Knneally's documentary photographs are shot in black and white. Her subjects are people that she is incredibly close to. Growing up as a juvenile that was constantly in going from group home to home she was introduced to the drugs and the vagabond lifestyle herself in her teens. After moving from Florida back to New York she began to gain the trust of her neighbors and documented their lives. Many of the photographs seen are of women who are caught into crack dealing and Brenda documents not only how it effects their lives but their families, friends, and neighbors as well. Many times her work reflects her deep love for her community and the people that are so often over looked. She takes a step into a world that many want to run out. She knows each and everyone of the people she documents and earns the right to be able to document their lives.
Her work is often tight and close in on the action. She uses depth of field to focus on the subject in the frame. Many times her photographs follow a single person and the style of the photographs reflect the personality of the person she is documenting. Many times when she takes photos of kids its from their perspective and it shows the viewer what the situation looks like through their eyes. She is able to not only capture the devastation that the drugs have wreaked havoc on in the situation but also what these kids find to do for fun, and also how they are surviving in this world.
What is so attractive to me about Kenneally's work is the relationships she has with the people she is photographing. She is literally living in the neighborhood with them, she is deep friends with the people and she is walking through life with them. Photographers many times go off to do projects and they meet people and it makes a huge mark on them but often does not literally put themselves in the place of their subjects for daily life. Brenda allows her life to be an open book to the people she is photographing like she expects her subjects to be for her.
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