Sometimes when words are just not enough, a precise photograph is the strongest and surest way to capture a moment and hold it in perpetuity. Even then, as hundreds upon thousands of archival photographs were lost forever to the Port Authority on 9/11, the historical record is a fragile thing that can be obliterated in an instant. Alan Hicks, one of the four photographers at the Port Authority, has spent many years of his career aiming his lens at all things Port Authority. Despite his 30 years as an agency employee, his enthusiasm for the work he performs everyday remains undiminished.
His photographs explore the New York/New Jersey region from the aerial view atop the tallest spire in the Western Hemisphere to the towers of the George Washington Bridge. He has delved beneath the Hudson River to reach the dark recesses of PATH tunnels and through his lens, he has witnessed first-hand hundreds of historic visits to the region – everyone from the royal couple to the President of the United States. His early ambition was to be a graphic artist and work on comic books, but instead he chose a more journalistic direction. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Parsons School of Design and earned a Master’s in media studies from the New School. Aside from his passion for the arts, Alan also teaches photography and media, and he’s a part-time professor at the College of New Rochelle. Somehow, he also mastered the martial arts and became an amateur kick boxer in his spare time. An affable and outgoing guy by nature, Alan sums up his creative vision this way: “I like dynamic lines. I want to see my work explode off the page. I always try to make my pictures magical. . . better than real with lots of saturated color.”
Portfolio has assembled some of Alan’s favorite works to illustrate an important point about photography: It’s the only language that’s understood anywhere in the world.
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