The Triumphs and Trials of Memphis
As the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination neared, I began searching for a photographer who could make photographs that had a sort of timeless quality, but still felt fresh and real. I found Miranda Barnes’ work on Tumblr, and knew right away that she would be perfect. The catch: she was a senior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice just finishing up her finals and had never shot for The New York Times before.
Miranda and I met at the Times building and formed a plan for her to travel to Memphis and shoot this story with her film Hasselblad. She and I were in near constant contact as she explored the city, visiting important landmarks and talking through what she was seeing. She sent the film in and I held my breath but the images that she made turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined. Miranda’s first assignment for the Times ran with four images on the front page of the paper and a double spread inside.