Blackstone Grill, Gary, Indiana (1993) by Camilo José Vergara
This photo reminded me of a Mark Binelli passage about ruin porn: “Ruin porn was generally assessed the same way as the other kind, with you-know-it-when-you-see it subjectivity. Everyone seemed to agree that Camilo Vergara's work was not ruin pornography, though he'd arguably been the Hefner of the genre.” For Vergara, a visit to Gary during his college days in nearby South Bend was a transformative experience, ultimately merging his sociology credentials with his photographic skills to produce a substantial body of important work. The New York Times magazine ran an excerpt of Binelli’s book, Detroit City is the Place to Be here.

















