Anywhere, U.S.A
By Jason Lewis. June 19, 2001

My intentions for this project were simple: I wanted to capture the spirit of daily human existence as seen from a single location, on a particular corner, on a random street, somewhere in the United States.

For almost two years I stood behind my camera and asked passersby if I could photograph them. I took these portraits in Cambridge, Massachusetts during the final years of my college education. The background for each and every picture was the same nondescript wall located in the heart of Harvard Square, directly outside of the Massachusetts Avenue entrance to the Harvard subway stop.

This project allowed me to step back from the daily grind and search for faces that are typically lost to us in the crowds. From these photos I hope you can get a sense of the many unique people and personalities I had the opportunity to interact with, people you yourself may pass on the street someday ... and never see again.

Them gators (a.k.a southern negros)
By Jason Lewis. June 4, 2001

6 months ago I was on location in Birmingham, Alabama, shooting a promotional music video for the hip-hop group Them Gators. Since this was a new group, I wanted to give the video the feel of a documentary so that the audience would have more of a chance to get to know the actual individuals behind the music. Each member was incredibly unique and contributed their own distinctive voice to each of their songs and the finished video. I shot their stills during our downtime and when I could get a chance during production. I also documented their close and extended family as well as some interactions with their community. Presented in this essay is part 1 of Them Gators and the personalities that contribute to "dirty south hip hop".