Christine Osinski

I have been a working photographer for a very long time, yet have never published a book of any of my work. These images were taken on Staten Island, New York in 1983-1984, shortly after I moved to the "forgotten borough" as it is often called. I walked around Staten Island with my 4x5 camera as a way of seeing what was there; I positioned myself as an itinerant photographer, recording life as I found it. Every time I left my house with the camera, I felt a sense of adventure. I never knew what I would find but it quickly became apparent that the "forgotten borough" contained many things that I understood well---people who largely go unnoticed, vernacular architecture and working class culture. People seemed willing to have their pictures taken by me and the camera became a transitional object between my subjects and myself---a conversation piece---a way to negotiate picture taking. As the camera drew people's interest, I drew their pictures. I believe that these photographs comprise an interesting document not only of Staten Island, but of working class American culture in the late twentieth century.