, most have been great to meet. Steve Buscemi was amazing as were Paul Auster, Rick Moody, Rosie Perez and Terence Winter (Producer and writer of The Sopranos) and Spike Lee.

Seth: I had photographed Spike once before, for a magazine. Although he has the reputation of being difficult, I found him friendly and easygoing. So based on my past experience, I expected him to be an easy subject.

Anthony: Spike Lee was in a bit of a bad mood the day we met him.

-- el fin [back to DM Issue.4]