Jim Pojman Fine Photography: Featured Galleries and Collections

Michoacán, Mexico

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:18:10 GMT

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The Last Time

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:18:10 GMT

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Covid Portraits

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:08:43 GMT

]]>The coronavirus first appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Within one month it had become a global health emergency and had quickly spread throughout the world. The United States reported its first death in February 2020; by March the U.S. was leading the world in the number of cases. From that point, the coronavirus pandemic began to affect nearly everyone’s life. Due to denial of the scientific evidence by many government leaders from the president on down, poor planning by federal and state officials, and an unwillingness to commit the necessary resources to address the problem, more than 26 million Americans had been infected and over 450,000 had died by February 2021. Although America has only 4% of the world’s population, it has had 20% of the deaths.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 added new words and phrases to the lexicon: social distancing, shelter-in-place, hybrid classrooms, community spread, asymptomatic, droplet and aerosol transmission, super-spreader event, flattening the curve, N95 mask, quarantine, working from home, Zoom meeting, PPE, and ventilator are some examples.

Wearing masks became the standard, best protection both for the wearer and for those around them while we all waited for the development and administration of vaccines which were finally approved in December 2020. For some, the mask was a reminder that acute illness or even death was ever-present. For others, refusing to wear a mask reflected their denial of the seriousness of the pandemic. Some used their masks to make political or fashion statements.

For the past 11 months I have photographed people in their masks at work, play, in their homes, offices, or on the street. With these portraits it is my intention to document some of the ways in which we all tried to continue with our lives in the face of this 100-year plague.

February 2021

Flowers

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 15 May 2024 12:23:40 GMT

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Tolerancia Cero

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 02:24:26 GMT

]]>“If you cross this border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, May 7, 2018

“Families are the foundational element of our society, and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety.”
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, June 13, 2018

“Helping another human being is never wrong.”
Sister Norma Pimentel, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley

Like many Americans, I first heard about the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance policy” in June 2018. To me it seemed immoral to prevent people who were fleeing violence and poverty from protecting themselves and their families. It is also antithetical to the ideals of America as a nation of immigrants. I wanted to see the situation firsthand and to understand the motivation of these people from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and other Central American countries who have come here for a better life. I went to southeast Texas to an area that has a high concentration of immigrants crossing the border. Some enter the United States illegally and continue north undetected. However, many cross the border, turn themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol, and request asylum. The area around McAllen, Texas has been called America’s new Ellis Island because of the steady flow of people crossing the border from Central America.

I had an opportunity to meet and talk with immigrants—men, women, and children—many of whom had left members of their families behind in their home countries in search of better lives in America. I also met the people who work, often as volunteers, to help these immigrants. Most notable were the employees and volunteers of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and the volunteers from Angry Tías and Abuelas. My goal was to document the immigrants’ early days in America and to show them as people who are like us in more ways than they are different. Finally, in some small way I want to neutralize the dehumanizing immigration policies of our government’s current administration.

Kentucky

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 20 May 2020 13:04:05 GMT

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Photographing Lincoln

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 16:18:12 GMT

]]>Why do we pose for photographs in front of monuments and other well-known sites? Of course, there are many reasons. Perhaps we want to show that we understand the importance of the monument and the event it commemorates. In this era of ubiquitous selfies, it could be nothing more than proof that “I was there.” It may be to document a significant event such as a graduation or an anniversary. It might be an attempt to conflate our own importance. Perhaps it is to make a digital postcard to send to someone showing the progress of a trip. It could be a thoughtless juxtaposition of the sacred and profane—a goofy pose contrasted with the seriousness of the memorial. So why do we pose in front of monuments? This project attempts to answer that question.

