Nonexistent by Stephanie Makosky

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Submitted on: 10 Mar 09

Category: General

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Description of Essay as provided by photographer:

Many undocumented immigrant workers are invisible to the average eye. The people that work hard to make our lives easier, do not really exist. It is estimated that about 60 percent of the immigrant workers in New York State are here illegally, but those numbers are most likely much higher. Laborers from places like Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador work long exhausting hours. Education, families, homes, and youth have been left behind, all to become unseen and unheard of. However, the money and opportunity in the United States is far greater than their home countries. It is difficult for farms to get anyone else to work these thankless tasks for an extended period of time. Further, it is critical for farms owners and immigrant workers to protect their identity. So, they remain nonexistent.

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Viewing 15 Comments

Ashfaq. 1 year ago 1 point
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Sadly this is a story that can be found in any so called developed countries. What is more unfortunate to see is how the legal system keeps absorbing this kind of illegitimate behavior. Companies hire legal contractors. Contractors hire illegal workers. Companies know it all but they act blind. These people work their days and night off for as low as half of that what is earned by a legal worker. If the person even gets that; hes more than happy with it. But numerous cases can be seen on daily account when such people are not even provided what they are promised to. Fear of the police am immigration system refrains them to report such incidents. I believe something must be done to prevent such acts.

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adb 1 year ago 1 point
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kool

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adb 1 year ago 1 point
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What an ironic title for the photo "Nonexistent". There is so much existing in that photo. It says so much. Someone may see empty hands somehow Steph you show a photo of overflowing hands. You always saw things through special eyes now you prove it day in and day out. I love your work

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Stephanie Makosky 1 year ago 1 point
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Holy Cow, Thank you everyone for the feedback! i couldn't see all of the comments for a while.

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http://www.smakphoto.com

Stephanie Makosky 1 year ago 1 point
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Thanks so much for the feedback Matt! It really helps!

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http://www.smakphoto.com

Joe Blum 1 year ago 1 point
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Great job Stephanie. I like it.

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http://www.thejoeblum.com

Bill Putnam 1 year ago 1 point
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This is great stuff, Steph. Keep this up.

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Ben Haines 1 year ago 1 point
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I like how the images go well with the name non-existent. The subjects faces are obscured in interesting ways which makes many of the images powerful. The thing I like the most though, is that their hands tend to be the focus of the image. This is interesting to me because: they use their hands to do their work; their hands therefore represent ... Read Moretheir livelyhood; their work is all we ever see of most of them, so in essence by showing what they do we can get a sense of who they are and what they do. Just a rough sketch of a review, but if I have the time I might dig deeper....

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matteich 1 year ago 1 point
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Judges Comments:
Stephanie – A lot of beautiful images in the mix and what looks like the start of a nice project. Your ability to convey a mood is well developed and a strength you should build on. What needs work is the narrative. I understand that you are trying to push home the fact that these immigrants are invisible, but it is possible to show that in a compelling way without making each image anonymous. After a while the images tend to become redundant, hitting the same note when you need to create a rise and fall within the piece, like a song, if that makes any sense. Instead of perpetuating the anonymity give voice to the voiceless. You succeed in showing what you describe but take it a step further and make the viewer feel what it is like to be invisible. The images are great – use them as a foundation to build upon with this project.

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1 /people/matteich/ /people/matteich/following/

matteich 1 year ago 1 point
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Judges Comments:
Stephanie – A lot of beautiful images in the mix and what looks like the start of a nice project. Your ability to convey a mood is well developed and a strength you should build on. What needs work is the narrative. I understand that you are trying to push home the fact that these immigrants are invisible, but it is possible to show that in a compelling way without making each image anonymous. After a while the images tend to become redundant, hitting the same note when you need to create a rise and fall within the piece, like a song, if that makes any sense. Instead of perpetuating the anonymity give voice to the voiceless. You succeed in showing what you describe but take it a step further and make the viewer feel what it is like to be invisible. The images are great – use them as a foundation to build upon with this project.

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1 /people/matteich/ /people/matteich/following/

Jessica Rotkiewicz 1 year ago 1 point
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Looks Great, good luck~

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http://www.jmrphotography.com

Eva Russo 1 year ago 1 point
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Great detail shot. I love the mix of religious imagery with the "funky" posters and the scenic picture. I think it reveals something personal about your subjects, something intimate like the role of religion in their everyday or their idea of a beautiful landscape. Also, the mix makes me think of the age range of the people you were working with.

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Eva Russo 1 year ago 1 point
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You really did a wonderful job at capturing the ghost-like presence of your subjects. It's a quiet, almost surreal presence. I know they're there, mainly because you show their work and the results of their work, but they truly are ghosts, silent subjects that are so easily forgotten as we go about our lives and handle the products of their work.

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Eva Russo 1 year ago 1 point
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I think this is a great image to start the essay off with. Hands are such a defining feature and, with this worker, you can tell a lot about him from his hands without ever having to see his face. Also, something that distinguishes the subjects of this story from many legal workers is their willingness to work with their hands, to do jobs that many consider menial, but that are at the very basis of our economic system.

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Dave Tomaine 1 year ago 1 point
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Stephanie,
Awesome shot. So meaningful nad a really topical issue. Good luck and keep it up! Dave

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Kylie Batt
April 20, 2010 at 10:34 pm

шото слишком мутное... Менеджер по работе с клиентами/ по продажам Many undocumented immigrant workers are invisible to the average ...

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