In these times, why punk is making a comeback

When you look at KT Kanazawich’s photojournalism, it is defined by intimacy, as if you were invited into the inner circle of whomever she’s working with that day. If you ask KT what her secret is to get such close access to her subjects, she’ll shrug and say, “I hang out.” A closer look at one of her personal projects, a 15-year documentation of the punk and hardcore scene in her native Binghamton, NY, reveals the depth of her commitment to this approach.

Zoey at The Brass Rail, 2023 (Photo by KT Kanazawich)

A Report for America alumni who helped establish Flint Beat’s (a local news organization covering Flint, Mich) visual voice when it was a young startup, Kanazawich started photographing basement punk shows in high school. She said there was a pervasive sense that there was nothing else to do in Binghamton in those days, and being “the person with the camera” was an opportunity to define herself.

“In like 2006 or 2007, cellphone cameras were really crappy, social media was in its infancy, so it wasn’t like your mom or your boss was going to see what you posted there,” Kanazawich said. “Because of that, people were more willing to be photographed, and I was usually the only one documenting the shows at that time. Everyone (in the punk scene) would see my pictures on Photobucket but it was like a private, secret thing.”

16 Walnut Street, 2013 (Photo by KT Kanazawich)

For readers who would never find themselves in a basement hardcore show in the Rust Belt, KTs pictures provide generous points of entry. Far more than pictures of musicians performing some extremis of sound and fury, KT deftly photographs broader indicators of culture, particularly relationships. Her pictures articulate the fine line between infatuation and disgust that defines so many young romances.

The music itself serves as connective tissue bridging layers of documentation: Rust Belt Americana, communities growing and changing, relationships between men and women, and an undercurrent of violence that is partly performative and partly real. KT’s images make subtle connections but never stray from the essential energies of the punk movement.

Narcos Family Band at Fitzies, 2017 (Photo by KT Kanazawich)

Many young photographers take their first professional pictures at concerts, protests, or other “shows” because their subjects are essentially performing for the camera. It makes it easier when the drama and kinetic action is served up continuously, and you just have to pick the moments to press the shutter. For photographers who want to do subculture work, which is a popular topic for young photographers as well, KT has advice.

“To make this work, it has been all about relationships and repeated exposure,” Kanazawich said. “You just have to keep showing up and keep looking for these little moments. The relationships I built were by just taking pictures of bands and sending them pictures. Then they can see how you represent them, and build trust that you’re not just using them for the image.”

Repeated exposure is critical to building a body of work like KT’s. Sometimes you notice important things in an edit that you didn’t notice while taking pictures, like a portrait of Jesus and the American flag in the background of an image. But if you recognize their importance in the edit, you’ll be prepared for the next time that symbology is in front of you.

Andrew & Craig in Rochester, 2013 (Photo by KT Kanazawich)

KT said a lot of the people active in the Binghamton hardcore scene have moved to Syracuse, where there are more established acts like the influential Earth Crisis or newcomers Street Hassle and Deal With God.

KT is following the scene as it changes, while also freelancing for national newspapers and doing commercial photography.

“The scene has changed over the years, but it’s still there,” Kanazawich said. My generation doesn’t want people in their house anymore so those bands wouldn’t be playing basement shows. But the younger kids still have them – the new generation has created their own scene that is different, but I think it was inspired by what they saw of their parents’ scene when they were little.”