Ricky Flores Photography's photostream  

The majority of the photos currently on the site where taken during the 1980's. They are primarily focused on Puerto Ricans in New York and specifically in the South Bronx. More photos will be posted in the next year or so that will cover my career as a photojournalist in New York doing beat coverage on issues of racism and police brutality and civil unrest. Work will also include stuff from Central and South America.

A note about the South Bronx work. Most of those photos were taken when I was first introduced to photography. They are as much personal photos as well as social documentary photos of what it was like to live in the South Bronx at that time. Except for those of us who lived through it, most people have no conception of what it was like to experience and attempt to survive the systematic destruction of an entire community. I was one of those who lived through it. By simply living there, with no conscious thought at first of what I was doing, I began to photograph life in my community. Then, as time passed, I came to a growing realization and horror of what was being visited on us by a city, state and federal government that had turned their backs on us and did nothing as whole blocks disappeared. I hope that through my photos people can catch a glimpse of the vibrant community that had to live through that and also the terrible waste of lives that were lost as a result of living in those conditions. In many of the photos are friends and family members of mine, some who have lost their lives to drug abuse, senseless murders and the growing epidemic of AIDS directly related to drug use. Many of them in any other situation could have become great athletes, members of law enforcement, educators, business women and men, artists, poets, painters and anything else you can imagine. In fact many others have, having a profound impact on the culture of this nation through, music, dance, politics and arts. But in the process those of us with the greatest natural abilities never had the chance to seek a better life. The few people and organizations that made attempts to save those lives did so with great love and compassion and a fierceness that was rivaled by no one outside of the Bronx. But even they couldn't reach everyone. This work is for all those who lived and died during that time of upheaval and for generations to come to remember the people of the South Bronx.

A note about editing process of the photos. I not going to edit them down, at least not at this juncture. There are several reasons for this, one being that I am finding that some of my negatives are developing chemical flaws and because of that I feel I should try to scan in as much as possible from the original roll of film to protect the historical value of the images. Another thing I am finding is that images that I made then, which I didn't think at the time were of much importance, have taken on a different meaning now. Time has change my perspective and opinion about them and their possible value to people who view them now. Lastly, I really am curious to see what people are drawn to in my work. Because of those reasons you will see the entire take of a shoot, including some of the mistakes I made at the time that either work for or against me.

Comments from folks about the content would be deeply appreciated.

As for my current work, well that I will tightly edit and show when time and my mood state permits.

I am currently a photojournalist for The Journal News and sit on the board of advisor's for En Foco Inc. a non-profit organization that seeks to promote cultural diversity in photography.

My past history was a freelance photographer and I worked with The Village Voice and The New York TImes, as well as a founding member of Impact Visuals, a now defunct progressive cooperative photo agency.

All photos can be freely blog with direct link and credit. For any other use please contact me for more information. No commercial use by organizations or for media usage whether online or in print will be tolerated without my consent. I will defend my rights to the work zealously.

All photographs copyright © Ricky Flores. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without expressed written permission.

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1. La Bandera, 2. Chillin' on the corner, 3. Break Dance Battle