Boston's Back Bay Station

The story I am telling with my photographs involves the monumental task of relocating Boston’s Orange (subway) Line. I concentrated on the new Back Bay station in Copley Square, and I got to know the whole crew there because I spent nearly two years photographing them. I decided, “When they work, I work.” However, I had put away many of the negatives until this past summer, when I was temporarily furloughed due to Covid and had more time to go back into the darkroom. Inspired by Louis Hine’s 1930s documentation of the workers and construction of the Empire State Building, I also wanted to take pictures of contemporary manual laborers and what they created with their skills as modern-day welders, crane operators, carpenters, etc. Our society often looks down on these working men and women, but they are conscientious employees whose knowledge and strength are vital to the growth and vibrancy of a city.