The Miamians
The Miamians is an exceptional exploration of the ordinary, the moments that pass us by without us even thinking we missed them. Yet, it’s these moments that show who we are, how we interact, and how we are seen.
Andrés LaBrada was commissioned by Leica to produce a work focused on Miami, not the fake bullshit any tourist can see, nor the grimiest streets one can find, just the real Miami.
Sometimes photographers look too hard and spend too much time considering the infinite details to capture and miss the real moments, which is logical if they are shooting staged and lit settings. But, this approach doesn’t work with street and documentary photography, where the subject and the substance of the project comes first.
LaBrada has captured Miami perfectly in an imperfect way, which is in essence what it’s all about.
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In early 2014 Leica camera sent one of their latests cameras to me with a mission to photograph Miami – the real Miami. It was an honour and an incredible experience as I following in the footsteps of previous masters that have used the Leica camera brand; furthermore, it was on Leica’s 100th year anniversary.
Upon receiving the camera I began right away photographing the streets of Miami. The book The Miamians is the result – Currently on paperback. There are 65 pages of a much larger collection of photographs within Miami of places unseen by most yet seen by many. The book is in the genre of Documentary photography which allows for the exhibition of the everyday ordinary and people I witnessed.
What fascinates me is that most events taking place around us are overlooked; the ordinary is ignored. Usually one just walks by not realising the significance of that moment in time and space. In most instances as a photographer, I see something occurring for a brief few seconds, just like that the next second comes and the moment is gone. A fleeting moment either captured or gone forever.
In this photo documentary, of which I spent 100 days with Leica photographing Miami, I strived to capture the Miami that is rarely seen by tourists; something locals would experience on a daily basis. There are also images of the Beaches that entice many tourists to travel to Miami, however, the images are not your typical tourist pictures.
The Miamians documents a slice of lifestyles in Miami during our time, our generation. What people are like today in Miami. A unique look into a city where the weather is hot and humid year round, and how this affects ones clothing choices, activities and so on. It also explores diverse cultures of people from various backgrounds.
From this book one will get a deeper understanding of The Miamians.
Born in Brooklyn New York, Andrés LaBrada’s parents handed him a film SLR camera as a child beginning a lifelong journey in the medium.
LaBrada studied at the University of Miami’s Motion Picture program graduating at the turn of the century. Whilst at film school he studied filmmaking abroad in the United Kingdom and Ireland at various motion picture locations. LaBrada went on to direct and produce productions featured at film festivals across the United States and United Kingdom.
With his lifelong passion in Photography and years of working in the film medium, LaBrada now uses the techniques of filmmaking in his photography collection.
Check out LaBrada’s work here: andreslabrada.com