Ruddy Roye is TIME Magazine’s Instagram Photographer of 2016

12 december, 2016 - 15:08

Door: Fabienne Keijzer

Fotograaf Ruddy Roye uitgeroepen tot TIME Magazine’s Instagram Photographer of 2016. Roye brengt de problemen van de zwarte bevolking van Amerika vast met zijn Leica en noemt zichzelf op Instagram een ‘fotograaf met een geweten.’

Ruddy Roye - TIME Magazine’s Instagram Photographer of 2016

TIME heeft fotograaf Ruddy Roye uitgeroepen tot TIME Magazine’s Instagram Photographer of 2016. Roye is fotojournalist en maakt ook veel documentair werk. Hij focust zich daarbij vooral op het vastleggen van de hedendaagse worstelingen waar de zwarte bevolking van de Verenigde Staten mee te maken heeft. Zijn Instagram-profiel bevat ruim 4.000 foto’s, voornamelijk portretten, van mensen en hun verhalen. Hij omschrijft zichzelf als een ‘fotograaf met een geweten’ en middels Instagram wil hij delen wat hem bezig houdt.

Instagram als uitlaatklep

In een interview met TIME vertelt hij dat hij met Instagram is begonnen om zijn ‘aderen te openen.’ “Ik had het gevoel dat ik leed en dat ik erover wilde praten. Ik begon verhalen te zoeken die op mijn verhaal leken en sprak met mensen die zich machteloos voelen of niet in staat zijn om een gezin te onderhouden. Die verhalen zijn echt en die wilde ik delen”, vertelt hij aan TIME.

Roye heeft de afgelopen vier jaar zowel in zijn eigen omgeving als in de rest van het land gefotografeerd. Hij hoopt dat zijn foto’s mensen aan het denken zetten en zich verplaatsen in de dagelijkse problemen en kwesties waar de zwarte bevolking van Amerika mee te maken heeft.

November 22, 2016 Poverty Editing images from a recent assignment in Chi-town and I found this guy drinking his troubles away. This was his escape. He wasn't a part of the particular story I was shooting, but his presence was unmistakably appropriate for the ongoing story in my mind. What did America expect would happen to the slaves after the machines took their jobs some 500 years ago? That is a question black folks are still answering. I have to admit that photographing in Chicago is different from the work I do in Bedstuy. There I did not seem to locate a well of hope to go dip from. I am not trying to be cryptic, in fact, anyone can google and read that the death toll of people shot and killed in the State of Illinois is hovering around 700 people for the year. It's not a secret that Chicago has a homicide rate that rivals that of some of the deadliest cities in the world, but even as I say that, I still feel a lot of empathy for the young black men and women who are caught up in a life of crime. This recent election showed us if nothing else, how desperate a country is when faced with rampant poverty and hopelessness. Of course we are distracted by Red and Blue and Black and White, but the true question has always been, how will a family feed itself after the machines take over? What we need to ask is who benefits when poor people can no longer work and feed themselves? #whenlivingisaprotest #chicagoportrait #streetportrait #streetphotography #makeportraits #makeportrait #leicamp

Een foto die is geplaatst door "Humanist/Activist." (@ruddyroye) op
22 Nov 2016 om 2:02 PST

November 8, 2016 Poverty is the Sculptor Someone recently told me in Oakland that if your policy or art have nothing to do with poor people, it's neither radical nor revolutionary. This has been one tough year. I have walked in Detroit, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Florida, Chicago, DC, Milwaukee, Oakland, LA, Jersey and Philadelphia, all the while photographing people that look like me. It's been a year of self realization. Who am I and how do I fit into all of this. The overarching question though is, how has poverty shaped the lives and evolution of Black folk. This election year was eye opening too. Working in the media has allowed me a space somewhere on the frontline of all that has been happening. I can tell you that it has been a very heart breaking few weeks. I have watched the best voices and minds, from analysts to moderators talk only about "emails, small hands and pussy," everyday, and it has been really frustrating. But to me it showed how relevant Black Lives are. I met Davian age 10, in Milwaukee waiting for the one o clock food truck from the Salvation Army to arrive. The truck stops in his community with ham sandwiches fruits and milk as a means of feeding those who are hungry. This in 2016. So when Davian grows up if he makes it, and develops a taste for something that the truck does not have, who fills that gap? Poverty has ravaged this whole country not just in the black communities, but I will say after slavery was abolished, the black community was left by this country to fend for themselves. Panhandling is the one word that comes to mind. It has taken legislations to bridge the gap and it is still wide. I am watching Americans exercise their right to vote today and I want to tell folks that it is not enough just to vote. It is more important to follow up after voting with work, with protest, petitions and letters to State Senators and Congress people who will forget their promises. It is our obligation, to the growth of all human beings living in this country. #milwaukeeportrait #streetportrait #blackportraiture #streetphotography #makeportraits #makeportrait #leicaq

Een foto die is geplaatst door "Humanist/Activist." (@ruddyroye) op
8 Nov 2016 om 7:35 PST

Roye en Leica

Hoewel Instagram een mobiele applicatie is, fotografeert Roye niet met zijn smartphone. In een interview met de Leica Camera Blog zette hij uiteen welke apparatuur hij gebruikt. Zo heeft hij twee Leica M camera’s en een Leica Q. Daarbij gebruikt hij voor zijn Leica M graag de 35mm en 50mm Summicron objectieven. “Het gaat er bij Leica om dat je je comfortabel voelt met een camera en zeker bent van de technologie. Wat ik in mijn hoofd heb komt ook altijd precies zo uit”, aldus Roye over Leica waar hij inmiddels al 15 jaar mee fotografeert.

June 10, 2016 "Crossing that Bridge" Yesterday Assistant Chief of Police Gary Tittle tried to comfort this young man in front of the police station where a memorial was erected for people to come and grieve. Originally I had walked over the the Assistant Chief to make a portrait of him standing infront of the precinct with this single stalk of flower. However with the outpouring of people that kept approaching him to hug or offer their support, I decided to hang back and snap a portrait of him instead. I posted this picture on the @time instagram feed and was surprised at some of the comments. This one picture taught me so much about where we are and how far change is. Some of the comments claimed that this photo was a fake, staged or pandering to police propaganda. I guess it's easier to dismiss it, than to actually believe that in this photo are two human beings grieving. I am taking over the @time Instagram feed while documenting the events as they unfold here in Dallas Texas #dallasportrait #streetphotography #streetportrait #makeportraits #makeportrait #leica240 @leicaakademieusa @leicacamerausa

Een foto die is geplaatst door "Humanist/Activist." (@ruddyroye) op
10 Jul 2016 om 9:16 PDT

August 28, 2016 Personal Style JoAlicia said, "Some of this stuff I made, some I bought I definitely believe that black art exist. Look at all this around you Even if it exist only in our community I feel like we are too lazy We don't put in the effort." #afropunk #brooklynphotography #brooklynportrait #streetportrait #streetphotography #makeportrait #makeportraits #leica240 @leicacamerausa @leicaakademieusa @afropunk

Een foto die is geplaatst door "Humanist/Activist." (@ruddyroye) op
28 Aug 2016 om 6:55 PDT