GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - JULY 2016

I also love shooting for the Knicks, The
Islanders, The Red Bulls, The Liberty,
and Rangers but my favorite is Hockey.
I’ve gotten shots of the President and
other events but, there are a million
other photographers there and many
shots will look alike but Hockey, is like
freezing time, especially when you capture
the puck in motion. No two photographers
will get that same shot.
Tell us about your New Orleans/
Katrina project…
I wanted to see the results of Katrina for
myself. So I went down to take photos
and we have been going back over the
last 10 years to photograph the progress
of the recovery with the hopes of
eventually chronicling it all in one volume.
What people are not talking about, is
what we want to capture, especially areas
in the 9th ward. I’ve had the opportunity
to see and take photos of the
work Brad Pitt is doing there. He has
built many, many new homes for those
impacted by Katrina. The photography
project just keeps going.
We have taken thousands of photos.
In fact, Judith Jameson has one of my
photos hanging in her home so, that
she never forgets the losses in New Orleans.
We must never forget that. Ever.
There are still spots that are still very
messed up. In fact, some of the schools
just reopened after being rebuilt.
Where have you traveled for your art?
Kenya, Dominican Republic, Puerto
Rico, St Lucia, St Vincent and a great
deal of the islands.
What three things do you live by?
1. Stay grateful and stay humble
2. Help others
3. Travel with more than two cameras
and lenses
Norman Deshong is a photographer whose
work has taken him throughout the United States
and all over the world. He has been published
in magazines such as Source, XXL, and Ring
Magazine, just to name a few and was featured in
Ebony Magazine in 2013. His work with the New
Jersey Performing Arts Center grants him access
to cover celebrities and global talent. For more
information on Deshong, check out his company,
Photography by DeShong, at
www.ndeshong.com.