If you haven’t had a chance to see the Upper Gallery exhibit, A New Hoboken: Photographs by Chris Amaral, be sure to stop by the Hoboken Museum before it closes on July 11. At 4 p.m. on July 11, the photographer will give a talk about his work, explaining how he created these dramatic, black-and-white views of modern-day Hoboken.
Even the most long-term Hoboken resident is likely to see their hometown in a new way when they view these photos. In Amaral’s skilled hands, these images, often taken from unusual vantage points with dramatic contrasts and perspectives, portray a city of gracious boulevards and shady walkways, and document public events like outdoor movie screenings in waterfront parks.
A commercial photographer, Amaral often brings visitors from New York to his Adams Street studio, and nearly every one of them exclaims that Hoboken looks like such a nice place to live. He agrees, having chosen to put down roots here after discovering it 15 years ago when he moved to the New York area from California. He’s married now and raising a young son, and he says he loves the walkability, the parks, and the relaxed pace of life in Hoboken, all of which are reflected in these photos.
Amaral’s commercial work involves a lot of photographic retouching and digital manipulation to get just the effect the client seeks. By contrast, he says, his Hoboken series is very naturalistic. The black-and-white medium gives the images a strong graphic punch, which he enhances by focusing on unexpected perspectives or tight close-ups of a detail. In some cases, he adjusted the contrast or exposure, but the contents of the photographs are pure Hoboken.
To learn more, visit his website, http://web.me.com/chrisamaral/HobokenPrints/Home.html.
Catch a new view of Hoboken in Chris Amaral’s photography show
