A Family Portrait

About the Book

The premise I have worked with for the last few years has been documenting African Americans who live in housing projects that either can’t or aren’t trying to improve their situation. I aim to focus on people and things that tend to be overlooked and of no importance in the eyes of the majority. While home for spring break, I photographed my family. My background is “the projects”; my parents still struggle with an aspect of life created by them. This was a complex situation and could be seen as controversial. I went to great depths to accurately depict the complexity and reality of my family’s life. I understood I had access to these usually inaccessible places and I took advantage of it. This has been the reality that I have been struggling with my whole life - the reality of both my parents using crack cocaine.This was a photo-graphic documentary project, but also has a personal component that brings clarity to the misunderstood. I researched other artists such as Gordon Parks, Eugene Richards and Roy De Carava, who photographed close to home - family, friends and aspects of African American culture. These photographers went into the ghettos / neighborhoods and captured moments of the struggle and joy of these places. It’s from them that I receive my motivation, understanding and inspiration to convey my message and maintain the dignity of my chosen subject. Follow me at: twitter.com/AFamilyPortrait Website: www.rbimagesinc.com Email: me@rbimagesinc.com

About the Author

My name is Robert Marcel Benjamin. I was born March 18, 1983, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Gloria Jean Caison and Robert Lee Benjamin. I am an 80’s baby; I was born the same time as the crack epidemic. Although I remain close to my parents today it was my grandmother, Mary Jim Benjamin, who has raised me from the time I was one years old. Throughout my childhood and adolescent years it was she who single-handedly provided me with the means to make something of myself. Out of fear of me getting ensnared in the trap so often referred to as the ghetto, she did everything my parents could not: She taught me how to be self sufficient, strong and ambitious. Essentially she was my mother and father. After grade school I was accepted into Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts. It was there that I discovered my love of photography, which gave me the means to escape the reality of an oppressed culture so misguided and uninformed. I was accepted to the Atlanta College of Art in 2002 and have been pursuing a Bachelors degree in Photography. I will Graduate May 2006.