From Amy Touchette’s article for BagNews:
The life of a photography project can begin or end at any time, without warning. Photographers pretend to have control over its lifespan, but it’s the pictures that are in charge. They tell us what to do, and we carry it out as best we can, for as long as we can, much like a dog trying to please its owner.
The idea to photograph in the locker room of Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool came to me when I saw one teenage girl there in particular. I didn’t have my camera with me, so I asked her if I could take her picture with my phone. This shows how desperate I was to photograph her, because I do whatever it takes not to ask people—strangers or family and friends—to look into the lens of my phone. The equipment isn’t dignified enough to warrant effort on their part, in my opinion, but stealing her portrait wasn’t an option.
When I saw how much she gave to the camera, I realized how wonderful it would be to make this kind of street photography in the city pool’s changing room. I started to think about how I could bring a real camera into this intimate community space, and within a couple of weeks, I was making portraits of teenage girls with my Rolleiflex in the locker room.