Proposed Book Project ‘My White Friends’ Explores Photography’s Description of Race

Photographer Myra Greene has been exploring photography's description of race and the challenges of describing whiteness by photographing her white friends for the past 10-years.

By Jorge Rivas May 22, 2012

Photographer Myra Greene has been exploring photography’s description of race and the challenges of describing whiteness by photographing her white friends for the past 10-years. "My White Friends" is a collection of Greene’s photographs that she’s now trying to develop in to a book.

Greene recently started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for her book, the New York Times’ "Lens" blog interviewed her recently about her project and provides more insight:

Myra Greene grew up in New York, where she was used to being around people of different races. But as she embarked on her photographic career, her work and travels took her to places where she was the only African-American.

And she knew it.

"I’m always thinking about race," she said. "I recognize it when I’m the only black person in a room. My white friends will notice I’m the only black person, too. But they don’t notice a room full of white people."