Aaron Huey Photography

Watch the TED talk, and then browse his photographs. Select one photograph that particularly appeals to you and write an LP entry in which you consider what Huey is exploring with that photo and how the authorial choices in the photo contribute to this.

This photo from the Pine Ridge Reservation project, photographed by Aaron Huey is in my opinion among the most interesting photographs in the gallery. The photo encapsulates many of the main themes of the project. The photo is very forward with the poverty of the community it is displaying, like most of the photographs in the collection the poverty of the Pine Ridge Reservation is always in the backdrop, even if the photograph highlights other parts of the community. This photo shows the way in which the identity of the indigenous people in the Pine Ridge Reservation has survived and the pride that the community takes in their heritage. Additionally, I think this image also addresses the bias that exists in our history. Cowboys are often seen as heroes of the wild west, but also exist as a symbol for the western expansion that brought indigenous tribes into the crosshair of the United States government. Given that Huey's audience is likely predominantly white, the line "My heroes have always killed cowboys!" prompts the viewer to consider the biases that exist in their interpretation of western expansion and the history of manifest destiny.