I would like to do my photoessay on the installation process of solar panels. This story is interesting because of a convergence of news coverage on increased investment in green jobs, the Solyndra scandal, and general public interest in solar energy.
In terms of access, I’ve already spoken to Mark Chandarpal, who runs Go Solar/Go Green NY. Chandarpal was open to the idea of a photo essay, but he doesn’t have any projects. However, he has a friend doing an installation in Harlem, and is connecting me to him. Ideally, this means that I can get out there tomorrow for the shoot, but Sunday and Monday will work just as well. I think that since I’ll be shooting an ongoing installation, it would be more structured as more a day in the life of one of the installers, which will show more intimately the process of putting up solar panels than they typical shots of solar panels already completed.
I think this is a good visual story because of how alien solar panels still look on top of buildings and homes, and it’s a very physical story. There is something being done, and I think that translates well to a series of images. In terms of the targeted audience, I would say that If this slideshow is good enough, a magazine like Scientific American or Popular Mechanics might be interested in it.