In the spring I was commissioned to photograph a farmworker as well as some of the landscapes in Wolcott, NY for a nonprofit magazine based in Chicago, In These Times. Wolcott is home to several large scale apple orchards growing apples that are distributed worldwide.
On May 2, a bus full of farmworkers heading to a farm called Lynn-Ette & Sons was stopped by federal agents in Albion. 14 of the 17 workers on board were arrested. It is believed that their efforts to unionize played a role in their detention.
Fearing retaliation from his employer in Wolcott, the worker I photographed asked to be identified as Antonio and my portraits of him had to obscure his identity. This was the first time I made portraits that had to be anonymous in nature which presented a unique set of challenges. It was important that I show Antonio the photos to ensure he was comfortable with the way he was being portrayed.
The story, reported by Joseph Bullington, can be found here
