The process of documenting Bottineau changed immensely over the semester. I began with the impression that I could photograph the neighborhood piece by piece, compartmentalizing it into three categories of urban design: residential, commercial, and recreational places. It quickly became clear that this was going to be neither interesting nor revealing. Eventually, I let the process follow a less rigid path, photographing what I found visually interesting and later conversing with the people that work, influence, or live in those... Read more

The process of documenting Bottineau changed immensely over the semester. I began with the impression that I could photograph the neighborhood piece by piece, compartmentalizing it into three categories of urban design: residential, commercial, and recreational places. It quickly became clear that this was going to be neither interesting nor revealing. Eventually, I let the process follow a less rigid path, photographing what I found visually interesting and later conversing with the people that work, influence, or live in those places. This revealed an incredibly interconnected and vibrant community, hardly visible from the eye of an outsider. By walking into the places I was photographing, I was given the chance to understand the origin of the community and get a sense of where it is headed. The camera was a way of reflecting on what I saw and heard. The results of the four months show an exploration and development of my experience and will hopefully bring together all the people involved.