Social Media Sensation
Levi Jackman Foster uses his Instagram feed to fight for social change
In addition to trying to form emotional and personal connections beyond the boundaries of social media, New York photographer Levi Jackman Foster uses his Instagram portraits (you can follow him @nanuk_jf) to raise awareness on issues such as gay rights, environmental preservation and HIV/AIDS-related issues. PROVOKR asked Foster to provide the backstories on 5 of his favorite photos.
This shot of me and my friend Eon Green was taken during our first encounter outside of Instagram. We were exploring/trespassing around Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY. My series ‘The Real in Things’ juxtaposes cyber relationships with real-world introductions.
“The organization Where Love is Illegal brings attention and funds to LGBTQ people living in countries where their sexual identity is illegal and sometimes even punishable by death. My friend Sophia Stewart posed for this photo in a studio in Chelsea, NY. She covers her eyes in solidarity with the many LGBTQ people around the world who are forced into hiding their sexual identity because of local discriminatory legislation.”
“This man is standing in an empty bathroom inside the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan’s West Village surrounded by a mural that Keith Haring painted in 1989. Haring’s work bravely flaunted gay male sexuality during a time when gay men were being demonized for the AIDS crisis.”
“This is a self portrait taken just North of my hometown in Wasilla, Alaska. I highlight areas like this in my photography for two reasons: because of their rich natural resources and because there’s a need for us to protect these kind of places from industrial pillaging.”
“My pal Jake Connolly walks in front of an abandoned airplane hangar as we explore Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, NY. I love using urban decay and abandoned structures as backdrops for my portraiture.”
