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Solon Quinn

@solonquinn

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SYR | NYC 📷 99 (swt)
Adopted South Korean filmmaker, with a New York Seoul, and a photographer’s heart 😎
Film | Photo | BJJ 🇲🇦🇬🇭🇬🇹🇱🇧🇹🇭🇪🇬🇮🇪🇸🇦

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Maybe it’s time to get a place in the city. Inshallah.

In the words of Andy Dufresne, ‘Get busy living or get busy dying.’

#nyc #photography #leicaq343 #streetphotography #newyork #blackandwhitephotography taken in New York City by @solonquinn

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2 years ago

A beautiful and important night.

Syracuse welcomes Mayor Sharon Owens. taken in Syracuse City Hall by @solonquinn

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9 months ago

“Peace sings of life— here, in the midst of life.” -Mahmoud Darwish taken in Northside, Syracuse by @solonquinn

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2 years ago

“One man is better than ten.”

I love horror movies. I will often ask friends, co-workers, or random people I’m in conversations with what the scariest thing they’ve ever seen or experienced firsthand in life would be, in regard to making a good horror film plot.

About six months ago, I was sitting with one of my closest friends, and as per usual, we were killing junk food and drinking matcha. She hates horror films, so I thought, who better to ask?

She asked me, “I don’t know, how about you?” I replied, “Zombies. I have a phobia of zombies ever since I was six years old and watched Return of the Living Dead after my parents fell asleep.” She smiled and then went into thought. She took a sip of her matcha and said,

“When I was back in *****, I went to the beach one night alone. It was late, and I wasn’t doing so great, and I just needed to go for a walk. When I got there, I noticed a number of men standing around, and they immediately stared at me, but I walked past them anyway because I was going to go to the beach. When I was leaving, some of them became more bold and began saying things to me and following me. So I looked around and found the least dangerous-looking one of them and asked him if he would walk me back to my car, because I knew if the other men saw me with another man, they would probably back off.”

I asked her, “How did you know the guy you asked wasn’t going to hurt you?” And she replied, “I didn’t, but one man is better than ten.”

With that one sentence, she simultaneously broke my mind and my heart, and I just stared at her.

“I don’t know what to say to that. That’s terrifying and heartbreaking. I’m so sorry.”

She took a sip of her matcha and just nodded.

One man is better than ten. There were seven. by @solonquinn

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2 days ago

If you carry a camera, we share something. A bond found in composition, in light, and in the way we choose to see the world. And in that shared vision, I find both hope and gratitude.

“I’d say putting on the hijab was a pivotal moment in my life because it forced me to look at my inner self, my passions, and my hobbies. Photography was one of those things, and I’m glad to say that it has never held me back but rather propelled me to become the woman I am today.” -A taken in Biscotti Cafe by @solonquinn

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3 days ago

JFK vibes | Mayoral Edition :P taken in Central New York Community Foundation by @solonquinn

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5 days ago

The Northside Learning Center has opened its doors once again for the first time since Mark’s passing. They need any and all support that you can possibly give.

Please help give these kiddos a fighting chance. I promise you, it’s worth every single dollar, thought, and prayer.

Support here:
https://northsidelearning.org taken in Syracuse, New York by @solonquinn

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7 days ago

I was driving down Erie Blvd. Monday night, and I happened to notice that the sky looked incredible. The capturing of the Burger King below was completely unplanned, but I incorporated it into my composition nonetheless. So, you may, in fact, be witnessing the only photograph of a Burger King that I have ever taken.

Also, a friend saw me editing this picture and asked if it was AI. Know this, now and forevermore. I will never, ever, ever share an AI-generated photo unless it is a joke or I am trying to signal an SOS to the world that my life is in danger.

Lastly, Burger King, you should purchase this photo from me and make it an advertisement for your next fall campaign. I will donate all profits to a wonderful little school in Syracuse called the Northside Learning Center, where I will then make the last Friday of every month “Burger King Friday” and take groups of NSLC kiddos to this exact Burger King, where they will all undoubtedly become loyal Burger King enthusiasts, thus solidifying a small victory in your ongoing battle against the evil McDonald’s :p

(I was always a Whopper kid vs. a Big Mac kid.) taken in Syracuse, New York by @solonquinn

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9 days ago

This one life, surrounded by so many stories. Imagine if we spent just five minutes with every person we met. How differently might we see the world?

Maybe then... taken in Downtown Syracuse by @solonquinn

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10 days ago

I always appreciate when someone is willing to give me a quote to go with their photograph. But there are some quotes that simultaneously break and fill my heart. This is one of them.

“I teach with love and learn with gratitude, carrying the dreams of millions of Afghan girls and women who want an education but are not allowed to have one...” -M. (Teacher at the Northside Learning Center) taken in Northside, Syracuse by @solonquinn

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15 days ago

When a cup of coffee, a conversation, and a shared moment of silence say “I love you” more than words ever could. taken in Downtown Syracuse by @solonquinn

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16 days ago

I come across so many people in my photo journey who tell me how interested they are in photography but have never pursued it, or how they used to shoot but haven’t picked up their camera in a very long time. For some, it’s been a few summers, and for others, it’s been decades.

For me, as insane as it sounds, sometimes I feel like I need permission to do something I love. It’s as if someone needs to say, “Solon, if you love it, if you’re passionate about it, if you miss it, if you’ve ever wondered about it, go do it. Do it now.”

I don’t know if it’s a human thing, an adopted kid thing, or just a Solon thing, but sometimes the smallest words of encouragement, given with kindness and consideration, have changed my life.

So, in the spirit of this life being short, if you’ve ever wanted to take photos, want to take photos, miss taking photos, or have a love for photography that was paused somewhere along the way, be it a week, a year, or thirty years, please, go do it.

Pick up a camera of any kind, look for the first thing that catches your eye, and click that shutter. It all begins with just one single photo. And whatever that photo is, don’t judge it, overthink it, or erase it. Keep it as a first step, a reminder, a badge of honor and courage that you did this thing.

Yesterday will never come again, and tomorrow is a world away. Do it today, my friends. And for some of you, if it helps, from a person who never dreamed of being a photographer but just started shooting one day and never stopped, here’s the permission you’ve never needed but have always had.

And if you do decide to do this, please share your “first photograph” with me and tell me your why. I genuinely want to know. And I won’t lie, I’ll be incredibly proud of you.

(Shout out to this little brother, Abbas, who has taken me up on meeting weekly to begin his photo journey. I could not be more proud of him, excited for him, and interested in the photographer he is becoming. It takes courage, consistency, and vision, and he exemplifies all three.) taken in Downtown Syracuse by @solonquinn

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17 days ago