The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

I met Hazem while he was working at Ali Baba, a restaurant in Ann Arbor owned by a Palestinian family. The dynamic was interesting between the non-Levant Arabs [Tunisians, Yemenis, etc.] and the Palestinians. Many of the non-levant Arabs worked in the greater Detroit area, from Dearborn to Ann Arbor, sometimes at the whim of fellow Arab employers who would pay them low wages, often working for days on end with little to no time off and no worker’s rights. Dearborn especially had a visible caste system with the Yemeni Arabs working low-end jobs and the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese being the more affluent.

As for Hazem, I cannot say that his experience was wholly unpleasant. He seemed to get along well with the owners. I had the opportunity to get to know them all quite well myself as I spent a lot of time hanging out in the kitchen with the staff and family. I also taught the owner’s children at a weekend Islamic school. I have fond memories of the times there and when they would allow, I’d even occasionally pitch in [for a free bowl of delicious lentil soup, of course!] and help with cooking, cleaning and deliveries. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Fuji Neopan 400 ISO. Hand-held, available light.

Retrospective?

I believe it was in 2002 that I took a trip down to Frankfort, Kentucky, to visit Michelle’s father and family. This was my first trip to a what I thought would be a hostile territory. As a black man who grew up in “The North”, Kentucky held a certain ambiguity for me. I wasn’t sure if I should be afraid or not but my curiosity eventually won out over whatever fears I had and I commenced to driving around photographing the region. There were many beautiful horse farms in the area. I had a chance to walk up to a few and take a couple of shots. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Fuji Neopan 400 ISO. Hand-held.

Retrospective?

Before I purchased my Hasselblad system I found a great old camera on eBay - a Yashica D. It’s a TLR [twin lens reflex], 6×6 square format camera. It only takes 120 roll film and has a fixed 80mm lens. I still have this camera. It is quite amazing actually. For it’s age, the lens is fairly remarkable. On this day, still living in Ann Arbor, I had gone traipsing through alley ways after an ice storm. This is one image. Yashica D, Kodak T-Max 320 ISO. Hand-held.

Retrospective?

Once boasting some of the grandest houses to be found, so many of Detroit’s former “mansions” lay in ruin. There are spots where one can drive for blocks or perhaps even miles and witness only decay. Many have fallen victim to fire or been ravaged by scavengers looking to make a few pennies off of stripping it of all metals such as the copper wiring or plumbing. Several of the houses were occupied by the homeless or other drifters with the occasional junk yard dog that could pose a formidable challenge to shooting. If memory serves, this was near Brush Park. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Ilford Delta 400. Tripod.

Retrospective?

Some times the best images are those that are shot between friends where the atmosphere is relaxed and familiar. This was taken in the living room of a good friend of mine, Michael Moore. Michael and I attended photography school together and worked on many pieces with one another. He’s a good friend and I have fond memories of photographing him. I have routinely used this piece in my portfolio. Canon 10D, ISO 100. Strobe unit.

Retrospective?

I came to Philadelphia in 2002 with Dr. Sherman Jackson and a few other brothers from the Detroit area to “see what Philly was all about”. It was a week-long road trip to come out and see first-hand what the Muslim community was like. At that time, I had the feeling that there was a certain mystique about the Philly Muslim community. I was still residing in Detroit at this time and would have never thought I’d be living here in five years. This is the first of a few shots I took from that trip. Taken right outside the United Muslim Masjid, South Philly. Hasselblad 501 C/M, Ilford Delta Pro 100 ISO. Hand-held, available light.

Retrospective?

They call Detroit the Motor City. I guess that’s a good name for it seeing that all those cars have been built there. But on my many shoots it seemed more like a motor graveyard. Often one could find an old tire just laying in the street or the sidewalk. Abandoned cars. An abandoned life. It was around this time, approximately 2001, when I was taking weekly trips back into the city to shoot, that I would just wander the streets and take in the blight. Many of the hipster kids from the art schools like Cranbrook or CCS thought it was “cool” because it was all run down. I always thought it was sad - perhaps because it’s where I was born. So much greatness now only lingers in forgotten and dilapitaed houses, who’s craftsmenship has been lost in the annuls of Time. Titus was with me on this one. I think both our hands were frozen shut by the day’s end. God, I miss the ol’ days. Hasselblad 501 C/M. Ilford Delta 400 ISO. Hand-held.

Retrospective?

I met Adem while living in Madison. I believe it was at Restaurant Magnus, where he was performing. Adem is a striking character, especially for me, as he’s one of the only people that I know personally who’s significantly taller than I am. But despite his great height, his feet are down to earth. We had talked about doing some shots for his CD before leaving Madison and I happened to have dinner with him and some friends of his the day before I was moving from Madison to Philadelphia. I shot this in his backyard. Adem now lives in New York City, pursuing his musical career. Canon 10D. ISO 200. Hand-held, available light.