Uniforms

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 01:13:14 GMT

]]>Many activities require a uniform. Uniforms can be both functional and representative of a person’s profession or role. In some cases, it is illegal to wear a uniform unless you are a member of the specific organization. Members of the military may have several uniforms depending on the particular activity in which they are participating. A uniform can provide protection for the wearer. Some sexual fetishes incorporate uniforms into a roleplay. Uniforms help promote a sense of community and common identity among those who wear them.They also allow the wearer to hide their own individuality. In some countries, the cost of cleaning a uniform can be used as a tax deduction. In these photographs I explore the manner in which the subjects present themselves both in and out of their uniforms.

Minami Azu

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 04:41:10 GMT

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Meeting Jim Crow

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Between 1910 and 1970 six million African Americans moved out of the rural South to the urban North. This is known as The Great Migration. These people left their homes in search of better jobs and to escape the Jim Crow laws that enforced the racial segregation in place at that time.

For this project I interviewed and photographed African Americans who were born in the South during the Jim Crow era and moved North in search of a better life. I asked them to describe their experiences under that system of institutionalized racism and also their experiences living in the North with its less overt but just as insidious expressions of segregation. My goal is not to present a sociological study of racism or a broad survey of experiences during that era. Through these images and anecdotes I have tried to show that The Great Migration, besides being one of the largest displacements of people in history, affected individual lives in ways both great and small because of what has been called “America’s original sin”—racism and white privilege.

"What So Proudly We Hail"

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:26:40 GMT

]]>What does the American flag mean? When it was adopted as the national symbol in 1777, the flag signified patriotism for the United States. It has since been associated with other activities including military service, freedom of speech, artistic expression, and advertising. It has been the subject of protests and Supreme Court decisions. When we see the flag displayed in a government office, the meaning is clear, but what is communicated by wearing American flag underwear or when the flag appears on a bag of potatoes? Does the flag take on an additional meaning when it is used as the basis for a work of art, or does it cease to have any meaning at all? In this project I have examined some of the ways in which the American flag has been appropriated for purposes that are often far different than were intended 240 years ago in an attempt to question whether these new meanings are as legitimate or perhaps more legitimate than the original, patriotic meaning.

Cuba

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 23:49:35 GMT

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Yorktown Lanes

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 01:15:46 GMT

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Muslims in America

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

]]>The history of Muslims in America began in the early 17th century when the first slaves were brought to the British colony of Jamestown in 1619. Of the thousands of enslaved Africans who came to North America in subsequent years, an estimated 10–50 percent were Muslim. In succeeding years up to the present, waves of Muslims have arrived in the United States from all over the world. Some came for a few years, for example to attend college or to work, and returned to their home countries. Others came as refugees or as immigrants with aspirations of settling and having a better life for themselves and their families. In short, the history of Muslims in America mirrors that of many other religious and ethnic groups who have come here.

Within the current political climate in the United States, Muslims have been repeatedly singled out through criticism, intimidation, exclusion, harassment, and violence—often in the name of protecting American identity and security. Some politicians and journalists use their influence to promote Islamophobia. Many Americans now believe it is acceptable to stereotype Muslims; some justify verbal and physical assaults; and still others would legalize discrimination. These are the first steps of the insidious “pyramid of hate” that starts with intolerance and ends with institutionalized violence.

In this project I have examined the diversity of Muslims in America through individual portraits. My goal is to show both their individuality and commonality—the two characteristics that make us all human.

Selfies & Portraits

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 03:02:29 GMT

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El Camino Frances

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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China at Play

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 03:01:51 GMT

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Portraits of China

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 01:16:01 GMT

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Florida — 2015

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:11:07 GMT

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Messages Lost

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 01:13:58 GMT

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Frame Yourself

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:51:58 GMT

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Siblings

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 01:13:50 GMT

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Red

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 15 May 2024 12:24:47 GMT

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China Occupationals

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 03:15:25 GMT

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Travels with Mao Zedong

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 21:17:22 GMT

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31 Views of Chairman Mao

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Wed, 20 May 2020 13:06:21 GMT

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Daily Life in the USA

jim@pojman.com (Jim Pojman Fine Photography) — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 02:25:06 GMT

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