Darren Ankenman has become an in-house favorite. We recently filmed, hungout, interviewed and featured him for What Youth Issue 11 — which, while we’re on the subject is what we will be celebrating all week with glimpses into the pages, more information, teases and giveaways and hopefully some reasons for you to buy it and bury your nose a little deeper than your phone.

And just to kick things off, we asked Darren, who’s portfolio in Issue 11 is stop your Insta scroll good. So be sure to pick one up. To give you a peek at his genius, we recently asked him to participate in our One Roll series. One roll of film, no edits. He chose New York in Spring. A poetic little subject. Here he is on the roll:

“I recently got back from a job that took me around the world in 18 days — it was fun and fast with very little time to enjoy a moment. Upon returning, I decided to go to New York to simply hang. This roll of film illustrates part of my meandering and some loose exploration. The visual information/pollution in New York is always at full volume, and this roll of film moves through all that — from Carroll Gardens to Red Hook to Massapequa to the West Village to midtown to Thompkins Square Park to Union Square —  a glimpse of Rene Ricard, a pigeon lover who looks a little like Manson, an amazing friend named Sylvia (who is also part of my portfolio in What Youth 11), and a 14 year old Boston terrier named “Licks” I  also see Marilyn Monroe, Warhol, Woody Allen, Brad Pitt, Diddy and E.T.

Damn wish I was still there.”

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