Seeking solace and confronted with the possibility of life on the streets 20 years ago, Xavier Nuez did what any photographer might do:
"I was shooting a lot at night, and I walked down an area just to be alone," he says. "I ended up where there's no one - at the end of a dark alley at two in the morning."
Since then, he's been taking 10- to 60-minute exposures with his Hasselblad camera, printing out rich, color-drenched eight-foot-by-ten-foot images of urban alleys from across the United States. He calls the series "Alleys and Ruins."
"I already had an appreciation for run-down areas," he says. "Everything there is not what you expect - there's no ordered stuff like in the front of the building. There's chaos in the back."
Indeed. His images of Detroit, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles are particularly arresting, mostly because he's able to find beauty and drama in abandoned and vandalized ugliness.
He's inspired by the street photography of Robert Frank and Henri-Cartier Bresson, he says, and by their ability to photograph people as scenes unfolded in front of them.
"I'm trying to draw out the drama of these places, some of them rich in history," he says. "I light them up in a very theatrical way, and view them as a theater set. I want people to imagine all the people who've come and gone there, and I always leave an area where you can step into the image, so the viewer can become part of the scene."
He choreographs each shot carefully, lining up its exposure with his camera on a tripod while he walks around the scene, sculpting its lighting. Attired in a dark hoodie, he disappears in the long exposure. And there are added benefits:
"The black hoodie kind of doubles as a mugger deterrent," he says. "If you could see the kinds of places I'm shooting, you'd see that there are lots of close encounters with gangs and people pointing guns at me."
But Nuez doesn't do it for the adrenaline rush; in fact, he's trying to achieve just the opposite.
"I go to these places because I find them peaceful," he says. "The sound of the city drops to a low murmur - and you have to be very quiet and still."
In fact, he's found a series of oases - where others might look the other way.
For more information, go to http://www.nuez.com/alleys
Portions of this post originally appeared at www.architectsandartisans.com
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.