Anna Delany’s photographs have featured in the Mooks Report quite extensively over the past few weeks, and since credit is always owed where credit is due, it’s time to give this New York-based photographer a spotlight of her own. I suspect that Anna has been getting up to mischief for the 24 years that span her entire lifetime, and luckily she’s had a camera around her neck enough times over the years to document her shenanigans.

It also helps that by nature Anna is completely fearless, which often translates into incredible photo opportunities and in her hands, images of gold. She’ll think nothing of nonchalantly dropping pieces into conversation such as, “so I think I might head to the Bronx to take some photos of the underground subway lines,” (note: this involves literally crawling down into the subway tunnels, often filled with rats, crackheads and other questionable creatures).

How long have you been doing photography and how did you become interested in it in the first place?
I’ve always been into exploring new places and even from a young age would wander off and find myself in places I probably wasn’t supposed to be. When I did eventually get my first camera it somehow made me feel as though my escapades became a bit more legit. I’d get a kick out of being somewhere unusual and being able to catch those moments for all time. When I look back at some of my images, I think man, I can’t believe I somehow ended up there or in that situation…

Name some of the places that photography has taken you to, and tell me about the subjects you shot.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled pretty extensively, so seeing a new country with fresh eyes is always inspiring. On the flipside, when you spend a decent amount of time in one area, you get to know it well and start to see it in a different way. The photos you take reflect that, which isn’t to say that one’s better than the other.

I’ve spent time living in various points on the globe but there are definitely places which resonate more than others in my photographs. The Solomon Islands is one of those places. When I returned 13 years after having lived there, it was almost as though time had stood still. Besides the people I knew having aged, the place was as I remembered it, if not a bit more dilapidated. I loved that it had managed to preserve my memories, while seemingly everywhere else was changing with the times.

What has been your favourite project you have undertaken?
In my early teens I got big into graffiti and subsequently hip-hop culture. Naturally, it sparked an obsession with New York City which is what led me here in the first place. My first time in New York I found myself taking pictures for a breakdancing crew from the Bronx. It was a completely new experience for me, but one I thrived on. When I wasn’t doing that, I would roam around trying to find spots with good graffiti, which I guess is what encouraged my fascination with the urban decay I now scope out across the 5 boroughs.

It’s a hard call. I’m currently teaching photography to kids in Harlem which is an incredible project unto itself.

How would you describe your own approach to photography?
I’m still young ‘n’ hungry and probably still dumb enough to land myself in some tricky situations but ones where I know I’ll get good photos. But I enjoy that. Taking photos is my way of experiencing. Nobody takes a picture of something they want to forget.

What kind of projects do you see yourself tackling in the future?
I’m working on a few things at the moment which I imagine will keep me occupied for a while. One of them is an ongoing photo essay documenting the colourful personalities and various facets of life in the area I now live. I’m taking time to do it because I want my photographs to be an expression of the people who are often misrepresented or “unseen”. I don’t want my work to be seen as passing judgment or be any form of social commentary. It’s a respect thing, if I want to photograph someone it’s like I’m paying them and their world homage. Photography allows me a window into the worlds of people I’m yet to meet.

More of Anna’s photos on the Mooks Report can be found here and here.











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