Tweenage

Almost Grown and Teenage by Joseph Szabo, 1978 and 2003.





Sometimes when it comes to media concerning tweens and teens I feel bombarded by images that are put out by the commercial mainstream, images that are promoting a product in order to make a buck.  This is why I find the images from photographer Joseph Szabo books Almost Grown and Teenage so refreshing.

 

There is nothing one dimensional about these representations of tweens and teenagers; however the images are simple while being artistic.

Szabo worked as a high school photography teacher (something we need more of in this day and age) for many years in Long Island.  Something that I have always cherished about his approach is that his subjects were the people he found all around him.  He didn’t travel all over the world in search of shocking, unusual or peculiar subjects, instead he gives tweens and teens the respect they deserve in these telling portraits.  Some of the looks on the subjects in the photos just kill me every time.

A great book for older tweens ages 12 to 14, especially those interested in experimenting/practicing with photography as an art medium and a form of self expression.